Chiropractic rebuild

by Eve, in General (2 Comments)

My back feels like a lego tower on its way down.

I was given a voucher for a free infant chiropractic assessment and adjustment, so in true kiwi tradition I took advantage of a freebie, taking Timmy in. A special is the next best thing to a freebie, so also taking advantage of a rather big one my local chiropractic clinic had running, I booked myself in as a new patient, too. I hoped they’d be able to fix the rather horrid back pain I’ve been having. Even taking a load of washing off the line has me hissing through my teeth by the end, and bathing Timmy is so horrendous the poor lad only gets one wash a week…or fortnight.

I was already a believer that chiropractic care works—I used to flat with someone studying at the NZ College of Chiropractic, so I heard about its benefits, mechanics, and history through her.  So it wasn’t scepticism that had kept me away until now, but the cost. Chiropractic has the same in common with dentistry: even though preventative care would be a lot more affordable than treating a problem, many people don’t justify paying for it until they can feel a problem there. Call it foolish, or call it financially cautious. Either way, I now found myself facing a need for chiropractic rescue that will put me substantially out of pocket if I can’t get ACC and/or WINZ on board. My own fault perhaps, for leaving it this long. (Incidentally, this has happened to me in the dentistry field before, too.)

I have subluxations at C1, C3, C4, T4, T5, L1, L4, L5, and pelvis; postural changes; tenderness with spinal palpation; decreased range of motion; reduced joint play; imbalance of paraspinal muscle tone; tilted pelvis; sway back; and spinal curvature all the way down.

I believe that’s chirospeak for ‘train wreck’.

I had my first series of adjustments today, and my back hurts awfully—not because the adjustments were bad for it, but because even though its former positioning was degenerative, it had been in that former positioning for a long time. It doesn’t like being told to pack up and move. I’m reminded of a line from The Neverending Story, ‘It has to hurt, if it’s to heal’.

Pain’s inevitable either way, so I’ll just have to grin and bear it. If I get treated, there’s the transient pain that my back will make in protest before it feels better. If I don’t get treated, the pain gets worse…until no laundry gets done at all, and Timmy has to either bathe himself or grow fungal spores.

A no-brainer, really. Timmy struggles to get the washcloth in his ears, by himself.