Question:  Does the person with the spine shown below have pain?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer:  Maybe

Let me share a quick patient story to explain.

While deployed in the Middle East, Mark took an impact from a blast that injured his low back.  He tried pushing through the pain, but some members of his team (who were special ops personnel) recognized just how much pain he had & encouraged him to get it checked out.  Mark was put through various imaging tests which found disc degeneration at multiple levels of his spine.  Surgery was recommended but he wanted to try a more conservative recovery process.  It’s a good thing he did!  Too often people undergo unnecessary surgeries & don’t get better.

Fact:  The majority of people over 40 yrs old have some sort of pathology in the spine/discs, but have no symptoms!  So surgery is not always the answer.  Click this link & look at Chart 2 to get more detailed info on this topic.

Mark tried chiropractic treatments, physical therapy, & medications without much relief.  He had times where he would feel good.  But getting back on his dirt bike or sitting in his truck for work would easily flare up his back.  Before seeking treatment with AFI in January 2021, Mark experienced months of debilitating pain!

At our first session we discovered an issue with Mark’s right hip – it was very tight & painful which prevented his spine from moving well.  We did a series of hands-on techniques to free up his hip.  He was quite sore afterwards, but at his 2nd visit, his low back pain was over 50% improved!  After only 4 sessions, Mark was at 90%.

Since then, we have worked on strength training & general fitness & his improvements have been amazing.  Mark’s initial improvement happened because we looked beyond his low back & into the surrounding area of his hips.  We wanted to see how his WHOLE body was moving.  No one had ever done that for him! 

We didn’t fix the disc issues in his back.  In fact, if he got another MRI today, it would likely look the same as it did a couple years ago.  But the spine wasn’t the cause of his symptoms…his hip was.  By treating his hip we created the best environment for his spine to function & it made all the difference.

Healing can happen.  Change can happen.  Your body is made to adapt.  We just need to give it the right treatment!

For more info, please feel free to contact Luke via email or call 208.550.3775.