Chronic Back Pain – How Chiropractic Made ALL The Difference
Chronic debilitating back pain can keep us from doing the things we love and enjoy in life. Simply resolving to live with it and just manage the pain should never be the final verdict. And it doesn’t have to be. Here’s the story of how regular chiropractic care changed Kiley’s final verdict with her back pain.
Kiley’s Story:
“When I started coming to Family First Chiropractic, I couldn’t stand for more than a few minutes without serious pain in my back. I couldn’t do anything without pain, other than lay down…and even that was tricky because I had to be careful how I moved or got up. I had been an extremely active person since I was a child, playing many sports and competing in several triathlons, but due to my back pain I’d slowly stopped almost all physical activities, or I expected a really bad day to follow any “fun” I had. I was very depressed about the idea of living a sedentary life going forward but couldn’t see any other option unless I could somehow get used to the severe pain I was experiencing. I had been prescribed pain pills to take “as needed” by another doctor, and he basically told me that my future would involve “managing the pain,” but that there was nothing else to be done. I’d been to a few other chiropractors over the years as well, but I didn’t notice much improvement in my pain situation.
When I started care at FFC, Dr. Joel was very straightforward with me about my diagnosis – basically I have irreparable damage in my spine called Spondylolisthesis – but he was still hopeful that I could get to a better quality of life. I decided to follow his treatment plan and see what happened.
After a few months of going to Dr. Joel, I noticed my feet hurt after I’d been standing on them for a while…which was interesting because that made me realize my back did NOT hurt! How was that possible? I’d been standing for over 20 minutes and had no back pain! I was pretty shocked but figured it was a one-time thing. Then a few days later I noticed I had no pain again! That continued to occur more and more until I started to think it really was a real change and not my imagination!
Now after more than six months at FFC, most days I hardly think about my back. I can stand for hours without pain, which is important because I coach volleyball and basically stand hours in a row every day. I am starting to run again and have been lifting regularly all during my time at FFC. Last weekend I played in a competitive volleyball tournament, and I was expecting to be in major pain the next day, but only my muscles were sore, not my back! I was shocked, but at this point I don’t suppose I should be.
Another way that FFC helped my life improve was reminding me that doing too much is stressful and that chronic stress has a negative impact on a person. That reminder helped tip the scales toward selling a small business I had been running on the side, because it was something that had been bringing me stress more than joy for the past year (and it wasn’t something I needed to do for money, it was a hobby). I sold my half to my business partner and have never once regretted that choice. I eliminated a big chunk of stress from my life and am so glad I did!
I am so happy with the results I’ve had from the care I’ve received at FFC that I tell everyone I can about Dr. Joel and Dr Jeremiah and the difference this team has made in my life. I am so excited to be able to play sports again (and enjoy it!) and I hope to complete another (this time pain free!) triathlon in the near future”
– Kiley
If you are struggling like Kiley and are interested in getting your spine and nervous system assessed, please call 402-884-4100 or visit our Online Scheduler.
