A few weeks ago I had lower back pain with no triggering incidents or accidents. On the first day of pain I thought I might have slept wrong, but after a few days I decided to consult a professional. I found Ahava Chiropractic on Yelp and also glanced at their website. I was pleased to see that they participate in a lot of charity work in the community, work with state of the art technology and have glowing testimonials from their patients.
I called the business and my first interaction with the business was with Bekah. She was professional, informative and just genuinely caring. She was able to help me schedule the first available appointment. The day prior to the appointment, Dr. Robert Rosas called me to check on me to check on my condition and to ask if I had any questions. Wow so thoughtful! Usually the front staff calls me at most other medical offices, not the doctor.
I recommend arriving at least 15 minutes early on your first visit for paperwork. Bekah was definitely as sweet in person as she was on the phone. Cassandra, who is also in the front, welcomed me into the facilities and gave me a tour of the office. She was also very friendly and informative. There are 2 treatment rooms, one that doubles as an in-house X-ray room, bathrooms, and a cute little wall of the charities they have participated in. I was definitely feelings nervous and Cassandra was very reassuring as I stepped into the treatment room and waited for the doctor.
Per my online research, Dr. Rosas practices the Gonstead Technique which focuses on finding the root cause of your pain. He asked me a series of questions and ultimately we did a nerve scan and 6 x-rays, 3 from the frontal view and 3 from the side view, which he had to stitch together to get the full neck and spine analysis.
I was able to get an appointment in for the next day to go over the results. Dr. Rosas was very informative with his professional interpretation. He was drawing out angles on the x-ray: what it should be, what it is... ouch. He portrayed that there were severe issues that needs to be addressed, but was also positive that it can be fixed. I like that Dr. Rosas gave me options. He reassured that if I did not feel comfortable moving forward at any point, I can stop. I.E. If I didn't feel like it was working, didn't like him for whatever reason, and the example I can't forget was if I thought he smelled bad.
Of the payment options, there were pay by visit, monthly payments or pay in full. The pay by visit was the highest price, with the monthly payments being a medium price, and the pay in full being best value. The reason for that is the operational cost for the work on the front staff. Makes sense to me. I opt for the pay in full because it was the best value and at least I can score some points on my credit card.
For the first adjustment, Dr. Rosas adjusted me in a few areas. The pain I actually felt was in the right sacrum, but there was the crookedness in the middle of the spine and my sad sad neck losing the neck arch from too much screen time. Crack Crack Crack! And guess what?? I was able to sit straight for the first time all week!! What a miracle. Remember to be realistic. Clearly the pain was not 100% gone because it was just one treatment for a problem that took years to accumulate. I am just relieved that my condition significantly improved. Yay!!
After your first treatment, three important things to do are ICE the areas, WALK and DRINK WATER. If you want to know why, you can check out Ahava Chiropractic on You-Tube for Dr. Rosas' fancy medical explanation.
With my on-going treatment, I am currently seeing Dr. Rosas about 3 times a week, until we drop to 2 times a week and eventually once a week for about 6 months. Everyone in the office is very kind and flexible to work with my complex schedule. I was able to set up a 'skeleton appointment' chart with Bekah to put in a placeholder for dates and times I prefer, and they are open to me changing it as needed.
Cassandra checked to confirm I was receiving their helpful emails and links to You-Tube videos from Ahava Chiropractic. I am following them since these videos are quite helpful. I am guilty of a lot of bad habits so being aware is the good first step to reducing these habits. I highly recommend checking them out, and remember to like the videos if you also find like they are helpful.
I am feeling better with each visit and I am grateful to Ahava Chiropractic. I even have fun in the waiting room chatting with Bekah and Cassandra. Each time I swipe into the treatment rooms, there is a questionnaire to ask how I feel since the last visit and how I feel since the beginning. I glanced at the screen and see that Dr. Rosas takes thorough notes with each appointment, spots that he adjusted. I can honestly say I trust Dr. Rosas and would recommend him to my family and friends. read more