I don’t remember very much about my first chiropractic adjustment. I was about 16 years old and at the time I was doing a lot of horse riding and was experiencing lower back pain that eventually got to the point where it was uncomfortable to sit in the saddle for any reasonable length of time. I had been assessed by my family GP and My Mum persuaded me to visit a chiropractor when the usual raft of pain medication failed to do the trick and I was miserable not being able to do what I loved, being in the saddle. I remember 3 things about the session, first, that the chiropractor probably only said about 3 words to me in the whole 10 minutes that I spent in his office, second that there where a few almighty cracks which scared the life out of me and third, that I felt almost instantly better. I had recurrent niggles in my lower back over the next few years, but nothing ever enough to keep me from riding.
Since then I have been to Chiropractor pretty much throughout my life for various issues from lower back to neck pain, some experiences more successful than others I must confess, and each one different to the last. It was only when I arrived in England and experienced McTimoney Chiropractic for the first time, that I had a lightbulb moment. My chiropractor spent almost an hour taking a medical history and questioning me about the kind of work that I did, and my hobbies and interests. I was 32 years old at the time, almost clinically obese, and I had had a major health scare. I was sick and my lightbulb moment was when my chiropractor explained to me what chiropractic was and how it worked and most importantly how it fitted in to all the other bits of my life. I was responsible for my own health, and my body was craving the tender loving care needed to function better. The McTimoney treatment itself was amazing, light and gentle, yet somehow powerful at the same time, the changes where subtle but very definite. What was most amazing for me was how I started to feel when I began to change my diet and exercise more. I moved better I had more energy, my posture changed and so did my attitude and I realised how many little things impacted on how effectively my body and mind functioned! Two years later I ran the Berlin marathon and had signed up with the McTimoney College of Chiropractic to study a Masters.
For me Chiropractic is a piece of the jigsaw, together with a balanced approach to diet, exercise, and a positive mental attitude. I believe that health is different for each one of us. A marathon runner may consider himself healthy being able to run 100 miles in a week, a retired widower may consider herself healthy being able to maintain her own garden without help. You decide what health is for you, and if back, neck and shoulder pain, sciatica, headaches and migraines, or minor sports injuries are preventing you achieving your ideal health, chiropractic may be the missing piece of the jigsaw.