Let’s breeze through dinner tonight because I am excited to talk about my first experience at a chiropractor’s office today!
After making my long lost squash casserole last week and falling in love with it all over again, I told myself to put it into my recipe rotation and made it again this evening.
Love it!
I also had a few small handful of cashews while waiting for the casserole to cook in the oven because I was getting antsy.
Guess: Salted or unsalted? I’m pretty sure that I actually ate salt with a side of cashews. And it was glorious.
Moving on to the good stuff!
My First Chiropractic Experience
My first appointment with a chiropractor went really well. I learned a lot and had fun speaking with the chiropractor about overall health and wellness and her personal philosophies.
As I mentioned this morning, I bought a Groupon last week for a chiropractic consultation, treatment and massage at a local chiropractor’s office in Ocala. Though I’m always excited for a quality massage, I was actually more intrigued by the appointment with a chiropractor since I’ve never been to one and was curious about chiropractic care.
When I first arrived, I filled out a form and was asked a series of questions about any aches and pains I might have (none) and whether or not I experience regular headaches (I don’t).
I then had my massage which was glorious! I actually promised myself a massage once I was done training for the Savannah Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon back in November, but never got around to booking it. The delayed reward was worth the wait!
After my massage, I waited to speak with the chiropractor. The doctor was very friendly and when I explained that I was a first timer and was excited to learn more about chiropractic care, I could see her eyes light up. (I got the feeling that she may be used to people with Groupons who come in just for the massage and don’t really care about speaking to a chiropractor.)
She took time to explain her personal philosophy to me. She said she believes in care from the inside out, not from the outside in. She said that while she knows that there is a time and a place for outside medicine, she primarily believes in treating and caring for our bodies from the inside first. Mentally and physically.
I nodded my head because while I also think medicine can be fabulous, I tend to shy away from personally taking medication unless I really feel like I need to do so (with the exception of birth control which I’m still a little uneasy about due to the hormones – I’ve read a lot about the pros and cons). This is just my personal style and I know everyone is different. I definitely understand the need for medication!
After we chatted for a bit, it was time for my adjustment. I laid on a table and the doctor lightly wiggled my feet and adjusted me in two different places.
She said I looked healthy and didn’t think I needed to come back anytime soon unless something happens and I experience pain of some sort.
Right before I was about to leave, I wanted to run something by the doctor. I told her that I typically notice dull hip pain when I run longer distances and was interested in her thoughts.
I once suffered from hip bursitis and take a lot of care to stretch out my hips before and after runs, but it’s still something I deal with on occasion. She said that made total sense because the first place where I received an adjustment was basically between my hips (my sacrum) and she said that she wouldn’t be surprised if the pain is gone or not nearly as bad for me following the adjustment. Now that piqued my interest! I am planning to go for a five-mile run on Saturday and will be curious to see whether or not I notice a difference.
Overall I really enjoyed my experience and am glad I went! While I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon since I don’t personally have a need or troubling aches and pains, I had a good time learning a little more from the doctor I spoke with and definitely thought it made for an interesting afternoon!
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Sacroiliac joint? Although that normally causes lower back pain. As a doctor, I love a good game of, Guess what the Doctor said!
i can’t remember! it was basically the bone right above my buttcrack. 🙂
sacrum! the mystery has been solved. 🙂 just edited the post. 🙂
that’s great you were able to learn so much while also getting a great massage & adjustment! i’ve never been to a chiropractor, so i am also very curious. i’d like to go some time just to try it out. i totally agree with her thoughts on taking care of your body from the inside out. i’m not opposed to medicine whatsoever, but i generally try to stay away from it unless it’s absolutely necessary. i used to have no problem with BC until some recent health issues came up for me after going off of BC. now i swear to never use BC again!
I’m glad you enjoyed your time at the chiropractor. The massage sounds awesome I could sure use one. Maybe I’ll treat myself to one after my ultra.
Glad you enjoyed it! My step-mom is a chiropractor, so I’ve grown up with it. I know many people have very strong opinions about them & there can be many “unorthodox” ones out there, but glad you found a great one that really believes in whole-body healthy and wellness.
she definitely did! i agreed with a LOT of what she said about overall wellness.
It was really interesting to hear about your chiropractor experience – thanks for giving us the details! I think next time I see a deal for a chiropractor I’ll go ahead and get it. I’m really curious to see if you notice a difference after your long run!
me too! i was almost tempted to go running tonight just to see! 🙂 saturday will have to do…
I’ve wanted to go to a chiropractor for a long time. Sometimes while stretching my back will crack and it just feels heavenly. I can only imagine how great a full alignment would feel!
Was it your sacrum? Mine was slightly twisted when I started with the chiropractor and was partly what was causing my hip pain after running. Glad to hear you had a good experience too!
YES!!!!!!!! thank you!
just edited the post. 🙂
Your welcome! If the adjustment doesn’t do the trick and you still have soreness I’d recommend using a foam roller on your hips, it feels great when they’re tight.
