My 69 y.o. mom got hit by a motorbike almost four weeks ago as we were crossing a street in South America. I witnessed her spinning in the air and landing on the ground. I had missed the initial trajectory from the initial impact. I only saw what happened after her body bounced off the first time she hit ground. The motorbike was skipping car traffic on the wrong side of the street, where we were. My mom laid in a fetal position on the ground, bleeding, in shock, and then scared. Before leaving the scene, her neck was braced, and body strapped to a board. Before leaving the hospital, additionally, her arm was bandaged and in a sling.
While she is a retired ICU RN, I am a yoga therapist. I did what work I could on her at home; Mostly my concern was brain swelling, and preventing/ameliorating clot formations, and her pain. With her severely limited mobility and pain, I could not help her w the bones at that level of damage. We later found out her collarbone was dislocated, there is grinding in her hip, and of course grinding in shoulder joint and neck.
On her first morning back from the hospital, my mom announced that she needs to be taken to a chiropractor (traditional western medicine and their PTs be d*mned!). My aunt argued w her to, "...go to a real doctor". My mom explained the educational rigors required to become a chiropractor. Then she unfolded the story of her experience w Dr. Chung. In 3 visits he resolved her 2-yr's of immobilizing shoulder pain.
Post my car accident 2.5 yrs ago, my cervical and lumbar regions have been whacked out. The first nine months, I was on my back 24/7. I eventually gained 25#, well on my way to 30. One of my discs was pressing a major nerve that sent incapacitating pain to the entire left side of my body. My first chiropractor said I would need pain shots and meds for the rest of my life. While I eventually moved that disc enough off the nerve (using yoga methods to manipulate the spine), I am still extremely limited in mobility. I have 6 slipped discs in total.
After trial and error, I found a very gifted PT who helps me establish new ways to do everyday movements --like basic walking, sitting, and standing! However, the foundation of these challenges is that my skeletal system is still misaligned enough that my lumbar region eventually prevents me from being upright for 1/3 of the day, and a hum of discomfort, if not pain, is always on.
Dr. Chung: Authentically calm, pleasant, patient and perceptive. Also, he is truly wholistic in approach, and is educated in TCM, in addition to chiropractic medicine. He's also funny! He asks me and thanks me for not reflexively kicking him, after he does something to adjust me.
B*tching that will lead to next header: FYI, yoga/pilates therapists hate foam rollers, but that stupid thing and its stupid 'philosophy' (or sales riffs) gives us lots clients to rehab.
Differences: As in any field, chiropractors have some variance in healing approach. My initial chiropractor incorporated a table w automation akin to the foam rolling technique. It was a clumsy, surface level method to prep me for the adjustments, rolling the length of my spine. I would be on that ineffective table when the electrical pulsing nodes to my injured areas was unavailable. The electrical pulses were never strong enough for me at its' highest setting, which was fascinating to the office, apparently.
Comparatively, Dr. Chung's acupuncture, and massage (or adjustment of the muscles-as-pulley-system-of-bones, as he noted) were to ready me for adjustment of my bones. All more specific and a deeper approach from the start. After all, our spine is in the center of the body. A surface level treatment to body, and treat-it-all-the-same approach, will be predictably less effective. Remember, my initial chiropractor said I'll need pain shots and meds for the rest of my life?
After my first adjustment w Dr. Chung, I could lift more wts at gym, and do more sets, AND I didn't need to curl in ball of low back pain at night and into next day. In fact, I lifted 3x that week, and still (astonishingly) no incapacitating pain started to wash over me. I only got a small hint of pain on the 6th day from treatment. FYI, I cannot do standard cardio exercises, nor even walking-as-exercise since car accident. I won't test that change in capacity til after final treatment.
I just finished my second adjustment. We'll see how the week goes 'til the next adjustment.
I only give four stars for now, bc my treatment plan is in process now. It has not concluded yet. We shall see. read more