chiropractor

I've always been wary of going to a chiropractor. I know too many people who seem to be "addicted" to getting adjustments, and I didn't want to fall into that - having a sense of "I HAVE to go to the chiropractor if I want to feel normal!" And I have to admit I had a bit of a suspicion about how real chiropractic medicine is. I know that's unfair, but sometimes it just seems weird to me that by poking or prodding at this or that, a body part in another location can feel better (even though I believe this to be true!). Furthermore, I have been rather afraid of what a chiropractor would tell me was wrong with me - I had a feeling my many years of sports and running and being tall were not the best things to be doing my knees and back...being that those parts of my body seem to hurt on a semi-regular basis.

Nearly a month ago I moved some way in hockey practice, and I remember feeling "something" and thinking, "That's going to make me hurt for a bit." I can't say what precisely I did - it felt like I had pulled a very thin muscle, or a muscle fiber, if that's possible. Things like this happen to me on and off, and I always feel better within a few days. However, this time I did not feel better. I found that I would hurt quite a bit on the side where the "pull" was. The pain would one day be in my leg, another day in my butt, another day in my back. Some days it hurt so much just to walk. Not debilitating, but certainly noticeable, and that's saying something for me who usually lives by the "Suck it up!" principle.

Finally this week I decided to seek out a chiropractor. You can tell that I was concerned about the pain - concerned enough to override all my reservations about chiropractors! And I was lucky enough to have one suggested by a coworker, and the office is just down the road from work. On Tuesday, after I had made my appointment, the pain wasn't as bad as some days, but I got these incredibly frightening "tingling" sensations across my abdomen while riding the bus! I was kind of afraid that I was going to drop dead at any moment. I was just sitting there, not doing anything, and all of a sudden - OWWWWW! It felt like how I think it would feel to get electrocuted. That happened again on Wednesday. And on Wednesday I went to the chiropractor.

I must admit that I have been very pleasantly surprised. I can understand now why people enjoy going to the chiropractor! I went on Wednesday and again today, and when I walk out of there I feel...so much better. My chiropractor uses a technique based on "trigger points" so basically just massages certain parts of my muscles. I was really astounded that after I told him what hurt, he knew exactly where to apply pressure - and OW did it hurt when he found the spots (but it felt better afterwards).

I'm already feeling better, and I haven't had any more scary abdominal spasms - and that alone is worth it! My health insurance covers a certain number of visits with a co-pay, but I can definitely see now where people would religiously go to their chiropractor even if it cost a substantial amount of money. I am hoping I get better really fast and don't have to make the choice about paying full-price. Regardless, I will enjoy the moment: having just arrived back from the chiropractor 20 minutes ago, I feel quite...blissful.