Learn how Life Lounge Chiropractic & Health Center’s on-site digital X-rays, Infrared Thermography, Electromyography (EMG), and personalized rehabilitation care plans target the underlying cause so you move freely again and get back to doing the things that you love doing.
Why posture and balance matter
If your posture feels “off,” your balance often is, too. Postural balance—your body’s ability to keep the head, spine, and pelvis aligned over your base of support—depends on clear communication between joints, discs, muscles, and the nervous system.
When discs bulge, joints stiffen, or nerve signals get noisy, your body compensates with sway, stiffness, and fatigue.
Research shows chronic low back pain is linked with increased postural sway, particularly when visual input is reduced, which explains why everyday movements can start to feel unstable (Park et al., 2023).
This is not a small problem. As the World Health Organization (2023) puts it, “Low back pain is the leading cause of disability globally.” Musculoskeletal conditions are the leading contributor to disability worldwide, with low back pain the single leading cause in more than 160 countries (World Health Organization, 2022).
Chiropractic first: how adjustments tune the balance system
At Life Lounge Chiropractic & Health Center, chiropractic comes first—before any rehabilitation add-ons—because spinal and extremity adjustments can “reboot” the joint-nerve-muscle loop that steadies your posture.
A randomized crossover study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that extremity manipulation measurably improved postural sway and stability in healthy adults, showing that balance control can reorganize quickly after precise adjustments (Malaya et al., 2020).
Similarly, a controlled crossover trial in the European Journal of Applied Physiology reported that a single chiropractic spinal manipulation increased lower-limb strength and corticospinal excitability for up to an hour in elite athletes—a short-term neural boost that helps stabilize the body during standing and movement (Christiansen et al., 2018).
Because people with chronic low back pain often demonstrate greater postural sway and impaired proprioception, restoring clean sensory input from spinal joints through adjustments is a logical first step toward better balance (Park et al., 2023).
Bottom line for posture: Regular chiropractic adjustments clear joint restrictions and sharpen neuromuscular control—two pillars of steadier stance and cleaner alignment that set the stage for the next step: non-surgical spinal decompression.
Why non-surgical spinal decompression is the best answer for disc-driven imbalance
When discs are involved (bulges, herniations, degenerative narrowing), postural balance struggles because irritated nerves and overloaded facet joints distort the body’s “map” of where you are in space.
Non-surgical spinal decompression (NSSD) gently creates negative pressure inside the disc and widens the foraminal space, taking load off the nerve so normal muscle firing—and balanced posture—can return.
What the science shows
- Measurable disc unloading: In a landmark study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery, intradiscal pressure measured during vertebral axial decompression dropped below −100 mm Hg—direct proof of mechanical unloading (Ramos & Martin, 1994).
- Fast results (around four weeks): A randomized controlled trial in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders found that patients with lumbar radiculopathy receiving 12 decompression sessions over four weeks showed significantly greater improvements in pain, endurance, and mobility than those with routine physical therapy alone (Amjad et al., 2022).
- Structural change on MRI: A 2022 randomized study reported that nonsurgical spinal decompression reduced herniated disc volume by about 28% and improved functional scores compared with sham pseudodecompression—some patients experienced over 50% volume reduction within three months (Choi et al., 2022).
- Short-term symptom wins supported by meta-analysis: A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis in Physical Therapy concluded that mechanical traction added to conservative care can reduce pain and disability in the short term for lumbar radiculopathy (Vanti et al., 2021).
Put simply: decompression unloads the disc and nerve, chiropractic adjustments restore joint mechanics and neuromuscular control, and your balance system gets the clear signal it needs to stabilize the spine.
As the World Health Organization (2023) reminds us, “Low back pain has the highest prevalence globally among musculoskeletal conditions and is the leading cause of disability worldwide.”
Burlington-built care: on-site digital X-rays, Infrared Thermography, EMG, and personalized plans
Your spine is unique—so your plan should be, too.
At Life Lounge Chiropractic & Health Center in Burlington:
- We use in-house digital X-rays and teach you how to read them—so you can see the structural drivers of your symptoms and track change over time.
- We pair advanced spinal decompression technology with chiropractic-directed care to target the root cause, not just mask symptoms.
- We map personalized care plans (including at-home posture cues) because the fastest path to durable balance is clarity + consistency.
Our patient reviews consistently highlight quick relief and clear explanations—“results… faster than you thought possible”—when decompression is guided inside a chiropractic-led plan.
Your first 4–6 weeks: what to expect
Chiropractic → Decompression → Activation
Week 1–2 (Reset & Relieve)
- Comprehensive history, exam, on-site digital X-rays, and scans.
- Chiropractic adjustments to normalize joint mechanics and improve neuromuscular control.
- Non-surgical spinal decompression sessions to unload the disc and nerve.
- Simple at-home cues to reduce daily spinal load (micro-breaks, posture resets).
Week 3–4 (Rebuild & Re-educate)
- Continued Chiro-first progress checks guided by your imaging and scans.
- Ongoing decompression to consolidate nerve relief and reduce guarding.
