|
Categories
|
|
|
|
|
|
Articles
|
|
| The Chiropractor: My first visit |
billp writes, "The Chiropractor: My First Visit
I've never thought about going to a chiropractor before.
"
|
The Chiropractor: My First Visit
I’ve never thought about going to a chiropractor before. To be quite honest I was skeptical as to their collective skill level and a little bit fearful. I mean, they’re back there pushing and shoving, twisting and jerking, and you hear crackling noises coming from your bones that just don’t seem natural.
However, my back was hurting in a way that was draining me day by day, both physically and psychologically. I could walk, but not stand. Sitting was uncomfortable. Standing up after sitting was almost impossible. This was the same kind of pain I’d had for almost twenty years. Most of the time the pain was bearable and not even on my mind. But when I have this sort of flare-up, it seems almost unbearable.
In the past I had gone to a “regular” doctor with mixed results. The first doctor simply gave me muscle relaxors and told me to go to bed for a week. That didn’t work out too well, but eventually the pain did recede into the semi-conscience part of my brain so I moved on.
Then I found a sports medicine doctor and thought I’d hit the jackpot! He gave me a couple shots of cortisone and put me on about 50 prednisone tabs in less than a week. The pain miraculously disappeared in about two days!
So, why go to a chiropractor when the sports medicine guy did so well? The pain seemed to return at closer and closer intervals. The first time I was treated it took years before the pain returned. Then it was months. Now it seems like weeks. I needed a more permanent solution. Finally, with a lot of “nudging” from my wife and not a little fear on my part, I visited the chiropractor.
The first impression I got was complete professionalism. The receptionist was knowledgeable and friendly. The posters and charts sprinkled liberally throughout the office were similar to those you’d find in a “real” doctors office…skeletal structures, explanations of the nervous system, etc. I began to think to myself “maybe this isn’t voodoo after all”.
Dr. Van Metre asked about my pain and seemed to understand exactly what I was feeling. The first thing he did was take X-Rays, producing a life-sized image of my skeletal structure that was quite impressive. Even the so-called “real” doctors hadn’t taken so much effort to seek out the “root” cause. He let me know that my spine was actually in quite good shape, but then pointed to a compression in one of my lower disks that was probably pinching some nerves.
He explained to me that the doctors I saw were quite good and that the cortisone and prednisone shots are very effective in treating back problem. The problem was that they only treated the symptoms, not the cause. I would always have back pain if I didn’t treat the cause. I was impressed that he didn’t “trash talk” doctors, recognizing them for their skill and expertise. He didn’t try to scare me into extended visits by pretending I had a pretzel-like spine that would take years to fix. He simply approached the problem methodically and professionally, isolating the small irregularity and resolving to treat the cause.
The first week didn’t go too well. My back seemed to get worse, and I was beginning to doubt this new kind of treatment. By the forth visit, Dr. Van Metre was also a little concerned. He did something a little different and asked me to do some exercises. By the time I got to the fifth visit my back was feeling much, much better!
I’ll conclude by just saying I’ve been converted! I’m now a believer! Chiropractic medicine is a science that people like me have shown little respect for over the year. Fortunately, more and more people like me are being converted. Chiropractors deserve the recognition and respect that they’ve earned in recent years. I hope this article plays some small part in changing the perception I had all these years.
Thanks Doc!
|
Posted on May 21, 2006 16:38pm.
(Return)
|
|
|
|
|
Categories
|
|
|
|
Local News
|
|
|
|
Advertise With Us
|
|
Your Business Here!
|
|
