Let me start by saying I had no idea what to expect at this my first ever chiropractic appt. Certainly, there was a preexisting anxiety about them because of their spinal "manipulations" and all the not-so-good things I've heard over the years. (Drew thinks they're witch doctors.) But I've always had a tightness in the shoulder muscles, where you might say I hold all my stress; sometimes a pinched nerve after having been wedged between and around one or more kids all night; and more recently some upper back pain, which I attribute to a strained muscle acquired when picking Z up out of her crib in the middle of the night. (Does this job have workmen's comp?)
So after I crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's – the receptionist couldn't believe I finished the medical history questionaire so quickly –, I met the doc, who shares her practice with four of her five children, the fifth is still in the process of studying for his chirpractic degree. She asked more specific questions, pushed on my spine, and put me in the "therapy bay" with Marion. I got to lay on the delightful roller table, which is like one of those massage chairs; and then they put these electrodes on my upper back and cleared up the marble-sized knots in my shoulders. Afterward they gave me a tour of the facilities, like I was going to become intimately familiar with the place (cue creepy music), and scheduled me for a first adjustment tomorrow. A little bewildered? Me too.
Final analysis: It's not magic: I haven't even seen the witch doctor yet, but I do feel better.
