Welcome back! This blog is part two of the importance of good chiropractic care.
In full disclosure, after my initial back injury, I recovered to what felt like about 85%. About a year after the first injury, I had hurt my back a second time lifting my firefighter turnout gear bag off the shelf. I had that same familiar sharp pain. I went through the same old routine as the first time – injury report, medical services, ice pack down my pants, the whole deal. They prescribed me more physical therapy, and off I went. However, I could not accept this was a torn muscle. I knew something else was going on. I was in so much pain and had so much frustration. I was young and severely limited in my physical activities because of my back pain. When your back hurts, it doesn’t take long to forget what it was like to feel good. It’s easy to think it will never be the same again. I was so desperate to get better. Since I assumed surgery may be necessary I decided – what have I got to lose? Let me try a chiropractor. So I looked in the yellow pages and found a big full page ad for a chiropractor THAT stated “new patients seen immediately”. I called, and within an hour I was in their office getting x-rays. I went back the next day and learned I had a herniated disk in my low back. It was likely the same injury from a year prior that was never properly diagnosed, let alone rehabilitated.
How a Chiropractor Helped Me
On my second visit to the chiropractor, I not only got the diagnosis, but I also had my first spinal adjustment. I still remember walking in stiffly to the office and immediately after the adjustment being able to bend forward and touch my toes. I still had some discomfort but the difference was amazing. By the end of that week after my third spinal adjustment, I was feeling better than I had for the whole previous year. I went to my follow-up appointment with medical services thinking they would be thrilled with the news – no more light duty, no more physical therapy — just a series of chiropractic appointments over the next few weeks, and I’d be as good as new. The doctor would not hear of it. I was not aware at that time of the friction that exists between conventional medical doctors and chiropractors. The MD told me they would not cover my chiropractic treatment. I was not even asking for that, but as I took in the message, I realized this was not about money. There was something else at play. I informed the doctor that I was already feeling better after my 3 chiropractic visits than I had after my previous months of conventional treatment he had prescribed a year earlier. I was certain my recovery would be so much faster and ultimately cheaper than the months of physical therapy I had done before, which consisted mostly of unsupervised stretching. The MD was unconvinced to change the treatment plan and he insisted that he have the final say in my course of treatment. I simply stated I was going to go with what worked best for me even if I had to pay for it myself, and I left the office. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
That chiropractor changed my life. I became an instant believer in chiropractic care ever since. In spite of my amazing response to his adjustments, I still had some strength work to do in order to find complete relief. It would still be some years before I would get to that. Strength work as it relates to back pain will be the focus of a future blog. For now I just want to focus on the critical step of taking the matter of my health into my own hands. As I have since learned, I ended up with a very good chiropractor, but I might have just as easily ended up with a not-so-good one. Just like there are good mechanics and bad, good medical doctors and quacks, there are also different kinds of chiropractors. If you have back pain that has disabled you or just pestered you over time, I encourage you to consider chiropractic care. If you do so, find a good chiropractor by asking around and looking at reviews. Word of mouth from people you know and trust is where I would start. Then you have to decide if you think it’s right for you. In the end, chiropractic is non-invasive and a relatively low-cost and low-risk option before you may consider something more expensive like surgery. Much of the time, surgery ends with mixed reviews as far as recovery is concerned anyway. A good chiropractor also knows when surgery is the right choice and should steer you toward that when it’s needed. Finally, I would look for a chiropractor who takes ample time with each patient as opposed to operating the office on a rapid turnaround, high-volume approach. If your references report barely seeing the doctor for more than 3-4 minutes per visit, I recommend you keep looking for another doctor, preferably one who takes their time to assess you properly each visit. This need not take 20 minutes each time you’re in their office, but clearly you will want a chiropractor who is not just going through the motions as they run patients through a constant revolving door. A good chiropractor is worth their weight in gold. and if you are interested to find one. I hope you will find a great one.