In 1999 the pain in my right buttock, thigh, calf, and foot was so bad that I actually was worried that I might be permanently disabled. Every step came with a sharp stab of pain. If you have read my story in one of my other articles this was about the time when I got my own “health-religion” and began taking very good care of myself in many ways, including, ironically, my spine. But it took several months for my chiropractor and me to get this first problem under control. And even today, if I don’t stay on top of the subluxation, the old pain can sneak back in, necessitating short periods of Intensive Care. In 2009 I had another bout of low back pain in which I could not stand up without help and support. I went through more months of Initial Intensive Care in addition to time-consuming decompression treatments. In late 2010 I injured the plantar fascia of my right foot. I re-injured it a couple of months later in the very same sport as the first injury, so I stopped playing that sport, called pickle-ball (Funny name…really fun to playL). Months later just as it was improving, I ran less than a mile and I injured it again. Over a year later after treating it at home every single night it finally healed. So while I am your doctor I am also a devoted chiropractic patient. And as a doctor I have learned many lessons that I employ every day to help you and my other patients. But as a patient the greatest lesson I have learned is the lesson of patience. I am the patient patient.
How long does it take to recover from a heart attack, assuming you survive it? Months? Years? Never? It may take weeks to return to your normal activities. It will take months for complete healing to occur. But the heart will never ever be the same again. Cells have died forever. As a patient you accept this and know it will take a long time to recover. You are going to have to change your lifestyle. You are going to have to exercise, lose weight, change your diet, and on and on.
How long does it take to recover from cancer? A more difficult question to answer since there are so many types of cancer. But whether its breast cancer, lung cancer, bone cancer, or prostate cancer, the damaged tissues will never be the same again. And again you accept this time-line, the length of recovery, 5 years until declared cancer-free. And again you change your life-style, and do so willingly.
Beyond the fact that both of the above are life threatening diseases, the main reason I argue that we are willingly patient with these and other similar chronic diseases is simply that they are diseases. We understand that diseased organs take time to become sick and time to heal. We understand that diseased tissues may never be the same again. After all, they are diseased.
And that is exactly what subluxation of the spine is. It is a disease of the joints of the spine. It is Degenerative Disc Disease. It is Erosive Cartilage Disease of the spinal facet joints. It is the disease of spondylosis causing bone spurs on the spine. It is the disease of disc herniation, protrusion, and prolapse. It is a disease of pathomechanics of spinal motion. It is a disease of hyper-inflammation, hyper-scar tissue formation, hypomobility, and hypermobility. And ultimately it is a disease of cartilage, the only tissue in your body that has absolutely no blood supply of its own, and cannot heal or repair.
And yet, with my three tool model of chiropractic care, we can repair these diseases enough to reduce your pain and significantly slow the rate of degeneration. I am awed by this every time I see it happen. But because it is a disease, I am both the patient doctor and the patient patient.
How long does it take to recover from a heart attack, assuming you survive it? Months? Years? Never? It may take weeks to return to your normal activities. It will take months for complete healing to occur. But the heart will never ever be the same again. Cells have died forever. As a patient you accept this and know it will take a long time to recover. You are going to have to change your lifestyle. You are going to have to exercise, lose weight, change your diet, and on and on.
How long does it take to recover from cancer? A more difficult question to answer since there are so many types of cancer. But whether its breast cancer, lung cancer, bone cancer, or prostate cancer, the damaged tissues will never be the same again. And again you accept this time-line, the length of recovery, 5 years until declared cancer-free. And again you change your life-style, and do so willingly.
Beyond the fact that both of the above are life threatening diseases, the main reason I argue that we are willingly patient with these and other similar chronic diseases is simply that they are diseases. We understand that diseased organs take time to become sick and time to heal. We understand that diseased tissues may never be the same again. After all, they are diseased.
And that is exactly what subluxation of the spine is. It is a disease of the joints of the spine. It is Degenerative Disc Disease. It is Erosive Cartilage Disease of the spinal facet joints. It is the disease of spondylosis causing bone spurs on the spine. It is the disease of disc herniation, protrusion, and prolapse. It is a disease of pathomechanics of spinal motion. It is a disease of hyper-inflammation, hyper-scar tissue formation, hypomobility, and hypermobility. And ultimately it is a disease of cartilage, the only tissue in your body that has absolutely no blood supply of its own, and cannot heal or repair.
And yet, with my three tool model of chiropractic care, we can repair these diseases enough to reduce your pain and significantly slow the rate of degeneration. I am awed by this every time I see it happen. But because it is a disease, I am both the patient doctor and the patient patient.