I would definitely recommend getting your back/hip x-rayed if it continues to bug you (the chiro would/should do this)!
I was really hesitant about the chiro, but I’ve been going to mine for 18 months now and I seriously think he is the reason I can run (I have moderate scoliosis). Yay for alternative medicine 🙂
It sounds like the appointment went really well. I would love to visit a chiropractor. I have the worst lower back pain and neck pain and I would really like an option that does not include pain pills! Obviously medicine can be fantastic for certain things but I really want to fix the pain and not just mask it 🙂
I have been seeing a chiropractor since October. When I went to go see him I had severe pain in my neck to the point I was getting shooting pain in to my head. At first I thought it was stress. When the work event came and went the pain didn’t go away. My hips were also imbalanced and as a result I had a noticeable curve in my spine to one side due to muscles being pulled.
Best decision I have ever made! It hasn’t been cheap but I am SO glad I have been going. The shooting pain in to my head stopped and I haven’t experienced that again.
The doc has also been adjusting my feet/ankles. I have bunions and with the very high miles I walk (for the Avon Walk) it has started to become a real issue. Since he has started adjusting my feet and ankles I think the overall pain I was experiencing has decreased. I’m now getting pain in my little toes from nerves being pinched (due to the bunion) so I’m hoping that will decrease as well.
I was very skeptical at first but was willing to try anything at that point. I find it all very interesting. He said there are over 200 bones in the body that can be adjusted. For instance there’s a bone right behind the ears that they adjust to help with chronic ear infections. Who knew!?!
Glad you enjoyed it. It is definitely different but extremely interesting!
i am thinking about doing the avon walk in charlotte this year!! have you done it before?
so glad you had a good experience with a chiropractor!
Yes! I actually have walked Charlotte. I live in the DC area but in 2012 I walked DC and Charlotte. Charlotte is one of my favorites out of the 7 I’ve done so far. This year, I’m crewing DC and walking Chicago! I think in 2013 I think I may walk New York City.
Let me know if you have any questions. It is such an amazing experience!
*meant in 2010 I walked DC and Charlotte. Can’t happen months before the actual event dates haha
Very interesting! I’m glad it went well, and I really hope that you feel better on your runs now!! 🙂
Wow–I’m so happy I read this! Lately my right hip and lower back have been giving me aches and pains–especially after intense workouts. I think I’ll go to a chiropractor now I that I read this–thanks!
Worried about taking BC?! Have you heard of the Fertility Awareness Method? It’s AWESOME, and a natural way to have birth control. My husband and I swear by it! Read more @ http://www.ovaova.com !
i’ve seriously thought about this for so long! how long have you been doing it? i’m so, so intrigued and have heard such good things about it.
6 months now! I read two books before we started, “Making Babies,” and “Taking Charge of Your Fertility.” Those explain everything and how to either “prevent” pregnancy, or how to “achieve” pregnancy in the most healthy way.
Im not sure why people don’t know more about this method! It’s a life changer, and honestly my body feels so different! We have been preventing pregnancy, but now we know that when we are ready to start a family, it should be a no brainer now that we are educated about the process. Read more about it. I honestly will never go back to the pill. Email me if you want to chat more or have questions! 🙂
I would also highly recommend FAM. I had been taking hormonal birth control for about 12 years, and after reading “Taking Charge of Your Fertility,” I kicked it to the curb. It is easily in the top 10 things I’ve ever done for myself as a woman. My husband and I have successfully been using FAM to avoid pregnancy for about a year, and it has both strengthened our relationship and empowered me as a woman. Definitely check it out!
I have always wanted to go to the Chiropractor but I have always been scared to death. Does the adjustment hurt? The thought just creeps me out for some reason.
not painful at all!
Exact opposite! I’m always making awkward noises in my chiro’s office because it feels SO good haha.
I think the key to chiropractic is finding the right one. You definitely need to trust them, feel comfortable, and agree with their style of care.
Good luck 🙂
I used to go to a cranial-sacral specialist– she was AMAZING. My sacrum also tends to have funky alignment issues, so she’d do deep pressure massage to re-align it. She would also do general back massages, rub my legs, my feet, head, neck– most AMAZING massages I’ve ever gotten. I miss her so much!
Yes, I’ve had the same questions about birth control. They even say you’re attracted to different kinds of people when you’re on birth control than you would be if you weren’t! One article I read suggested to go off of birth control for a few months if you’re with a long-term partner, and see if your level of attraction to this person stays the same. I’ve been on the pill for years so it’d be really interesting to see if I’M a different kind of person off the pill!
However, I’m very grateful about the no-babies aspect of birth control– condoms do break, and other methods have a lower success rate in terms of preventing pregnancy. Also, my periods were awful before I went on the pill. Okay, ending my TMI session 🙂
I bought all the ingredients for your squash casserole over the weekend so I’m finally making it tonight! I forgot plain Greek yogurt though so using fat free sour cream instead. I hope it turns out okay!
