“I am no longer in pain…” FOUR ISSUES

The question was “Does it ‘make sense’ to continue” with ongoing chiropractic care?

That question is in the mind of many patients, once they feel better; we sometimes get to have mature conversations about it. I had that conversation with a patient today.

First it is understood that patients almost always present with pain (or some symptom) as their “problem”. We try to distinguish between symptom and cause: as chiropractors we address their function – look for and correct a condition (the subluxation complex) causing their pain. This is part of us doing our job to (1) inform them so that they can make informed choices, and (2) help them understand chiropractic (it is not a “medical” practice), it is different!

Second, whether or not it “makes sense” is not my call. Once a patient is educated, they need to decide on their priorities. As the professional health care provider I have to give them information that helps them with that, but my recommendations is as far as that goes. We providers have to be Ok with whatever decision the patient makes, I think, and to honor that, “love them the same” is what I always say. Not everyone agrees, but that approach has many benefits for the patient, short and long term.

Third, an understanding of what it means to “continue”  with ongoing chiropractic care needs to be clarified. They what to know because of money, or time/inconvenience usually. Since my care is based on how they function, the frequency of visits is adjusted as they improve: they come in less and less often. A visit once each month or every three months rests a lot easier in the mind of the average patient trying to manage their issues (priorities). This provides another opportunity to explain that for them to do the recommended home exercise is to hold their adjustments longer, hence they can comfortably go longer between visits. It is not just logical, with experimentation patients figure that out for themselves.

Fourth, finally, this conversation often times takes place over many years of recurring episodes of pain, and in many different ways. It really can take a while for patients to believe that the doctor has their best interest in mind when making recommendations: it is perhaps rare in their experience. The beauty of being around a while (35 years now) is that the choice people make on their path have consequences that are all quite predictable. It is predictable that pain will improve rather quickly with chiropractic care (step one). Taking care of the spine will help keep the pain and progressive degenerative decay at bay (step two). The cause of health and the cause of ill health are the choices in front of each of us. The numbers of options do change over time, but as some wise and famous person once said, “It is never too late to start heading in the right direction”.

Maybe you too?

“I feel amazing” she said. And “doing stuff that I haven’t done in years… and on my knees too!”

When I met this patient in December of last year, it was: “I sometimes have to pull over…” while driving due to knee pain. She said that her back was “always really tight” and it had been that way for two years.

Now?

She is going a month between visits. She knows how to brace and breathe, and how to bend and lift, as well as get up and down off the ground. She does the exercises to keep the joints that I adjust moving between visits; and she is helping her husband build a 40 foot deck – with no pain anywhere!

This is a woman who has had back surgery for lower back disc herniations – twice.

Not every patient does this well. Not all chiropractors check and adjust hip, knee, and ankle/foot joints. But all chiropractors who use the Activator Method properly can check all the joints. If you need help finding a decent chiropractor in your area, just let me know. Maybe I can help.

And if you are within striking distance of Everett, WA., then give us a call at (425) 348-5207.

“I haven’t had one since… it’s nice not having those headaches.”

Comments from a patient who had been adjusted a grand total of two times in two days. She went from three weeks of severe headaches (9-10 out of 10 severity) to “No headaches since, neck [pain] is much better, low back still hurts.”

“I already feel like the fuzziness is gone.”

She’s a new patient, 30 years old; she had a car accident in 2007, another in 2014 and in March she “face planted” while doing hot yoga. Since then she’s had neck “tension” and a “foggy” feeling neck with weird sensations over the back of her head on to the top of her head. She had severe vertigo twice since March and one panic attack.

Anyway, I saw her on Friday and, uncharacteristically, I insisted on neck X-rays so that I could see her spine. The X-rays showed the effects of earlier trauma in terms of mal-alignment of the entire neck part of her spine backward until it forms now a straight-line instead of being gently curved to the front. A typical finding, and there were no other findings that would preclude me adjusting her spine.

I explained that she was subluxated, that I was going to adjust her subluxatations with the Activator adjusting instrument following the Activator Methods Protocol. I recommended the, for me, standard six visits in about a months time. And she was adjusted.

When she got up off the adjusting table I said what I often say, “expect a miracle cure”. And she said, “I already feel like the fuzziness is gone.” I could not have promised that, but I’m not surprised. I am also not surprised that she had a variety of other types of treatments that did not work as well before she came to chiropractic – that’s the case with almost all new patients.

This Week It Was Knees

Seems like things run is patterns. Some weeks everyone has a shoulder problem. Sometimes it is headaches. This week it was knees.

A new patient who had his first visit and an adjustment two days ago, returned today. A 43-year old Boeing mechanic weighing 340 pounds, this patient favored his right leg when he walked and, when asked about it, said it was due to “knee problems”. His history included soccer ’til age 25, two falls down stairs, and years as a mechanic, so no surprise.

This patient actually came in for lower back pain that he has had off and on since 2009. He has a typical history, except that now he is seeing a chiropractor.

Anyway, he was adjusted with the Activator Instrument following the Activator Method, which included adjustment of the knee (knee cap actually). He was advised how to use ice to reduce inflammation and decrease pain. Today he returned saying that his knee pain is essentially gone and so is his lower back pain, with some stiffness in the mid back yet. He is sleeping better. A great response to just one visit. So good in fact that he went across the street to shop and ended up referring in a new patient (one with knee pain, of course:-)

He is the second new patient this week who reported really good results based partly on having the knees checked and adjusted. Of course, the spine was also adjusted.

