Snap, Crackle, Pop!
My boyfriend had hurt his back lifting a motorcycle trailer just before he came to visit last week. I massaged his back, but it didn’t seem to help so he asked if there was a chiropractor in the neighborhood. There was one next to my gym, but I had never gone inside, because I am one of those rare people that doesn’t have back pain. Please don’t hate me, but I have never had pain that hasn’t gone away in a few hours or minutes.
The chiropractor was able to see him right away and he came out of the office looking refreshed and relaxed. I couldn’t believe that a few minutes of adjustment could make such a difference. He said a lot of people are under the misconception that adjusting your back makes it worse and you become dependant on weekly spinal manipulation to avoid pain. He said most people don’t realize that they are out of alignment and when they are aligned for the first time they are amazed at how good they feel and go back because the feeling is euphoric. Now I was intrigued, sometimes my back is a little stiff in the morning and after a few stretches in the shower I am fine. Was I slightly out of alignment and could I feel even better?
I made an appointment for the following Saturday to check it out. They took insurance, so I filled out the obligatory paperwork and was in the exam room within a few minutes of my arrival. The doctor checked my paperwork and was surprised to find out that I didn’t have any pain in my back or neck. Most people go to a chiropractor as a last resort and he was happy to work on someone who could benefit almost immediately. The doctor checked my blood pressure which was excellent. He said he could tell that I ran daily because my pulse was even lower than his. So far, so good.
Now for the neck and back exam. I lied down on my stomach and he checked the alignment of my legs. My hip was ever so slightly out of alignment, which he said was common in runners. To his amazement, my back had no problems what so ever. I flipped over onto my back and he examined my neck. My C1 and C2 were out of alignment; probably from an automobile accident I had years ago. He took a quick X-ray so that he could chart the progress.
He had me lie on my side and popped my hip back into place and then it was time for the neck adjustment. I’m a little leery of having my neck snapped; maybe it was from watching one too many Steven Segal movies which incidentally is one film. He made a quick motion to the left and I heard the loudest cracking sound and it was coming from me, a few more snaps on the other side and I was done. He showed me the correct way to hold my head up, shoulders back and chin down which I need to work on and told me to lie on my back and let my head hang over the side of the bed for 10 minutes a day.
I didn’t feel any immediate improvement, but I go back next week for another session and chart the progress and keep you posted.