For the past year now, I’ve been a regular at the “bone pop doc.” When I started, I was suffering from long-term back and neck pain, and was seeking some relief. I had already been to my regular MD, who looked over my chart and said, “You’re still complaining about the same thing you were complaining about 18 years ago.”

Now I may be a bit slow, but I suddenly began to get the picture. If I haven’t found any relief in 18 years from traditional medicine, maybe its time to try something else.

Enter… the Chiropractor. The x-rays and tests confirmed what I already knew, deteriorated vertebra. No, I don’t consider chiropractic a replacement for traditional medicine, but rather a supplement – like physical therapy. The doctor said there was nothing he could do to fix the damage, but he could help relieve the pain.

So, I had my first experience of being hooked up to what I came to call “the electrocution machine.” a therapy which uses low-grade electrical impulses to stimulate the muscles and force them to relax. This along with hot packs, feels wonderful. I almost always fall asleep during the process. The chiropractic assistant vibrates and massages the sore muscles.

After the shake & bake, the doctor pops my bones. He calls it “making adjustments.” First my back, one side at a time, then my neck. Hearing my neck crack like knuckles was pretty scary at first, but eventually I decided he would not break it – at least as long as I paid his bill. I’m lucky that my insurance pays for chiropractic care. Not all insurance does.

All this stuff seems pretty weird. I mean, how can popping my bones make the pain go away? He said it has to do with keeping things “in alignment.” I’m sometimes a bit skeptical about the whole premise, but I must admit, I do feel fantastically better compared to the way I felt when I first went. The doc believes in vitamins and natural healing, which is not a problem since I believe in diet, exercise and vitamins as a way to maintain health anyhow.

Doc says my Corvette is bad for my back, a point I disagree on. I know he is really just jealous and if I fall asleep too long on the electrocution table, he will steal my car keys and go for a drive. Besides, I sort of figure if he keeps by back feeling good, I won’t have to worry about the Vette.

Some people think chiropractic does no good and the improvement is psychological. I don’t think so, but if it helps, who cares? I’d write more but my neck is starting to hurt looking into this computer. Let me see, two more days till time for my appointment. Maybe I can book an extra session.

©1998

Have you ever had a chiropractic experience and what do you think about these doctors?