Patient Success Story DIY Back Pain Relief for a Plymouth Remodeler Dr. Tom Bomberg Hauling 2x4s, kneeling on a floor all day to set tile, and taping trim overhead will find the weak spot in almost anybody's back. That was the pattern for Briana, a Plymouth patient who kept tweaking her low back in the middle of a basement finish and a deck rebuild. Briana is a nurse and a weekend remodeler, and she and her boyfriend Brad were deep into home projects when I took over the Plymouth clinic on 35th Avenue. She was already an established patient here, coming in roughly every two to three weeks for her back and neck, and she golfed in a league once a week on top of everything else. Her care continued without a gap through that transition, and her low back soreness came up at nearly every appointment during the remodel. Key Takeaways THE CHALLENGEHeavy, repetitive DIY work and a weekly golf league kept irritating a low back that wasn't used to that kind of manual labor. THE TREATMENTIntersegmental traction followed by manual diversified adjustments to the mid back, low back, and neck, paired with stretches matched to the week's work. THE RESULTFlare-ups became less frequent, and she kept up with the basement, the deck, and her short Minnesota golf season. Briana didn't come in because she was in crisis. She came in to stay ahead of discomfort, which is how I prefer to work with anyone taking on months of physical projects. We treat the root cause, not just the symptom, so every visit started with a conversation about what she had actually been doing with her body that week — lifting lumber, laying flooring, taping trim — and the adjustment and the home exercises followed from there. You can learn more about our Chiropractic Services and how we build care around a real schedule. Project Summary Client Profile: Briana, a nurse and weekend DIY remodeler, seen alongside her boyfriend Brad Project Location: Plymouth, Minnesota (West Metro, Twin Cities) Primary Objective: Keep low back and neck flare-ups from sidelining her home projects and golf league through ongoing Back Pain Relief. Techniques Used: Intersegmental traction followed by manual diversified Chiropractic Techniques for the mid back, low back, and neck. Key Outcome: Less frequent flare-ups, steady visits every two to three weeks, and a full golf season without missing her league. What DIY Work Did to Her Back On my first day at the 35th Avenue clinic, the previous doctor walked me through Briana's case with her right there in the room, and I adjusted her for the first time while he was present. That warm handoff mattered. She already knew what her body responded to, and my job was to keep that continuity while checking her range of motion myself. Manual labor is hard on a body that doesn't do it for a living, especially when you're doing it on a budget and doing it yourself. She would come in and tell me her back hurt after picking up 2x4s, or that she spent an entire day putting down flooring and tiling, or hours painting and taping trim. All of that time bent forward and looking down loaded the same tissue over and over, and the low back took the brunt of it. A Typical Visit in Plymouth Every appointment started in the first room off the main entry — you take what is basically a U-turn into the intersegmental traction table. A few minutes on that roller table loosens the spine segment by segment so the adjustment is more comfortable and more specific. From there she came into the adjusting room, lay face down, and I palpated her back for sore, restricted areas after she told me how the week had gone. I'd adjust the mid and upper back around the cervicothoracic junction, then have her roll to her side for the low back, one side and then the other, and finish with her on her back for the neck. All manual, diversified adjusting. "Bend your knees, keep the load close to your body, don't twist while you're holding something heavy. And take breaks — most injuries I see happen at hour six when people are tired and getting sloppy." - (Dr. Bomberg, Bomberg Chiropractic) One real change came with the neck. The previous doctor adjusted the cervical spine with the patient seated; I find most people relax better lying on their back because there's less muscle engagement, so that was something we eased into together. Her home exercises were tailored to each visit — a piriformis stretch when discomfort started creeping toward her leg, a levator scapula stretch for the upper back, and suboccipital chin tucks because she spent so much time looking down at flooring and tile. If you want the background on that kind of work, see our Neck Pain Treatment and Preventative Spine Care pages. Fewer Flare-Ups, Full Golf Season Her flare-ups absolutely became less frequent. She stayed consistent at every two to three weeks through the basement remodel, working around a demanding nursing schedule, and she bumped her visits up a little during golf season so she wouldn't have to miss her league. In Minnesota we get about three months of golf before the weather makes it a challenge, and she wasn't about to give any of that up. The lifting conversation was as much a part of her care as the adjustments. Use a ladder instead of reaching, keep the load in front of you, don't twist while you're holding something heavy, and break up overhead work into half-hour stretches before looking a different direction. Go a little slower with good posture and the project finishes looking nicer anyway — it would be a shame to put that much work into getting a back feeling good and then lose it rushing through drywall or trim. Planning a Big Home Project? We see this all the time here in Plymouth: a basement remodel, a deck rebuild, a long weekend of flooring, and a back that isn't used to the demand. I'd rather help you stay ahead of the discomfort than wait until you're at a 7 out of 10 and can't finish the job. Tackling a remodel, a deck, or a yard project in Plymouth and feeling it in your low back? Take the first step toward a healthier, pain-free life. Bomberg Chiropractic15600 35th Ave. N. #101, Plymouth, MN 55447Call (763) 450-1755 or Schedule Online Frequently Asked Questions How do I protect my back during a DIY project in Plymouth? Lift with your knees bent, keep the load close and in front of you, and never twist while holding something heavy. Use a ladder rather than reaching, break ceiling and overhead work into half-hour chunks, and alternate between standing work and floor work so you aren't loading the same tissue all day. Most of the injuries I see happen around hour six, when people are tired and getting sloppy. Should I come in before my back hurts or after? I recommend staying ahead of the discomfort rather than waiting for things to start hurting. Early on, visits often sound like everything hurts; over time patients start saying they can feel the low back or hip beginning to talk, and that's the signal to get in. Chiropractic can absolutely be reactive care, but the real value is getting ahead of it and staying there. What if I'm nervous about switching chiropractors? Switching providers is a genuinely scary thing, and every patient has the right to choose who treats them. When I took over mid-care for Briana, the previous doctor walked me through her case with her in the room and I adjusted her while he was there, so nothing felt unfamiliar. I always ask what you've had before, because I don't want to do a manual adjustment on someone used to the activator, or a side posture adjustment on someone used to the drop table — your preference matters to me.