What is worth knowing here is that nowhere in ordinary medical care in this community would knees get adjusted. Drugs, of course would be prescribed. Imagine how much fun exercises with a Physical Therapist would have been when the drugs didn’t work. Very few chiropractic doctors would have adjusted the knee either.

With knees comes checking to make sure that patients properly get up and down off of the ground: if they don’t, their knee corrections won’t last and knee damage and pain are in their future. The 340 pound new patient didn’t break the knee rule, but his legs, hips and back were so weak that he had to push himself up with his hands on his knees to get up (strengthening work to do there). Several of the others that were checked this week did break the knee rule and that was addressed.

Something to remember about joint cartilage: it doesn’t have pain fibers. So abnormal wear and tear resulting in loss of cartilage does not cause pain. This is why we think that it is important for employers to screen employees to make sure that they know how to move properly as part of their safety training. It is easy to do. It catches problems early and prevents progression. And it saves money!

New Patient Video on the Activator Method

“I cannot describe how happy you made me last FRI….was thinking how bad that I wanted you to adjust me! Last time that I asked Doc he said it was all muscle…wanted me to see [DELETED] D.O. in Edmonds…I did and think it was a real scam…felt worse and paid $240….after you adjusted me…I felt better right away and it was such a relief…had a good massage on MONDAY….I barely have any pain now at all and I actually was using RX pain killers….just want to say a big THANK YOU AND APPRECIATE YOU!” Sharon

What is Chiropractic? What do Chiropractic Doctors do? And why?

This video does a great job of showing you what will happen when you get adjusted, how and why. It is very good in all respects.

Share this Post with others you know who would benefit from Chiropractic care.

Note: Here are a few more thoughts on the Activator Method.

“Activator Methods has proven its reliability over forty five years being the only  instrument adjusting technique that has stood the test of time.  It has over 100 peer-reviewed published papers and is the only instrument adjusting technique with clinical trials.” – Activator Blog

Email questions and request additional information from dennis@doctordilday.com

In Health,

DrD

Jaw Pain & Chiropractic Care

Things happen is spurts. Lately there has been a lot of interest in whether we can help with jaw trouble – a new patient specifically looking for help with the jaw, a few regulars who have jaw issues, and a couple of surprises.

First off, not all Chiropractic doctors address “extremity” issues. We do, both with the Activator Method and with manual adjustments. The Chiropractic approach is the same as it is with any other complaint: we examine to determine if there is abnormal joint motion, if there is we restore the joint motion to normal and work to stabilize the movement pattern with exercise, and support the healing process with better nutrition (and/or other measures) if necessary.

Jaw (or TMJ) dysfunction is common. People grind their teeth. Stuff happens. It can be a contributing factor in neck pain, headaches, tooth pain, and other symptomatic complains, or… it can be totally without symptoms, just like all other joint dysfunctions. (Read that again if you wonder why enlightened Chiropractic patients get checked once and a while even when they feel “fine.”)

A new patient came in recently with trouble controlling the jaw. When she wasn’t consciously making it go where it should, it would pull off to one side. She had been having the trouble for a few months and said that it was driving her crazy (She wasn’t being funny). She had to constantly address it or it looked and felt really weird. She works for a Chiropractic doctor friend of mine in another town, but he does not adjust the jaw. She had no real history of significant trauma; I think it all started after some dental work (which is common) but she had never had the trouble before, and it wasn’t getting any better after several months.

We checked her using the the Activator Method, adjusted her jaw and saw her one more time a week later. She wasn’t having any more trouble and hasn’t had any trouble with the jaw since. It’s been maybe two months.

Several patients have a history of needing their jaw joint(s) adjusted and checking them is a regular part of their routine visits. Not getting their jaw adjusted results in them not getting as good a result from the spinal care and they do not get relief for as long: in other words they have to come back more often. So I check there jaw, adjust it if it needs it, and leave it alone if it doesn’t.

Drawings by my Uncle Bill (RIP)

There are patients who, for what ever reason, have chronic significant pain and disability because of jaw-related dysfunction. Not getting that corrected results in them needed too much pain medication too often. I have one regular patient who suffered nerve damage as a the result of a surgery for something else. He has to be checked and kept in adjustment or he suffers quite a bit and takes way too much drugs.

It was surprising when a patient who works at a dental office recently asked about having me check her jaw. She didn’t know we adjust the jaw because it had never come up in conversation and wasn’t a regular part of her visits in the past.

Dentists should know that (1) they can cause some jaw trouble leaning on you while they do their work, and (2) we can quickly and easily address these jaw joint difficulties and keep them from developing into something bigger if we get the chance. Usually, the jaw issues from dental visits resolve very quickly. In fact, in general, once the jaw joints are adjusted they don’t show up as a problem until the next big insult, whether it’s a root canal or a stressful stretch that has you clenching a lot.

With the Activator Instrument set on the lowest setting, the forces are minimal, and so fast that there is no discomfort. If you can get on the table face down, and then turn over onto your back, you can do your part as a the patient.

Of course, it goes without saying, there are many many conditions for which a Chiropractic correction of joint dysfunction is not the solution. As always, it is important, from a Chiropractic standpoint to determine whether or not you need the Chiropractic care and whether or not it is safe. Once that is determined it does not matter what you complain of, we can go to work to see if Chiropractic care can help feel better – it usually does. Because the nerve system connects all things and is in turn affected by any and all joints, your body may respond favorably to Chiropractic care. (But then of course I would say that, wouldn’t I?)