If anyone ever asked me in a word how I felt about chiropractors I would answer, "skeptical". In the world of legitimate medicine I always considered chiropractors to be in that grey area. Many times I even negatively associated them to be ambulance chasers because most people only see them after car accidents or workplace injuries. I was especially annoyed with seeing diagnosis from them when I worked in the corporate world in the Human Resources department. I guess you never learn to appreciate people until you find yourself in a place where no other types of medicine can help you but the one you underestimated the most. So, here goes my story and the reason for this review:
Around April 24th, 2015, I was working on a client and filing her nails (I am now a nail artist at Orchid Nail Lounge in Santa Clara) when I felt the pressure I was putting on my left elbow on the table transfer to my left shoulder blade and suddenly it felt like a thousand tiny rubber bands had burst in my back. The pain was so intense it crippled me leaving me leaning forward to compensate for the rest of the nail appointment. I knew at that moment I had done something horrible to myself but I had no idea how to help myself. I even turned to my coworker and told her something is terribly wrong and that I needed to see a doctor immediately. The days that followed consisted of me using heating pads, topical pain relievers like icy hot to take away the pain but nothing would suffice. After a few more days I finally drove myself in the middle of the night and waited to be seen in the emergency room at Valley Medical Center. I waited the entire night and wasn't seen because there were so many emergencies which required more serious attention then mine. I left and returned on other days to be seen only to be told I had muscle strains and skeletal issues. In total it was a series of 3 visits to the Emergency room. My biggest concern was heart attack due to the severity of pain and location of which. I was prescribed heavy drugs like baclofen, valium, high doses of ibuprofen, and other drugs for my g.i. which had become irritated due to lack of sleep, lack of eating, and non stop working. I was even given a shot to relax my muscles on one visit which only helped me for 2 days.
I lived like this for another 2 1/2 months until I found Dr. Matt. Imagine, sleeping less then 4 hours a day because of crippling pain induced by a working position that you had to do 7 days a week often for more then 10 hours a day. This is what happens when your ambition surpasses your biological abilities and it was crushing me. I asked a client on an eyelash appointment who she had seen after a major car accident that allowed her to return to body building so quickly. She referred me to Dr. Matt. I explained to him that I wasn't covered under any medical plans and that I would be a cash patient. He charges at least $30 less then his competitors per visit offering the same services or less; yes, I asked around before coming to see him. He sent over some forms for me to consent to treatment and we were off. I was late, partly because I was coming through rough morning traffic and partly because I'm always late; but, even 15 minutes late I was still seen and treated immediately with great enthusiasm. I was relieved to see that Dr. Matt wasn't just going to crack and pop me but would be applying Active Release Technique to Stretch my soft tissue as well. This was just what I was looking for, Skeletal Muscle treatment. The kind medicine could not fix. In total, I've only taken 2 pills of all the pills the emergency room prescribed. This is because Dr. Matt's initial treatments allowed me, while still in pain, to work, eat and sleep. I remember thinking, "I can't believe I slept last night" after my second visit. And, as I return for following visits this feeling has followed. I look forward to each visit with him, it's euphoric! When you are under an immense amount of pain and someone is able to take that away in 30-45 minutes you feel nothing but appreciation, gratitude, and confidence.
I have been humbled by this experience because my perception was totally not reality here! You have alleviated all fears and skepticism I had for chiropractors. Thank you for your bedside manner, your professionalism, for your constant care and attention to my condition, and your consummate renewal of your skills and practice. I rant and rave about you to my clients daily and send you as many as I can because I firmly believe in you, your practice and that your name should be the first name that comes to mind for any muscle skeletal pain issues that arise. Accolades to you my sriracha style superhero! read more