Be Kind, Always.

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I have a ‘Notes’ section in my phone called ‘Blog Ideas’, and whenever an idea strikes me I try to jot it down for easy access when I’ve got time to write.  The first entry under ‘Blog Ideas’ says ‘you never know what someone is going through.’

Now isn’t that the truth?

I jotted that sentence down more than two years ago and have yet to write about it….. but now’s the time.  The event that brought this thought to mind initially was the tragic passing of my neighbor.  A father of two teenagers, he was in his early 50s when he died.  These neighbors are private people, and we had only lived in the neighborhood for a year, so we didn’t know them well enough to know that they were enduring a lengthy battle with illness.  It was his teenaged son who came to share the news of his death and it came as a shock.  He didn’t look sick, they didn’t act like he was sick, but he was sick.  Very, very sick.  So, it’s true, you never know what someone is going through.

I’ve certainly learned this through my work.  My treatment rooms are often a place where people feel comfortable enough to divulge their secrets, share their troubles, discuss their burdens.  In a place of confidentiality and comfort, their physical complaints are often exacerbated by the stressors that lie underneath the surface.  I am happy that they share with me, I’m happy to listen, I’m happy to try and help.  In fact, I wish there was more I could do.  I’m a sensitive soul, and emotion rolls through me like tidal waves crashing into the shore.  You may be surprised to hear that, as I usually present an even-keel disposition to the world.  But the real me is sensitive, emotional, and yes, dramatic.

Author Regina Brett wrote: “If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.”  I have many friends fighting many tough battles right now.  If you’re reading this and think I may be referring to you, you’re right.  You’re right too.  And you and you and you.

So, please: be kind, always.

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“Do you Adjust Children?”

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***This was originally written as a Guest Blog post for Momstown.ca.***

I got asked this question at the gym the other day.  Someone I barely knew, stopped me mid-warmup to ask, “you’re a chiropractor, right?  Do you adjust children?”  And I guess that’s a fair question.  But my “yes I am and yes I do” response was met with a skeptical “wow, I can’t believe that people do that.”  Hmmmm, now how to respond?

I guess I could’ve said that chiropractors are neuro-musculoskeletal (NMSK) specialists; NMSK means nerves, muscles, and joints.  That we’re primary healthcare providers.  That we can diagnose.  That we’ve got 7+ years of post-secondary education.  But that’s too “wordy” for casual conversation.

I could’ve said that I have two young children and regularly check their spines and adjust them as necessary.  Or that they both received their first adjustments within hours of their births.  Or that my son’s neck was so restricted that he would only nurse on one side pre-adjustment.  Or that a lower back/pelvic adjustment is the best laxative I’ve found for them.  Or that my kids “play chiropractor.”  Nah, too “mommy.”

I could’ve said that the birth process is pretty intense and can be traumatic on tiny spines.  I could’ve said that I’ve seen incredible results with colic, constipation, and congenital torticollis in my practice.  I could’ve said that children respond remarkably well and exceptionally fast to treatment.  I could’ve said that we get our children’s teeth, eyes, and ears checked, so why not their spines too?  No, too “clinical”.

I could’ve said that I’ve taken extensive post-graduate studies in pediatric care.  Or that the research supports chiropractic treatment in the pediatric population.  Or that I am thoroughly confident in the safety of everything I do and I must “first, do no harm”.  Nope, too “academic”.

Instead, I said “yes, people do that.  We all do what we think is best for our children.”  Then I finished my workout….. and went home to adjust my kids.

ahh

“You’re Not Ready Yet”

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An athlete who returns to training fearful about re-injury is an athlete that is more prone to re-injury.

Think about that statement for a minute.  Now why would I choose to write about this topic?  Because it’s something that I deal with almost daily in my practice.  If you are reading this as a patient, perhaps you can relate, and if you are reading this as a practitioner that works with athletes, most certainly you can relate.

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My knee surgery- March/2005

But, you see, this is one of the reasons that I LOVE working with athletes… I love their I-cannot-rest-I-need-to-get-back-to-training attitude.  Because I’m like that too.  I’m one of them.  I’m the basketball player who broke her thumb and finished the tournament (ask my parents).  I’m the ball-hockey player who tore her ACL and kept training for a marathon (ask my friends).  I’m the runner who sprained her ankle, taped it up, and competed anyways (ask my husband).  Were these smart decisions?  Probably not.  Would I choose differently now?  Also probably not.

But….. and this is a big but, a huge however, and an extreme nonetheless…. getting back to training before your injury is healed is not the best choice in the long run.  Let me say that again in a different way: if you injure a structure in your body and that structure is not healed before you resume training, you will re-injure yourself.  And, most likely, it’ll be worse the second time around.

That’s where the fear component comes into play.  Remember my original statement?  An athlete who returns to training fearful about re-injury is an athlete that is more prone to re-injury.  I believe that athletes know their bodies far better than I, their healthcare practitioner, do.  Sure, I know the anatomy, I understand the biomechanics, and I can draw upon research studies and my professional experience, but I don’t really know what they’re feeling.

I’m not referring to their fear of the consequences of re-injury (ie. the baseball player who worries about missing the rest of his season, the Crossfitter who worries about completing the next Open workout, the runner who worries about finishing her next marathon)- those are normal, understandable, expected fears.  I am talking about the fear, the apprehension, the tentativeness, the uneasiness, the doubt that can creep in under the surface of it all and whisper to the athlete “you’re not ready yet.”  That’s where re-injury happens.

To my athletes: if I give you the green light to resume training and fear murmurs “you’re not ready yet,” tell me.  And I will agree.

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