- Gentle activation so muscles stabilize on a calmer, better-aligned spine.
By week 4, many patients notice steadier posture and easier movement—consistent with clinical trials showing meaningful improvement after four weeks of decompression-guided care (Amjad et al., 2022).
Weeks 5–6 (Balance Under Load)
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- Progressively longer holds and real-world carryover (walking, lifting cues).
- Re-image or re-scan as needed to confirm that we’re resolving the underlying issue—not just the symptoms.
The postural-balance “stack” we build in Burlington
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- Restore alignment: Targeted chiropractic adjustments reduce joint fixation and improve proprioceptive input, key to controlling sway (Malaya et al., 2020).
- Unload the disc: Decompression creates intra-disc negative pressure, reducing nerve irritation and allowing cleaner signaling (Ramos & Martin, 1994).
- Re-educate movement: With pain drivers offloaded, your nervous system re-learns efficient, balanced patterns—reflected in smoother gait and steadier stance (Choi et al., 2022).
- Verify the change: On-site X-rays, EMG, and progress reviews keep you confident and on track.
Get started at Life Lounge Chiropractic & Health Center
If you’re in Burlington, Ontario (or nearby Oakville, Hamilton, or Waterdown) and you want faster, clearer progress in postural balance, a Chiro-first plan with non-surgical spinal decompression is the best option we offer for disc-driven imbalance.
The combination addresses the cause (disc and nerve pressure), restores control (joint and neuromuscular function), and verifies change (imaging and scans).
Book your assessment—see your spine on on-site digital X-rays, get a personalized care plan, and start a 4-week sprint toward steadier posture.
As the World Health Organization (2023) puts it: “Low back pain is the leading cause of disability globally.” If it’s holding you back, there’s a clear, non-surgical path forward—right here in Burlington.
References (APA style)
Amjad, F., Mohseni-Bandpei, M. A., Gilani, S. A., Ahmad, A., & Hanif, A. (2022). Effects of non-surgical decompression therapy in addition to routine physical therapy on pain, range of motion, endurance, functional disability and quality of life versus routine physical therapy alone in patients with lumbar radiculopathy: A randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 23, 255. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05196-x
Choi, E., Gil, H. Y., Ju, J., Han, W. K., Nahm, F. S., & Lee, P.-B. (2022). Effect of nonsurgical spinal decompression on intensity of pain and herniated disc volume in subacute lumbar herniated disc. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 2022, 6343837. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6343837
Christiansen, T. L., Niazi, I. K., Holt, K., Nedergaard, R. W., Duehr, J., Allen, K., Marshall, P., Türker, K. S., Hartvigsen, J., & Haavik, H. (2018). The effects of a single session of spinal manipulation on strength and cortical drive in athletes. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(4), 737–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3803-0
Koçak, F. A., Tunç, H., Sütbeyaz, S. T., Akkuş, S., Köseoğlu, B. F., & Yılmaz, E. (2018). Conventional motorized traction vs. non-surgical spinal decompression (DRX9000) for lumbar disc herniation: A single-blind randomized-controlled trial. Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 64(3), 231–238. https://doi.org/10.5606/tftrd.2018.1634
Malaya, C. A., Powell, C., Pohlman, K. A., & Smith, D. L. (2020). Impact of extremity manipulation on postural sway characteristics: A preliminary randomized crossover study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 43(8), 806–814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2020.07.004
Park, J., Kim, K., Lee, J., & Cho, J. (2023). The effect of chronic low back pain on postural control: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 24, 451. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-023-06615-0
Ramos, G., & Martin, W. (1994). Effects of vertebral axial decompression on intradiscal pressure. Journal of Neurosurgery, 81(3), 350–353. https://doi.org/10.3171/jns.1994.81.3.0350
Vanti, C., Panizzolo, A., Turone, L., Guccione, A. A., Violante, F. S., Pillastrini, P., & Bertozzi, L. (2021). Effectiveness of mechanical traction for lumbar radiculopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Physical Therapy, 101(3), pzaa231. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzaa231
World Health Organization. (2023, December 7). WHO releases guidelines on chronic low back pain. https://www.who.int/news/item/07-12-2023-who-releases-guidelines-on-chronic-low-back-pain
World Health Organization. (2023, June 19). Low back pain (Fact sheet). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/low-back-pain
World Health Organization. (2022, July 14). Musculoskeletal conditions (Fact sheet). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/musculoskeletal-conditions
Life Lounge Chiropractic & Health Center. (n.d.). Chiropractor near me in Burlington, ON (on-site digital X-rays, nerve scans, decompression). https://thelifelounge.ca/
Life Lounge Chiropractic & Health Center. (n.d.). The Clinic (we teach you to read your X-rays; imaging reviewed at each adjustment). https://thelifelounge.ca/the-clinic/
Life Lounge Chiropractic & Health Center. (2025). How chiropractic care (and spinal decompression) supercharge muscle recovery (Built for Burlington: on-site X-rays, personalized plans; quick results noted). https://thelifelounge.ca/how-chiropractic-care-and-spinal-decompression-supercharge-muscle-recovery/