I was older than average when I started graduate school, one month before I turned 30. So I thought it was just stress when the headaches started. And I was guilty of poor posture, late night parties, not the best nutrition, slacking off on my exercise program, gaining a few pounds – all those things that just happen when you're over 30 and busy with life. My back hurt, my neck hurt, and my head hurt a little more and a little longer day by day.
I tried a massage, but the therapist could barely touch me. My muscles were so tense that I screamed and jumped too much. “You need more than a massage,” she told me. “I want to refer you to a chiropractor.”
The chiropractor wanted to know whether I had been injured in a car wreck or similar accident. No, not that I could remember. But that one adjustment she did to my neck, when she jerked my head sideways – that scared the heck out of me, week after week, even though it didn't hurt. Then I figured it out. That was how my neck felt when I landed on my head doing a back flip in gymnastics, back in college. It happened so long ago that I completely forgot.
I thought pain management clinics were places where you got the serious drugs after you jumped through a lot of hoops. I didn't know the problem could be fixed. So I spent 20 years trying chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, stretching, yoga, ice packs, heat, menthol creams, capsaicin, and pain-killing drugs. They all helped a little, but the relief was only temporary.
Finally, I looked up “pain management” in the phone book and chose a clinic nearby. I was amazed to find there are microsurgical procedures to treat pain from these long-forgotten injuries. Why didn't somebody tell me before? My new doctor explained that the nerves in my neck were getting irritated from the old injury. He injected cortisone directly into several of them. Relief! For the worst cases, he went back and killed the nerves with a hot needle. So now I have a small area of numbness on the back of my neck. No more migraines. With physical therapy, my neck and back are feeling much better as well.
That one massage therapist who referred me to the chiropractor was the only health care provider to make such a referral. Everyone else told me what I needed was what they knew how to do. And if their treatment didn't work, they said I just needed more of it.
I learned to do my own research. Surgical procedures get much less public attention than drugs and over-the-counter remedies. But in my case, a few simple procedures corrected the problem at its source. This is much better, to me, than long-term treatment of the symptoms.
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Happy to hear you found your answer, BUT I think you should educate others to the side effects of what you had done. Also, those "few simple procedures" that "corrected the problem at its source" as you say, did not correct anything, just to let you know - they made you numb and not feel anything.
A chiropractor fixes your problems. It does take longer to fix if you hurt yourself many years ago. Chiropractic does allow proper nerve flow and corrects imbalances in the body. I love my chiropractor and will always go. I feel better in more ways than just reducing pain. My body functions the way it should because there is no nerve interference. My immune system, organs, and all other systems work at their optimum level with chiropractic care!
I think the lack of self care while you were in school is what truly made you feel the way you did and experience headaches. If you ate right, got proper sleep, and was under chiropractic care to remove any nervous system interference, you would not have felt so bad. Your massage therapist was correct to refer you to a chiropractor! Also, chiropractors do not jerk your head around. Please don't scare people away from chiropractic because those of us who do see chiropractors find relief, health, and wellness from them. Chiropractors fix your body and don't try to prescribe harmful medications to cover the symptoms. If you did get hurt in gymnastics, you could have long term damage. If you saw a chiropractor right away, you would have reaped the benefits at that time. When you wait, your body takes longer to heal.
I am happy to hear that you think "This is much better, to me, than long-term treatment of the symptoms", but just remember there are long term side effects to what you have had done and it's the correct answer for everyone. Who wants an area of numbness on their body? And it could cause other problems for you later in life!
Cortisone side effects include:
Cardiovascular side effects including myocardial rupture following recent myocardial infarction, fluid retention, sodium retention, congestive heart failure, potassium loss, hypokalemic alkalosis, and hypertension have been reported with cortisone therapy.
Gastrointestinal side effects including peptic ulcer with potential perforation and hemorrhage, perforation of small and large bowel, pancreatitis, abdominal distention, nausea, increased appetite, and ulcerative esophagitis have been reported.
Musculoskeletal side effects including muscle weakness, steroid myopathy, loss of muscle mass, osteoporosis, vertebral compression fractures, aseptic necrosis of femoral and humoral heads, pathologic fracture of long bones, and tendon rupture have been reported.
Psychiatric side effects including euphoria, insomnia, mood swings, personality changes, severe depression, and psychotic manifestations have been reported.
Nervous system side effects including convulsions, increased intracranial pressure with papilledema, vertigo, myalgia, arthralgia, malaise, headache, and psychic disturbances have been reported.
Endocrine side effects including development of cushingoid state, suppression of growth in children, and secondary adrenocortical and pituitary unresponsiveness have been reported.
Ocular side effects including posterior subcapsular cataracts, increased intraocular pressure, glaucoma, and exophthalmos have been reported.
Just as a reminder, there are no side effects to chiropractic care, because it is natural!
July 21, 2009 - 8:10amGood luck to you and may you life a healthy life.
This Comment
Thank you for sharing your story.
Like you, I've had to undergo pain management to deal with osteoarthritis in my neck from an old injury and mild scoliosis (that I didn't even know I had until my Chiropractor told me a couple of years ago). Between my sports physical therapist and sports massage therapist to support treatments by my chiropractor, I can live a relatively pain-free life.
You are so right that there are healthcare providers who, albeit well-meaning, either don't know or are not willing to recommend different treatment.
What is your maintenance program like?
April 28, 2009 - 7:27pmThis Comment
Great comment alysiak and I love my chiropractor!!! Happy to hear you take care of yourself through chiropractic, massage, and physical therapy. Keep living a healthy life!
July 21, 2009 - 8:12amThis Comment