But I am not most people. I am a chiropractor. A principled chiropractor. I know my body is capable of self-healing. Pain is feedback from the body. I admit that relentless low back pain is unbearable. However it is NOT so unbearable that I will resort to advil, painkillers or medicine of any kind. I have been drug free (prescription and over the counter) since 1999, and this will not break my record! Call me crazy, but I am doing this differently.
So here I lie, on ice. I leave my bed for the restroom and to get adjusted each day. During first few days I thought that I wasn’t improving at all, but those around me could see the changes happening. Gradually I was bearing more weight, shuffling my feet quicker towards the toilet and rolling over with more ease. (By the way, I couldn’t even sit to pee!) Thank goodness day five is here and I can now feel the healing that my body has been so diligently performing on my behalf.
“But wait” you say, “Dr. Stephanie you are a CHIRPRACTOR! That’s ironic! How can this happen? How can such a thing happen to a back expert?”
This could be a long story, although I will do my best to keep it brief, because you see it is rarely ever just one thing that causes such a situation. It is not the box you picked up when your back went out. On the contrary, it is the weeks, months or years leading up to that event. I vacationed with my kids for nine days in August. We spent the daytime at Orlando theme parks and the evenings dressed in high heels. (The rollercoaster rides can do a number on your spine, as can heels.) The following week I was bent extra awkwardly over my adjusting tables due to a broken knob. On one of my lunch breaks that week I spent a stressful hour or so in court with my ex-husband. The next day I went on water bumper cars, waterslides, sat with my nine year old on my lap at the drive-in theatre and slept in a hotel bed. The final straw, I stood barefoot at the helm of a powerboat (without my heel lift) driving my kids on the rough waters of Lake Winnipesaukee, where they tubed for five hours. The pounding of the waves finished off my spine. While I didn’t feel it immediately, my back began stiffening and by dinner time I walked like an old lady. So that’s it. Not one thing, but many led to this episode. Although I had three or four wellness adjustment during the month of August, looking back now I realize that with all of my activities I needed a few extras!
In the words of D.D. and B.J. Palmer, the founder and developer of chiropractic, THOTS, TRAUMAS AND TOXINS are the causes of spinal misalignments called subluxations. I had the emotional stress (thots), the traumas (multiple microtraumas) and the toxins… yes I admit I was eating crappy yummy food that I would not normally partake in while vacationing. Shhh… please don’t tell anyone!
The lesson from my story? Life causes subluxations. It is the little things in our day (sitting at the computer, jumping off the swings, emotionally stressful situations) that make our wellness visits important. Have a chiropractor for your family and stay well adjusted! And when life is extra challenging, get extra adjustments. And if you do have a crisis, keep the faith. Your handy-dandy chiropractor and your amazing self-healing body will persevere. No drugs necessary.
P.S. I expect to be almost as good as new by day seven. Thanks to my chiropractor and the inborn wisdom of my body:)
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