Chiropractor Visit #2

I am addicted to my chiropractor after only 2 visits. :) He's fantastic. He moves my bones in a way that feels amazing with the quick flick of his pen. I went to yoga on Friday night and could actually feel a difference in my poses with my new corrected alignment. On this second visit he went over my x-rays from the other day. My x-rays show that my L5 vertebrae (near my tailbone) is indeed compressed. In this pictures it's the bottom of the blue near the yellow.

This compressed vertebrae explains my pain during sitting on hard surfaces (like bleachers) and doing sit-ups. I asked him about doing sit-ups and he suggested doing them on a ball to alleviate the pressure.

In addition to my compressed vertebrae, I also have an uneven pelvis. The left side of my pelvis is 10 degrees higher than the right. THIS explains my hip pain and (at least to me) what it's harder to balance and stretch on my left side. The rest of my spine is out of alignment because it's leaning towards the left 30 degrees to compensate for the 10 degrees that my pelvis is off. Still with me?  Basically my spine is overcompensating for my pelvis.

Oh, and I can't forget my coccyx. It's all out of whack too. See, I am a chiropractors dream. As always- there is an amazing part....

My NeuroSpinal function score was 84. A perfect score is 100. Dr. Mike says that he see "very few" patients that ever score in the 90's, even after therapy, and that 84 is really good. 356 pound Kari never would have gotten a NeuroSpinal function score of 84. It basically means that my spine is in good healthy. Additionally, the disks between the vertebrae were in "excellent" condition. Whew! What a relief. I was worried that putting additional weight on my body for so long would have resulted in doing permanent damage on the back that could never be undone.

A small huge problem is that if I went as much as he wanted me to it would be hundreds of dollars a month for the first few months- even after my insurance. I am just starting to pay for Bug's eye surgery and am still paying on my surgery. There is no way I can take on another medical expense at this time. My hope is that I can go every other week (instead of 3X a week like he wants) and still reap the benefits of adjustment. I am also going to ask for exercises that I can do at home to keep aligned between appointments.

Whew! Sorry this was so long. Tomorrow I will be back on the picket line (yep, still on strike) and then going to a Big and Rich concert at the fair. Can't wait to get my hands on an Earthquake burger.

~Kari