This is what I looked like after I got back from Maui. Notice the slant? I’m standing up straight. If you mouse over the picture you’ll see what I looked like about a week later. A little better, right?
You might recall that while on Maui, a tsunami (spelled right the first time, thank you very much) came while we were on the beach, picked me up and deposited me, neck first, on the beach. After that Brad said that I always looked angry because when I turned to look at someone I turned my whole body. You should try it sometime. I think Brad was scared of me for the first few days.
Side Note: Turning was actually a little more complicated than that. The first step was to just shift my eyes in that direction to see if I could see the thing without any head movement. If that didn’t work, I could get maybe 20 degrees of turn in before it started to hurt. After that I could get another 20 degrees by rotating from my shoulders. If I needed to see a little further astern I could rotate from the hips for about 45 degrees. That gave me nearly 90 degrees. If I needed to see anything back further than that, I would have to actually move my feet (if standing) or start to hurt something (in all other positions).
Anyway, about a week ago I went to my doctor and he checked to make sure I didn’t actually hurt any part of my spine and then gave me some muscle relaxers and told me to try some hot and cold treatments. If it didn’t get better he would send me to a physical therapist.
It didn’t really get much better, and everyone told me to go to a chiropractor (Again, first time. I’m really hot in the spelling department today). So I made an appointment with the parent of two of our Lincoln Lutheran students. Beth recommended him, and his boys are smart, so I figured he must be too.
When I hear people talking about chiropractors it seems like they go every 3 days for approximately 14 years and then they are better. Ron looked me over and said he thought he could help and that it should take two visits (including this one). So that’s one point in his favor already.
He explained what he was going to do and then got to work. He said my back looked fine, but did three “things” to my neck (what are those called?). The first one was just a little simple pop. The second sounded like he took a bundle of eight to ten sticks (missed my only chance to use the word faggot there) and broke it in his hands. It was a lot of popping. Yes, it hurt. Then he did another one that wasn’t so bad.
I instantly felt a lot better.
No, I didn’t. I felt more or less the same and he gave me some more instructions and I made an appointment to come back in two days. But by the time I was walking out to the car I did notice a change. It still hurt when I turned my head, but it didn’t hurt in my neck anymore. It hurt in my shoulders. It was a much nicer kind of hurt.
Lauren didn’t know I went, and she noticed right away that I was turning from my neck instead of from my shoulders. I thought I was turning the same way that I had been, but I guess not. I do notice a difference now. If I’m not stretching my neck left or right past the comfortable point (something the chiropractor told me to do every hour) then it doesn’t hurt, and when it does hurt it is more of a muscle ache. I don’t know how to describe the difference, but this pain is less painful. It’s not that it is less severe, it’s just different.
The worst part about this whole thing is that I won’t be able to make fun of Brad and his “bad back” anymore.
Around these parts, people go to the “choir-practor.” (Yes, I spelled that right the first time.) I have to try really hard not to laugh aloud when I heard it pronounced that way.
I’m glad the chiropractor helped. Around these parts (to quote Kristi), many chiropractors are less medical doctors and more witch doctors. A lady from our church took her son there to cure his bedwetting (what the what?) and he had the kid do some funky stuff like balancing a grain of rice on his fingertip, which was supposedly going to help him stop peeing the bed. Very, very strange. I’m glad you didn’t go to a quack.
“Things” = adjustments. I think that’s the word you were looking for… And Ron’s a nice guy. And he’s smart.
So, I am unable to see the difference between the two pictures except that you look thinner. Can I get a picture of you before Maui to compare? Go see the Physical Therapist.
It’s odd because they would both be trying to get my back muscles to just lighten up so that everything could go back into place. My understanding is that a PT would work on the muscles so that the neck could go back into place and that a chiropractor just moves the neck back into place and waits for the muscles to notice.
I have a couple of cousins who are doctors and I want to ask them what they think of chiropractors at the family reunion this weekend.
In all the time I had my back problems, I never went to a chiropractor. Now I’m a little curious.
Yeah, but you actually had(have?) a back injury. I went to my doctor first to make sure that wasn’t the problem.
I have real back problems & I still went to a chiropracter for pain management. It did help … years ago.
Next step: surgery
Ron said his brother was a surgeon who specialized in the back and spine, so he knew where to send people he couldn’t help.
I do see a difference! Although I think the color white has been known to help hide slantedness. 😉
I hope you continue to straighten out! (You’ll still give us your slant on the day’s topics though, right?)
Morning update…
I do have a noticeably larger range of motion now.
Yay! I’ve been to chiropracters thru the years…and they do help!
I was going to suggest seeing one, but wasn’t sure if you guys believed in the lot!!
I see one from time to time, only when I have limited ROM ( range of motion ) and hurt.
I do think some are quacks. Those Atlas folks that barley touch you and say they can adjust you, I’ve got to wonder about.
I could do your picture thing with my hips, one is noticeably higher when I’m “out”.
Hartland doesn’t like going to any of them.
It is important to talk to those that have seen your Dr. before and learn about them.
I went to a PT for over two month for a while, then went to the Chiropractor and left
not needing to return, was it the PT, or the one visit ? Will we ever know?? Do we want to?? Funny when you don’t hurt it doesn’t matter.
Good to hear you went to a chiropractor and got some results. Like Peggy said they do help.
I see more change ( and Hope couldn’t resist ) in his left. our right, side shoulder.