The Power That Made The Body Heals The Body!
Written by Dr. Matthew Alvord DC, DPhCS
The power of proper chiropractic care is great. But you don't have to take my word for it. Here is a note that one of our patients sent us recently:
“I came to Creation Chiropractic for chronic neck pain, and I would only return if my neck was stiff or if I fell or lifted something too heavy and my back hurt. So in the beginning, I didn’t come in consistent, just once in awhile. (PLEASE NOTE: Dr. Matt has a picture of an iceberg. This is on purpose, to remind me there is so much more under the surface then I realize. The meaning for me is there is so much more than pain. What’s underneath that, what’s the source?)
As far as symptoms go, I had chronic neck pain, back pain with my monthly period, irritability and occasional knee pain. I also had some neurological issues…dizziness, imbalance, numbness and tremors in my hands, as well as an uneven gate when I walked. (My biggest problem was that I would fall, usually hard and without warning. I broke a lot of furniture, bruised myself extensively, and got a black eye once after falling on the garage cement floor. This really worried me because I could have been knocked unconscious. I needed to do something and get some answers). I walked “funny” to the left when I wanted to go straight and I had a nystagmus (rapid back ad forth eye movement which for me also causes the room to spin either up or down or side to side, like a bad TV). I was also angry a lot and very argumentative (a big crabby pants) and I’ve had chronic sinus problems my whole life and headaches from time to time.
I think I had chronic neck and back pain my entire adult life. With the chronic sinus problems my entire life, I had a lot of colds, sore throats as a child, sinus headaches and congestion as an adult. I could never vacuum without serious back pain for days afterward. My back would just kill me. At home I was always told that I overdid it and that’s why I had back pain.
Women, I always thought “the curse” included back pain and that’s the way it was, part of “the curse”. I haven’t had back pain with my period since I’ve been adjusted regularly. That was a big surprise…NO PAIN!! So, yes ladies, you can be pain free during your period…amazing!!
At a certain point, I was spending thousands of dollars seeing multiple specialists, three of which were well-respected neurologists and all that was happening was I was being referred to other specialists for more tests. No one had any answers for me! No one could tell me why I had these conditions and no one was helping! Just more appointments for more tests! The only doctor that was actually helping improve my symptoms was Dr. Matt. I have seen multiple MD’s, physical therapists, other chiropractors and had massages. I would also buy the giant bottle of Advil and almost eat them like candy.
Dr. Matt is very PASSIONATE about what he does and REALLY CARES about his patients. You know how people say things like “I don’t know what to say, I can’t thank you enough”. Well, I understand that expression a lot more now. I have plenty to say and I think it will never be enough. I could say…he saved my life!! Definitely, he saved the quality of my life!! I really have to think hard to remember what the pain was like before, which is a miracle, that pain is not something constantly there anymore. The best thing I ever did was to commit to getting adjusted on a regular basis. It just clicked for me while I was waiting for an adjustment, how the spine and nervous system are connected, how being in alignment affects your whole body and it just made sense to me.
I set a goal of coming in at least two to three times a week consistently, no matter what! (Until Dr. Matt said otherwise). After the realization that his care was helping me, I started listening more to what he was saying and actually doing what he said. My improvements and changes included:
-I no longer walk with a cane.
-I rarely fall now, maybe three times a year verses up to 4-3 times a day.
-My gate has improved.
-I don’t have back pain with my period.
-I don’t have numb hands anymore.
-I don’t have or rarely have back pain.
-I don’t have neck pain.
-I no longer have knee pain.
-I also stopped getting chronic sinus infections and headaches.
-I rarely get sick or get a cold. If I do get a cold it doesn’t last very long.
I got my life back!!! Without Dr. Matt, I would be on disability or worse. The neurologist told me to file for disability, that there wasn’t anything more he could do, that my condition would probably get worse and that I may be in a wheelchair in five years or so. Needless to say, I was a little upset. I had just turned 50, my kids were finishing college, I had plans and they sure didn’t include wheelchairs and disability.
For now, I’m still working, I just started exercising and swimming for now but I will do other things later. I forgot how much I love to exercise! (I used to run years ago and have plans to do that again). I can actually clean my house without falling and breaking furniture…that’s really big for me…even though it seems so simple and “every-dayish” to people. I can load my dishwasher; before the side-to-side movement of loading it would cause so much dizziness that I would hang on the sink to prevent me from falling into the dishwasher or breaking off the door. I can vacuum without back pain or falling over. My attitude about life is more positive! I think some chiropractors are good, some are not as skilled and some have a gift. Dr. Matt has a gift. I would give a BIG yes to recommending Dr. Matt.”