One of the most common reasons people come to SPINELAB. It can arrive suddenly after lifting, twisting or a sports incident, or build gradually through long hours sitting, driving or training.

What it can look like:

• Stiffness or pain low in the back, sometimes to one side
• Difficulty bending, lifting, or getting up from sitting
• Pain that eases with movement, or that is worse first thing in the morning
• A sense that the back "gives way" or feels unreliable under load

How we assess it: we take a full history, screen for anything that needs referral elsewhere, and assess joint movement, muscle control, and how you load through your hips, pelvis and spine.

What care may involve: hands-on chiropractic care to restore joint motion, alongside movement and loading strategies to rebuild control. Where appropriate we use HumanTrak movement analysis to measure how you are actually moving, not just how it feels.

Neck complaints often relate to sustained postures, desk and device use, sleep position, training load, or a previous injury such as a whiplash-type event.

What it can look like:

• Restricted turning or looking up and down
• Aching through the neck, upper shoulders or between the shoulder blades
• Discomfort that builds through the working day
• Tension that returns to the same spot repeatedly

How we assess it: range of motion testing, joint assessment through the neck and upper back, a neurological screen where indicated, and a look at how your shoulders and mid-back are contributing.

What care may involve: hands-on care to the neck and upper back, soft tissue work, and practical changes to desk setup, training and daily loading. Massage therapy is available at the clinic where it suits your care.

Some headaches have a clear relationship with the joints and muscles of the neck and upper back. These are often described as starting at the base of the skull and spreading forward, and may come alongside neck stiffness.

How we assess it: we take a careful history to understand your headache pattern, screen for features that need medical review, and assess neck movement, joint function and muscle tension in the upper cervical spine.

What care may involve: where the assessment points to a neck-related contribution, care is directed at the joints and soft tissue of the neck and upper back, along with posture and load management advice.

Headaches have many possible causes. If your assessment suggests something outside our scope, we will say so and point you toward the right care.

Pain, tingling or numbness that travels from the lower back or buttock into the leg. It is a description of symptoms rather than a diagnosis in itself, so the assessment matters.

What it can look like:

• Pain running from the back or buttock down the back of the leg
• Pins and needles, numbness, or a burning quality
• Symptoms that change with sitting, standing, walking or bending

How we assess it: a neurological screen including reflexes, strength and sensation, orthopaedic testing, and assessment of the lumbar spine, pelvis and hip. Part of this assessment is identifying anything that needs imaging or medical referral.

What care may involve: care directed at the joints and tissues identified in your assessment, positions and movements that settle symptoms, and a graded return to normal loading.

SPINELAB works with gym-goers, golfers, field and court athletes, and active professionals. Most sports complaints are load problems as much as tissue problems — how much, how fast, and how well you are moving under it.

Commonly seen:

• Hip, groin and hamstring complaints
• Shoulder pain with overhead or pressing work
• Mid-back and rib restriction affecting rotation
• Recurring niggles that return each time training ramps up

How we assess it: injury history, movement and control testing, and where appropriate VALD HumanTrak analysis to measure range, control and symmetry objectively.

What care may involve: hands-on care, rehabilitation and loading progressions, and a plan for returning to training that accounts for your actual season and schedule. Most sports injuries are covered by ACC — no referral is needed.

Not everyone who comes to SPINELAB is in pain. Many people come because they feel tight, stiff, or that their body is not recovering the way it used to between training sessions or long working weeks.

How we assess it: movement screening, joint assessment, and a look at your training, work and sleep load to understand what is driving the tension.

What care may involve: chiropractic care and soft tissue work, mobility and strength strategies you can actually maintain, and massage therapy at the clinic where that suits you better.

Concerns about how you sit, stand, lift or move — often raised alongside a specific complaint, sometimes on their own.

How we assess it: postural and movement screening, joint and range of motion testing, and VALD HumanTrak measurement where it adds useful information.

What care may involve: we discuss what the assessment found at your Report of Findings, then work through a plan built around restoring motion, rebuilding control, and loading you back toward what you want to do.