the chiropractor

So Matt and I this week went to the chiropractor for an evaluation.  For those that don't know, I was in a car accident when I was 11 years old.  I was riding my bicycle.  Long story short, I lived (which is a miracle in an of itself) but didn't come out unscathed.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to receive any followup care afterward.  So for 15 years, I have been living with upper back/neck pain.  I get headaches all the time, more often than not fairly severe.

So when I saw the tent outside Walmart with this office offering a free evaluation complete with xrays (okay, CO law says we had to at least pay for the price of the films, but they donated that money to the Children's Miracle Network) and first adjustment, I went for it.

And I love this office.  Dr.s Judd and Craig go by their first names and are completely open and it's so easy to trust them.  They incorporate physical therapy so that my core muscles will be strengthened as they straighten out my spine so that in the end I will be able to stop going to the chiropractor eventually.

I have to admit the xrays were kind of scary.  I don't think that there is any part of my spine that is the way it is supposed to be.  A normal neck curve is supposed to be 39 degrees.  My neck has a 9 degree curve in the other direction.  That explains the headaches.  It may also explain my thyroid disorder, as Dr. Judd says that he has seen a high correlation (especially in women) between bad necks and hypothyroidism.  The thyroid is in the neck and when the spine is out of alignment the nerves connecting it to the brain have signal capacity greatly reduced (up to 60% with the pressure of the weight of a coin).  He says that he wouldn't be surprised if they have to reduce my thyroid meds before we're done.  (Not that it'll cure me, but it might help).

Anyway, my shoulders are uneven, and my spine is kinked.  One of the more worrisome things is that my pelvis is tiled.  My right hip is lower than my left.  It's probably that it's a postural thing, but there is the possibility that it might be that one leg is shorter than the other.

Anyway, I'll be doing some intensive care for the next little while.  I'll be going 3x a week for the next 8 weeks, and then 2x a week for 4 weeks, and then they'll do xrays again.  If everything is going well, I'll go 2x a week for 8 weeks and then once a week for 4 weeks and xray again.  Hopefully then my spine will be straight.  After that I'll go once a week for 12 weeks to "maintain" it and after that if I continue to do well, I'd only have to go in if I needed it.

I really wish I had copies of the xrays to post.  It was rather interesting to see my insides.  lol


Oh, also, we still can't find the charger.  I thought Matt had ordered another one online but I was wrong, he was just looking.  So...I'm going to see if any of the stores around here have one.  The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Walk to Remember is on the 9th and I'll be heartbroken if we can't get pictures!