When I hurt my back, a chiropractor was the last thing I thought of.  Instead, I went through 8 weeks of physical therapy, an MRI, ice, heat, inaction, massage therapy and a neurologist.  When, after months of pain, the diagnosis of two herniated lumbar discs finally came, my massage therapist convinced me to give chiropractic a shot.  My neurologist recommended Dr. Ramsour. 

I was very skeptical.  After all, I’d heard the grandiose claims that many chiropractors make and I didn’t believe any of it.  I mean, really, what could cracking a back actually accomplish?  Why shouldn’t I just take muscle relaxers and pain killers and go back to physical therapy?

But the answer was simple.  I’m only 42.  I have big plans for my future and none of them involve deteriorating nerve function, pain and possible surgery.  Which is what would have happened if I’d done what my HMO wanted and simply taken the pills, used the pain patches and return to physical therapy.  None of which would have healed my injury.  My discs would have still been herniated.  My nerves would still be pinched.  Continued activity would have caused my nerves to deteriorate.  I’d go through life injuring my nerves further until they reached the point where they couldn’t be fixed.  The pain would continue to grow as the nerves deteriorated.  I have a life to live.  I have big life plans.  I had no intention of spending the rest of my days with restricted activity and in constant pain that radiated down my legs and into my feet.

But that wasn’t the end of my problems.  Because my body compensated for the lumbar herniations, my spine curved.  One day I reached too far and fell over in excruciating pain.  After two more MRIs, they found that I’d herniated two cervical discs affecting the upper left portion of my body.  Pain shot into my fingers, through the left side of my back into my shoulder and neck.

So when I saw Dr. Ramsour for the first time, I presented him with quite a challenge.  He’d have to fix both ends of my body then rehabilitate them without further injuring either one of them.  He and his staff accepted the challenge and rose very quickly to meet it. 

Through their detailed care plans, their very hands on treatments, their informative discussions, they far surpassed my expectations.  I was truly impressed with the fact that every member of Dr. Ramsour’s staff could explain my treatment and its goals and how they intended to help me reach them.  They answered every question, they encouraged me when I needed it, they pushed me when I needed it, they lectured me when I didn’t behave and they hugged me when I needed it.  They took (and still take) such fantastic care of me.  I walked out of their office last week 97% pain free.

Was it hard?  Yes.  Did I make sacrifices?  Yes.  Did it hurt?  Sometimes.  Did it take time?  Yes.  But they made a true believer out of a very skeptical woman who was in a great deal of pain.  They gave me my life back.  It sounds like it’s something too huge for someone to do, but they did it.  And I’ll never be able to thank them enough.

Susan Reinhardt