I was very skeptical of this type of treatment when I first started doing some research on getting some help for numbness in my hands and severe pain in my upper back. Dr. Chapek had excellent reviews, so I decided to give her a shot. She is a very quirky and unique individual. She still uses an answering machine, she doesn't have email, and she makes her own pamphlets. When I was a new patient, she had to fax me the new patient paperwork, and it was extensive and somewhat confusing, because she had written all over it. I was highly motivated though.
On my first appointment, I thought it was a little strange that she asked me to wait in my car and then call her when I arrived. She insists on patients wearing masks, and she always has multiple masks on. She works alone. Her office is just one room in another doctor's office. She doesn't have any assistants or helpers. When you want to make an appointment, you talk to her. When you arrive, she takes you into her single exam room. Be prepared when you call her phone to leave a message. Her recording is very very long.
When you come in, she sits and asks you questions. Alot of questions. She wants to know what hurts, how you did it, why you did it, etc. She also tends to give you life advice about why you did that and how you shouldn't do it again. Did I mention that she is quirky? Once she has a good idea of what is going on in your life, and has convinced you not to be so stupid in the future, she has you lie down on the table and she places her hands on your head. She keeps her hands on your head, sometimes moving her hands slightly, for a really long time - sometimes 10-15 minutes. She stops and takes notes as well. I remember thinking, who is this lady and what the heck is going on??? I was convinced that I had made a mistake.
After she finishes her assessment, she tells you what she's found, and then begins making adjustments to your body. These are minor adjustments, some of which you may feel hardly at all, other than the pressure of her hands. It is at this point that you ask yourself, how much am I paying her to just sit here with her hands under my shoulder???
Once she is done making her adjustments, she will tell you to sit up slowly. I scoffed the first time; why would I need to sit up slowly? Big mistake. I went to sit up and immediately got a little light-headed. She will then tell you that it's going to get worse before it gets better. She reminds you not to do any heavy lifting, difficult work-outs, etc. She tells you to drink alot of water and then come back if you still have issues. In my ignorance and arrogance, I left the first time thinking, "How could I possibly be in pain from her treatment? She barely pushed on me." I was wrong. After my first treatment, I was in quite a bit of pain for 2-3 days. But something miraculous happened after that. I started getting better.
That was 3 years ago. I have continued to see Dr. Chapek when I have pain in my body, or muscles that aren't cooperating. I wish I could explain the voodoo that she does, but I can't. A couple of weeks ago, I had some annoying pain in my head and jaw, which I attributed to allergy issues, but my real concern was the pain in my abdomen and hip, which I had no explanation for. I decided to call Dr. Chapek to see if she could fit me in, and she did. I told her my symptoms and she asked what happened, and I told her that I honestly had no idea. She had me lie down and she put her hands on my head. After about 5 minutes, she asked me if I hit my head. My first thought was, WTH is she talking about? Wouldn't I have said if I hit my head? I told her no, I didn't remember hitting my head. She told me that what she was feeling was consistent with someone hitting their head. I told her I guess I could have, but I didn't remember it. I asked her what this would have to do with the pain in my abdomen and hip. She then explained that it appeared that I had hit the upper right part of my head, and the fascia got strained and the resulting tension wove itself around my head, circled my neck, and went down through my abdomen to my hip in a spiral motion. I have been seeing Dr. Chapek for years now, but I still thought to myself, "Uh, ok." She asked me again if I was certain I hadn't hit my head. I told her that I guess I did?
She treated me and I went home. I went inside my house, then I remembered that I left something in my car. I opened the garage door and as I was walking towards my car in the back drive, I almost hit my head on the raising garage door and suddenly remembered that I had hit my head on it a couple of weeks ago when I wasn't paying attention. Guess which side of my head I hit? I had no memory of it until that moment. Guess what else? I felt better with no pain anywhere within 1 day. She has some sort of magical abilities that I will probably never understand, and I cannot recommend her enough. read more
