by Marc Heller
What do you want from your chiropractor, or from whomever you see for pain?
Do you just want to be massaged or adjusted? As good as the soft tissue work is, as good as the adjustment is, does it change your long-term pain? Or does it just give you some temporary relief, for hours to days? Our expertise, based on a combined experience of over 50 years, goes beyond good soft tissue work and expert adjustments.
We start with a careful diagnosis, using the forgotten arts of history and physical exam. This means we will ask you questions, and touch your sore places, and ask you to move in ways that remind you of your pain.
Musculoskeletal pain, especially pain that re-occurs or continues, is one of the most complicated problems that occurs in the body. The medical approach still tends to focus on drugs or injections that deaden the pain, or as a last resort, surgery. Very few doctors are trained in a more comprehensive approach to diagnosis. Within our training, multiple factors usually contribute to your ongoing pain.
The good news: your pain patterns can be changed. No, there is rarely a magic bullet. The first step is about resetting the pain mechanisms. That is where bodywork and adjustments shine. The next step requires your enthusiastic participation. This is where we figure out what movements you are doing in your life that are trashing you, and how you can change this.
For one woman, it was the simple forward bending stretches she did every morning, irritating her nerves and discs. For another, she kept trying to open her hips, irritating her hip joint. For a younger guy, looking down at his phone for hours a day, his neck did not like that. Stop the stupid stuff that keeps hurting you over and over.
The next step is figuring out simple exercises that will help re-groove your patterns, to help you move without pain, and with freedom and strength. These exercises often look simple and easy, but have to be done correctly, with precision, in order to help change your old muscular habits.
I’ve tried to distill the essence of what we do. In practice, it means figuring you and your problem out, and cooperating on a program to change your old patterns. The goal may be freedom from pain, or playing soccer again, or picking up your grandchild. If you are older, or have more arthritis and/or old injuries, the goal may be to help your manage your pain, moving it from the center of your life out to the edge. Give us a call, to start enjoying life again and be a part of your own healing journey.
