I grew up with my mom having the occasional back problems from a car accident in her youth. She would get treatment from a chiropractor and the only results that I ever recall observing was my mom tapping the refrigerator magnets along her spine because the chiropractor told her magnets will help heal and put “things” back in place. So, my early impression was you go to a chiropractor only for back problems and magnets was the extent of the treatment. Little did I know…

In the fall of 2016, my mom fell down the stairs and she unknowingly injured her shoulder and neck when she held onto the banister to catch herself. Within a few months of her fall, she could barely lift her arm. Her doctor referred her to see a chiropractor. My mom did her research and she found the “Best of the Best” chiropractor in Cincinnati to make sure she got the best possible care. The chiropractor she found was Baker Chiropractic and Wellness on Red Bank Road.

Great Advice From Family

Over the Christmas Holiday, the whole family got together to talk about how we all are and what is new, etc. During this conversation, I was giving my sister-in-law a neck and shoulder massage to work out several huge tension knots that were causing her severe pain and discomfort. Of course my mom, being the wonderful nurturer that she is, wanted to help. She shared her story with us and the progress she made at Baker Chiropractic and Wellness.

Mom told my sister-in-law that Baker Chiropractic was having this amazing holiday special. $21 to get your assessment, x-rays and your first adjustment and encouraged my sister-in-law to make an appointment for the next morning.

My sister-in-law has always had back issues. She broke her back playing competitive soccer in high school and has had sciatic issues ever since. My brother threw his back out about six months prior and still had some residual pain. So, my sister-in-law and brother went to Baker Chiropractic and Wellness the next morning, both taking advantage of the special, and came back with glowing reviews.

My sister-in-law told us how our neck is supposed to be at a 43 degree curve and that her neck was in the negatives. I immediately thought, well if her number is that bad, I know I had to be much worse, since I have horrible posture and the start of a bump on my back. My sister-in-law then showed us this diagram that lists all the things the spine affects. We start going thru the list and all our minds were blown. It was like going thru a checklist of all our aches, pains and random ailments. Therefore, with a combination of my mom, my sister-in-law and my brother saying it was worth it, my sister and I made our appointments.

My History of Pain

I have had back pain since my junior year of high school. I was at swim practice one day and suddenly I had shooting pain up and down my spine. I went to the emergency room to see what was wrong. They did several tests and x-rays but they couldn’t find anything wrong. I was told since there is nothing wrong, go home, take some ibuprofen and put some ice on it. My back was never the same. I would go through periods of it being fine and just be a dull ache, but then I would bend down, lean too far, pick-up something too heavy, sleep weird, whatever and Bing, there is the shooting pain again. I never would know what would trigger it. I would avoid anything I thought would cause it flair up especially when the ache escalated to a twinge. I knew it was agitated then and I had I to be careful.

Some of my other ailments was that I had been experiencing mysterious nerve issues in my hands. I would have random numbness in my pinky and ring fingers. They would also lock up for no apparent reason. I also suffered from self-diagnosed restless leg syndrome in my left leg. I even had unexplained tummy issues. When I would eat something, sometimes it would be fine, and then sometimes it wouldn’t. I had also lost my sense of smell.

New Approach To Improving My Health

January 4, 2017 was my first appointment. It fit in quite nicely with my new year’s resolution to actually start going to see doctors and get healthy. My appointment was with Dr. Todd Worthington and he was great. He really explained everything to me in detail. He not only answered all of my questions, but he answered them in layman’s terms.

I was shocked to find out how messed up my back truly was. I had subluxations in 5 areas of my spine, hitting 4 of the 5 plexus and the cranial nerves. Basically, my entire nervous system was being affected. My neck was at -3 degrees instead of the 43 degrees, my lower back was over curved, my hips were uneven causing scoliosis in several places, making my spine look like it zig zags, plus disc deterioration in multiple places.

So needless to say, I was a hot mess and I had no clue. I was a little overwhelmed but Dr. Todd was very encouraging saying all of this was reversible, it wasn’t some kind of final sentencing. He said with a lot of hard work and commitment, we can turn things around.

We hit the ground running with my treatment plan, I went 3 times week for 3 months. With the combination of the therapy, adjustments and the home kit, I got better. The body is a wonderful thing, it autocorrects as much as possible. But that can be a bad thing too because it is hard to tell when things are wrong. I had no idea I was so off, because feeling off was the norm for me. But once I started to get aligned and my body was being put back together correctly, I felt amazing. I have never felt so healthy and strong. I would call my normal everyday feeling was blah and sickly and I had no idea that is how I was really feeling. I thought it was fine and good. But now thanks to Dr. Todd and Baker Chiropractic I know better. I know what it feels like to really feel good.

On The Road To Health and Happiness

My numbers have improved, I am now at 5 degrees on my neck, my hips have leveled out so I am not so zig zaggy, and my posture has improved, I haven’t had a back flare up since my treatment started, I am down to the very dull ache and the occasional twinge if I push myself to far. I didn’t get sick like I do every winter, my sense of smell has improved and I just feel healthy, like the way my body was designed to feel.

My treatment isn’t finished, I still have a long way to go before I am 100%. I have had my own challenges with bump on my back and that will take time to reverse. This is in conjunction with getting my neck to 43 degrees. It has been hindered due to in my second month of treatment, I had my own tumble down a set of stairs and injured my shoulder and neck too. But I was fortunate that I had an appointment the next morning to immediately start work on my shoulder and neck. If I hadn’t been going to a chiropractor, I would have ended up similar to my mom and not being able to lift my arm. So, I did a few steps back, but I never lost the momentum forward and I will continue to do so.

This has been a whole family affair for us and we are so grateful to everyone at Baker Chiropractic and Wellness who have help all of us on our journey. We are a healthier and happier family because of their knowledgeable expertise. I would recommend them to everyone.

You never know how much better things could be unless you try!*

– Katrina A.

*Please note, there is no guarantee of specific results with our care and results may vary. Please contact us to discuss your specific condition.