I had a new patient who came recently with MRIs of the Neck and Low Back showing disc herniations with spinal cord compression. Her symptoms were to be expected, neck and low back pain with numbness radiating down the arms and legs.
I prescribed for her 6 weeks of care 3Xs a week of Chiropractic, Cold Laser on the Neck and Low Back and one of the most extensive spinal rehab programs you can get on the planet.
Just as I was laying my hands on her for the first adjustment she raises her head and starts speaking to my assistant. I took my hands off her spine and listened as I wanted to know what her concern was before I proceeded.
My translator said to me, just before her first adjustment and right after I reviewed her MRIs that she would like to report a new symptom: she has been having terrible gas at night that causes so much pain it keeps her up and that it causes breathing problems as well.
I kind of smiled on the inside a little, while proponents and detractors of Chiropractic argue its utility with the nebulous concept of “pain” and the resorption mechanisms of herniated discs we pretty much have licensesure boards going apeshit if we said we could “cure” an ill defined visceral somatic condition.
Of course the reason why I was smiling was because I thought I was just about to cure a visceral somatic condition. I said to her that while Chiropractic works on some known principles there’s still some aspects of neurology that none of us understand and don’t be too surprised if the gastrointestinal and breathing issues resolved.
Which it did in under a week, probably after the first visit or so.
In the same week the neck and low back pain that I’m “officially” allowed to advertise as treating: 10-20% better. The numbness hasn’t changed.
Over the coming weeks her pain improved and slowly but surely the numbness improved as well. Throughout the entire course of care she resolved almost 100% except for a little pin point pressure over her left Sacroiliac joint (hey you can’t win em all) but every few visits I asked about “the miracle” symptoms and she said they had still been fully resolved.
It’s kind of funny in a way “Science” has a whole bunch of rules and strictures too it, it must be “evidence based” and testable and repeatable. If something “miraculous”happens after a medical intervention and you don’t have five guys in lab coats with a clip board writing down what occurred than it doesn’t count, ie “CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION.”
So what can I say? Disc herniation and numbness, according to the “SCIENCE!”™️ 4-6 weeks minimum.
The miracles? Those happen a whole lot sooner 😉
Chiropractic Rōnin 