How ProHealth helped my sciatica – A personal experience
Guest post by
Kayleigh Weaver, 26
Rockville, MD
Like many people around the world, I suffered from back and neck pain – specifically Sciatica – from 2015 to 2018. It seemed that, overnight, I went from perfectly healthy (structurally speaking) to almost crippled (no exaggeration!).
I had always loved going for long walks and exercising at the gym, but my condition only seemed to worsen with each exercise session. I couldn’t walk for more than 10 minutes without pain all over my body (back, feet, hips, etc.). I could no longer do the activities I loved without discomfort.
If you deal with constant pain, you probably know how badly it can affect your mental health and overall wellness. It seemed like pain was all I could think about every day for the past 3 years. This significantly impacted my productivity at work, mental health, and overall quality of life. I thought I’d have to deal with this forever. I’m only 26 and it scared me to think that it could only get worse from here. I cried a lot about my condition and I hate to admit that my bad mood probably negatively impacted my relationships with people in my life.
Why Did I Choose Chiropractic Care?
I had tried physical therapy, pain medication, and stretching for several months, with very minimal change. After researching alternative solutions online, I briefly tried chiropractic care in 2016 at another office in Rockville, MD and the results were significant. Unfortunately, this doctor didn’t communicate with me very well, and I stopped treatment after a few weeks since I was feeling better. But the pain quickly returned full-force. I was back to the bad mood and overall ill health resulting from my Sciatica and other pain.
At the beginning of 2018, I decided to try chiropractic again since it was the only thing that ever seemed to help. Chiropractic care just makes perfect sense to me. Our spine is meant to be in perfect alignment. And clearly, when our vertebra are out of place, this can cause irritation to the nerves that flow through them, pain, and other problems. Considering the distress we constantly put ourselves through (sports, injuries, sitting all day at work, bad posture, etc.) it’s easy to see how our spine could become misaligned.
A colleague of mine recommended ProHealth Chiropractic Wellness Center in Rockville, MD and I have now been a patient for 3 months. I plan to see my treatment through so that the pain doesn’t return.
What stood out to me was the initial evaluation, which I had not received at my previous office. Dr. Flood was able to show me the exact regions of my spine that were out of alignment, and he made spine health education a priority during our initial conversations. I finally felt like my pain was validated. Other doctors insinuated that my pain was all in my head, but I knew that something was wrong.
The regions of stress revealed by the analysis conducted at ProHealth were exactly the same as the regions of pain I was experiencing. Dr. Flood showed me x-rays, so it was easy to see which parts of my spine were out of place. I felt like I was being listened to and finally felt hopeful that things could change for me.
What Happened as a Result of my treatment?
The treatment I received at ProHealth resulted almost instantly (after just a few Appointments) in neck pain relief and pain relief in my middle-back region that has not returned. Over time, I have also noticed significant improvement in my Sciatica. The frequency, duration, and severity of pain has significantly reduced.
A side effect of all the pain was that I had difficulty walking. It seemed like all of my muscles were tight and my feet weren’t pointing forward. I seemed to lean to one side while walking, which threw me off balance. Now, I can walk longer distances without feeling pain and without thinking about it. I can even jog again for short periods! I never realized how much the difficulty with walking occupied my mind until I no longer had to think about it!
I am confident that continuing my treatment with Dr. Flood and Dr. James at ProHealth will only result in more improvement.
What Advice do I have for others seeking Chiropractic Treatment for Sciatica?
It’s very important to stick with your treatment plan. At first, I was wondering how long it would take and was getting discouraged half-way through treatment since I was still experiencing discomfort in some areas of my body. But once I understood that my body needed time to heal and that the adjustments were cumulative, I stuck with the treatment, and I’m so glad I did. The results are not going to happen overnight so don’t expect one adjustment to fix everything.
Also, give ProHealth a try. I think their emphasis on the evaluation and patient education sets them apart from all the other Chiropractors in Rockville, MD. They take the time to understand your condition fully so that the appropriate adjustments can be applied.
