"It's too late for me" back pain care | Hillsboro OR
It's usually the spouse of a patient. I'll be treating someone and then address the spouse watching in the corner. "I'm glad she's feeling better, but how are you doing?" I have received myriad answers, but one offered more than once has definitely been the belief that they are too far gone. They've just been living with a back ache in Hillsboro OR for 20 years or more and that's just how things are going to stay.
Back Pain in Hillsboro OR Doesn't Have to Be Forever
It's easy to resign yourself to something that you've been trying to acclimate to for decades. It's even easier if you can point to a moment that started the problem; like a car accident, an on the job injury, a fall during summer camp. Even more resigned are the people who say they got their problem from their parent, and they got that problem from their parent, and so on. While it's true, there can be a point at which improvement is no longer possible, it's significantly more rare than you would think.
It's most frequent that I come across someone who has never tried physical medicine at all. Slightly less common, but still prevalent, are people that tried something like physical therapy or massage, but had never tried chiropractic. Other people will say they tried chiropractic, but you find out that means a handful of visits over a number of years. Which is kind of like trying to find results at the gym at the same frequency. People that try a corrective care plan of chiropractic very often don't pair it with massage or exercise and other homecare measures.
Regardless, there's almost always room for improvement. I once had an 89-year-old ex pipefitter come into the clinic on a walker. He arrived there because his ankle was bothering him. He had given up on his back so long ago he didn't even think to address it. On x-rays, his lower back had degenerated to the point where is disc spaces had disappeared and he had bone spurs throughout his back. But he also had individual bones that had rotated in such a way that the tiny space for the nerves to pass from the back into his legs was mechanically being made even smaller.
To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for his recovery. But as long as both of us were willing to try, I knew there was hope. After about a month, he said he was placing the walker against the wall of his house because he was needing it less. A couple weeks later, he started walking in using only a cane. After three months of consistent care, he was walking in unassisted, standing fully upright, and holding the door open for fellow patients. One of the happiest days of my career was when he walked in and said "you know what I did the other day doc, I went out with a few friends and had a couple of high balls." I joked with him that as his doctor I couldn't condone such behavior, but as his friend, and someone who was elated to see how far he had come, I was thrilled.
Of course, there is a line beyond which no care can take you. But I would be willing to bet, and I do every day, that you haven't reached it yet. My colleagues and I would be thrilled to see what's possible for you. Please give our clinic a call and we will find a trusted colleague close to you, wherever you live.
