Being a chiropractor is a very physically demanding job;
especially if you do more than just adjust, like soft tissue work, taping, etc. Not only are you moving and positioning
people all day, but you also put yourself into awkward and unnatural positions
to treat your patients. For example, if
I am treating a patient for plantar fasciitis, you’ll often times find me
crouched on the floor with an instrument wedged under the patient’s foot while
they perform calf raises. Another
example is when I am adjusting patients larger than myself. Granted, I’m not a small woman by any stretch
of the imagination…I’m 6’0 tall for crying out loud, but I do have several
patients that are difficult for me to maneuver into proper adjusting
positions. So it goes without saying
that it is not uncommon for chiropractors to get injured themselves. And as a habitually accident prone person, I
have had my fair share of injuries in and out of the office. Here is the story of my most recent chiropractic-related
injury and recovery.
It was a sunny Tuesday morning here at Pro Chiropractic and I
was the only doctor working in the Bozeman office. I had just completed the adjustment on my
first patient of the day and was assisting that patient into the regainer chair
to help restore her natural cervical curvature.
As I bent forward to tighten the tension on the chair, I felt a very
sharp pain on the right side of me lower back; so sharp and severe that my
right knee buckled beneath me. I stood
up very slowly and assessed my condition.
It was next to impossible to stand up completely straight and even
harder to bend forward more than about 10 degrees. I made my way back to my desk and sat down to
try to relieve the pressure in my lower back.
It helped a little bit, but did not completely relieve the pain. As the morning went on, my lower back muscles
continued to get tighter and tighter. I
still had patients to see so it was not an option for me to go home at that
time. I was somehow able to grit my
teeth through adjusting a few more people and did so without further injury
(thank goodness!). By the end of the
morning, I was beginning to question my effectiveness in not only keeping
myself safe, but in keeping my patients safe as well.
Luckily, Dr. Wilhelm was a few doors down working on the new
Pro Physio Bozeman office and was able to treat me before I went home for lunch. He did some extensive soft tissue
mobilization and adjusted my hip.
Unfortunately, the treatment did not do much to relieve the pain. My lower back muscles were in severe spasm by
then. When I got home for lunch, I
decided it was necessary to take some ibuprofen if I wanted to have a chance to
make it through the afternoon seeing patients.
As I bent down to grab a cup of water to take the pills, I felt like I
had been struck by lightning in my lower back and immediately hit the
floor. I have never in my life felt back
pain like this before. As a person who suffers
from chronic sacroiliac dysfunction, I often have lower back/pelvic pain, but
this pain in my lower back was at a whole new level. It took me about three minutes to get myself
up off the floor into a standing position.
I knew at that moment that I was in trouble and would not be able to
tough it out for my patients in the afternoon.
I rushed back to the office and was happy to see that Dr.
Wilhelm was still there. I talked to him
about what happened and how the pain was getting worse. We agreed that it would be unsafe for myself
and my patients to try to work the afternoon.
He recommended that I wear a back brace and seek treatment at Pro
Physio; specifically non-surgical spinal decompression to try to release the
spasms. The Pro Physio team was
fantastic in getting me in immediately and on the DRX machine for 30
minutes. Once I finished on the DRX, I
felt mild relief and was able to stand more upright. I was then treated with electrical muscle
stimulation and moist heat, manual soft tissue manipulation and kinesiology
tape to further release the spasm in the lower back muscles. Following the treatment, I sought out Dr. Bradley for an adjustment. He informed me that I had a severe rotation of my L4 vertebrae in my lower back. Once he adjusted it, I had instant relief and went home to rest
for the rest of the day.
The following day, the Pro Chiro team was set to volunteer
to do sports physicals at Manhattan Christian School and I was needed to help
with those. I returned to Pro Physio
that morning and repeated the treatment from the previous day. Afterwards, I felt sore, but better
overall. I still had to wear the back
brace during physicals, but was able to complete the task. I spent the remainder of the day at home
resting. I returned to work Thursday in
the back brace and made it through the day and Friday with only mild to
moderate soreness. Friday after work, I
was lucky enough to get in for a massage with Amy Hessen who is a massage
therapist that works in the Pro Chiropractic Belgrade office. She did a phenomenal job working through the
muscle spasms in my lower back and all surrounding areas. I woke up Saturday morning with very little
pain at all and have returned to my normal work schedule and activities.
I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “Why are you telling this
story?” Well here’s the answer! As a chiropractor, I see people in pain every
day. It is my job to help them get out
of pain. But I thought it was important
to show what happens when the shoe is on the other foot and give a personal
account of what it takes to get out of pain.
I am lucky enough to have an amazing group of chiropractors, physical therapists,
physical therapy assistants and a massage therapist on my team. The great news is…SO DO YOU! When the injury first happened, I had family
members and friends tell me that I needed to go to the hospital or go see a
medical doctor to get muscle relaxers, pain killers or an injection. But I didn’t need to do any of that! I was able to feel better and heal without those
unnatural means. I was able to feel
better and heal using conservative care and you are no different! Sure, it takes a little longer, but in the
long run, it is more effective and less expensive. Who wouldn’t want that?
To experience any of the treatments I had, please call Pro
Chiropractic at 406-219-2462 or call Pro Physio at 406-388-8118.
If you or someone you know in the Gallatin
Valley area is looking for a chiropractor, please call Dr. Shea Stark with Pro Chiropractic at 406-219-2462
to schedule an appointment in our Belgrade or Bozeman office. Dr. Stark
is a board certified chiropractor and the author of this blog post. To
learn more about Dr. Stark and the many benefits of chiropractic care, please
visit our website: www.prochiromt.com.
