A Buddy in Need

I miss my chiro buddy. What is a chiro buddy, you ask? A friend of mine, Lisa,* and I were routinely visiting our chiropractor, Jeffrey E. Ptak, DC, in Los Angeles, during lunchtime. As my colleagues became used to seeing Lisa heading for my office to pick me up, one of them called us chiro buddies as we were heading out. Hence, chiro buddy was born.

We were always adjusted together in the “family room,” which has two adjusting tables. Then we would walk across the hallway to the traction room and slip 5-pound weights on our heads and do our cervical extension traction, or “hang out,” as Ptak puts it. The 10 minutes always seemed to go faster when we were commiserating or just talking. But no more.

Lisa began chiropractic care about 6 months ago. She was experiencing excruciating pain after a snowboarding accident. Lisa went to an orthopedist, who recommended drugs to alleviate the pain and disc surgery. I recommended chiropractic, and she began visiting faithfully three times a week. At the reexamination, according to Ptak, the x-rays showed that the atlas base angle had improved, as had the posterior ponticus between occuput and C1. The torque in her cervical spine also showed improvement. But the reverse curve, which was severe, in her cervical spine had shown minimal improvement.

Meanwhile, I had been experiencing constant shoulder pain. It first started in high school when the pain, although intermittent (about 4 times a year), was so severe and sharp that it took my breath away. When I raised my arm, this alleviated the pain immediately. I did not seek any treatment for it since it happened so infrequently. At the beginning of this year, the pain became constant but dull. When Ptak and I reviewed my x-rays, he explained that I had a slight cervical reversal but no disc bulges to make extension traction difficult. After two adjustments, my shoulder pain was completely gone. After 3 months, my lordosis and atlas base angle had improved more than 50%.

Lisa was profoundly discouraged after reviewing her x-rays. She did not see the improvement in the other areas, only that her cervical spine still had a reverse curve, especially since she had been hanging her head for longer than I. The next day, she told me that she decided to stop seeking chiropractic care. One of the reasons was that her boyfriend and family were discouraging her continuing care. She also could not understand why after 6 months, she was still experiencing some pain and that it was not “fixed.” I think that she would still like to continue care (she is still doing traction exercises), but with her discouragement compounded by her not receiving support at home, Lisa has dropped out of care.

I expressed my sadness about Lisa to Ptak. He says, “Our office is successful in helping patients because we consistently educate and tell the chiropractic story. As Lisa was not married, she was educated alone. Where I believe I failed her was in not making it necessary for her to bring her boyfriend and other family members to my report of findings so they would have a frame of reference and be a better informed support system. They also would learn about the uniqueness of chiropractic, understand how to support their loved one going through a health crisis, and see what chiropractic can do for them. A new rule in my practice is that x-rays will not be shown until significant others and family members attend. I have no doubt Lisa will return as medicine simply has nothing long-lasting to offer.”

I have been pondering both our situations. Is it because of my exposure to the chiropractic philosophy that I was not discouraged? Or is it that I have been exposed to Eastern medicine (acupuncture and herbal tinctures), which treats the cause rather than alleviating symptoms? Can it be that sometimes solo patient education is not enough to overcome the medical model indoctrination? Having Lisa’s support during my care has greatly increased my enjoyment of going to the chiropractor. However, my presence during care was not enough for her; she needed support at home. Continual education of those who support the patient is just as important. A family and friends patient education day once or twice a month is something you may want to contemplate to support continued care.

I still have not given up hope of having my chiro buddy back in care. CP

*Name has been changed.

Miwon Seo
mseo@medpubs.com