Patient Success Story Plymouth Man Beats Disc Pain, Regains Mobility A Plymouth business owner spent years managing low back pain in the background of a busy work schedule, until a long car drive turned a manageable ache into something he could no longer push through. Within days, simple tasks like standing to greet a customer or getting out of a chair became a struggle. The patient, a 51-year-old male from Plymouth, runs his own business and could no longer function at work because of the pain. He was referred by a friend who had already found relief through Dr. Tom Bomberg at Bomberg Chiropractic in Plymouth, Minnesota. What started as a favor between friends turned into an eight-month course of care that changed how this patient moved through his day. Key Takeaways THE CHALLENGEAn eight-out-of-10 low back pain flare left a 51-year-old Plymouth man barely able to move, work, or sit through a meeting. THE CARE PLANOn-site X-rays identified disc degeneration at L4-L5 and L5-S1, guiding a structured, multi-month adjustment schedule. THE RESULTAfter 8 months of consistent care, the patient returned to daily work and golf, now maintaining once-a-week to every-10-day visits. Chronic low back pain rarely announces itself with a single cause, and this case was no exception. The patient had dealt with discomfort for years, but a long drive pushed his spine past its tolerance, triggering shooting pain down his right leg and a near-total loss of mobility. Dr. Bomberg's exam and on-site X-rays gave both doctor and patient a clear picture of what was actually happening in his lower back, which shaped a care plan built around his specific findings rather than a generic back-pain protocol. Project Summary Client Profile: 51-year-old male business owner, Plymouth, Minnesota Project Location: Plymouth, MN Primary Objective: Resolve severe low back pain and restore function using Chiropractic Care for Spinal Pain Care Plan: Structured adjustment schedule addressing Herniated Disc Treatment and Sciatica Treatment Key Outcome: Return to daily work and twice-weekly golf after 8 months of care Diagnosing Severe Low Back Pain When the patient came in, he rated his pain an eight out of 10 and could barely move without bracing himself against chairs on the way to the exam room. His lumbar flexion measured only about 20 degrees, he could not perform a back bend of even five degrees, and lateral bending was limited to roughly 10 degrees before shooting pain radiated down his right leg. Orthopedic testing pointed to sciatica and an SI lesion, with signs consistent with a space-occupying lesion in the low back. Dr. Bomberg took X-rays on site rather than sending the patient elsewhere for imaging, which confirmed disc degeneration at L4-L5 and L5-S1, matching the exact area of his discomfort. That finding gave the practice a specific target for treatment instead of a general low back diagnosis, and it later proved relevant when the patient's college-age daughter came in with the same degeneration pattern in her 20s, suggesting a hereditary component to his condition. Building A Consistent Care Schedule Care began in January, and getting the patient functional again was not a quick fix. Dr. Bomberg and the patient met very regularly over the first several months to work through the acute phase, using hands-on adjustment techniques tailored to a patient who was still active and wanted to stay that way. The goal at each visit was to restore joint mobility in the lumbar spine and reduce the nerve irritation feeding his sciatic symptoms. By month eight, the visit frequency had dropped to once a week to every 10 days, a schedule the practice continues to fine-tune based on how the patient responds. Regarding insurance, the practice found that using his coverage was actually less advantageous than a cash-based plan, so Dr. Bomberg and the front office built a custom Flexible Pricing Options arrangement to get him the best rate for ongoing care, and he has remained a cash patient since. The practice also draws on Chiropractic Techniques suited to each patient's tolerance and activity level, rather than a single one-size-fits-all adjustment style. Getting Back To Work And Golf Today, the patient still experiences occasional soreness, but it is short-lived compared to where he started. He is able to work every day at his business and plays golf once or twice a week, activities that were out of reach when he first walked in bracing himself against every chair. The turnaround took months of steady visits rather than a single dramatic appointment, which reflects how Dr. Bomberg approaches disc-related low back pain: restore motion first, then let pain relief follow as the spine relearns how to move. The patient's experience was strong enough that he later referred his own daughter for the same type of care, giving her a head start on managing a similar spinal pattern decades earlier in life. Struggling With Low Back Pain in Plymouth? We work with Plymouth patients dealing with everything from disc degeneration to sciatica, using on-site X-rays and a care plan built around each person's specific exam findings. Chronic low back pain often takes consistent care to resolve, and we tailor visit frequency to match how your body responds. If you are dealing with ongoing low back pain in Plymouth, are you ready to find out what is actually driving your discomfort? Reach out to schedule an evaluation. Bomberg Chiropractic15600 35th Ave. N #101, Plymouth, MN 55447Call (763) 450-1755 or Schedule Online Frequently Asked Questions What causes severe low back pain in Plymouth adults? Severe low back pain often stems from disc degeneration, joint fixation, or nerve irritation that builds up over years, sometimes triggered into a flare-up by a single event like a long drive. On-site X-rays help identify the exact source, such as disc degeneration at specific vertebral levels, rather than guessing at a diagnosis. How long does chiropractic care take to resolve disc degeneration symptoms? It varies by patient, but severe cases are not a quick fix. In this Plymouth case, the patient needed several months of frequent visits before transitioning to a once-a-week to every-10-day maintenance schedule, a timeline that reflected the severity of his initial exam findings. Does Bomberg Chiropractic offer payment options besides insurance? Yes. When insurance isn't the most cost-effective option for ongoing care, the practice builds custom cash-based care plans, as it did for this patient, so treatment can continue at a reasonable rate without insurance limitations getting in the way.