Ok! It was AMAZING!!! Thanks for this recipe!
HOORAY! I’m so glad you liked it!
I’m glad you enjoyed the experience, and I’m interested to know if it helps your hip during your run!
I’m curious what sorts of stretching you do for your hips, I’m an ice hockey goalie and due to some of the motions I go through during the course of a game and simply getting older I find that I experience some hip pain afterwards, mostly in the joints though it’s tough to locate precisely. Always trying to stretch as much as possible and curious if you had any particularly good stretches that you enjoyed.
i actually am planning to do another post all about this, so stay tuned! one of my favorites is the pigeon pose: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/863
I second the pigeon pose! It’s amazing for opening up your hips – you’ll feel it right away.
My husband swears by his chiropractor, but I’ve never been to one!
That’s great you had a good experience! I’ve actually never been to one before.
Very cool! I’ve always wanted to go to a chiropractor too – I’ve been to practically every other doctor in the book. I used to have a really bad back when I was in high school (they even tested for scoliosis), but that is one professional I would love to get information from! That sort of stuff fascinates me.
Hey Julie! Quick question.. what exactly is hip bursitis? I have had bad knee pain for the past few months and my doctor said it was my iliotibial band in my hip. I’ve been doing all the stretching and styaing off it, but nothing is helping. I’m starting to wonder if its something else in my hips. I really want to run a half marathon in the future, but kinda stuck at the moment! Any info would help.. thanks!!
it basically feels like a pain in your hip that WON’T go away. it honestly hurt me to even walk. i had to take several months off of high-impact exercises. here’s some more info: http://www.medicinenet.com/hip_bursitis/article.htm
I struggle with sacrum pain too – when I lay on my back at the end of yoga I am in agony, instructors have given me modifications, but I just don’t get why laying flat on my back can hurt so bad!
Also – you just gave me a cashews craving and I downed a few handfuls after reading this post!
Thanks for sharing your experiences! I think I’m dealing with hip bursitis now, and I’d love to hear how you stretch your hips out before and after running. I’ve been icing it regularly, but I would really love to nip it in the bud!
i’m planning to do a post on this soon! stay tuned! 🙂
Yay so glad you enjoyed it! I am a chiropractor and work a lot with runners. It is amazing how much an adjustment can help keep everything balanced! 🙂
I swear by chiropractic care! I can literally feel if my spine is out of line & am in need of an adjustment. I usually go once a month for maintenance. It always makes me feel so good! I had hip problems a lot in the winter & then I started going back to the chiropractor (and also got acupuncture which definitely helped too) and haven’t had them since! Hope the run goes well!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chiropractor! My chiropractor is the reason I can enjoy life after being in a three car accident five years ago!
My pelvis ended up getting rotated and I herniated two disks in my lower back. After six month of physical therapy I was still in a ton of pain, the PT “off the record” recommended that I see a chiro. And that changed everything! Within two weeks I was back to working out, running, and being able to sit longer than 10 minutes at a time.
Now I go every month or so for maintenance. My chiro equates it to a “tune up” or an oil change for your car, to keep everything in good working order. You might think about that for your hip if you notice an improvement!
Would you be up to doing a post on birth control? I think a lot of us girls like hearing about how other people fair on certain prescriptions?
My husband and I own our own chiropractic office so it’s interesting to read all the comments and your post. The greatest thing about chiropractic care is that it removes pressure off the cental nervous system (through adjustments) so that your body can function and heal the way it was intended to.
We X-ray our patients (unless they’re pregnant or too little to hold still) so that we can look at the position of each and every vertebrae. From there the X-rays are analyzed and patients are adjusted accordingly. We see so many people coming off of medications and feeling better through spinal correction because their bodies are finally able to function without interference on their nervous system.
I love my job!
that’s awesome! i really enjoyed my experience!
What a great groupon. I’ve heard so many mixed things about the chiropracter, I was glad to hear you had a good experience. My hips bother me a lot when I run, and a friend keeps suggesting I go to the chiropracter. I really should look into it!
I love the chiropractor, it’s the only doctor I’ve even been to that’s not like “oh you have this problem? there’s a drug for that!” I first went when I tore my hamstring and loved it. I also love getting my back cracked!
That’s awesome to know about your experience! I have so much lower back pain from my cheerleading days and would really love to go to one.
Thanks for sharing! Fortunately I don’t suffer any back pain but if I ever did, I would rather a specialist check it out !
How did you feel when she did the “adjustments”? I was so scared, but ended up feeling amazing after she did each one.
I was sore for a couple days afterwards, though. I’d be interested to know if you get sore – or if I was just an anomaly, haha.
ha! i felt totally fine and didn’t feel any pain or anything unusual at all. hopefully no soreness will surface today!
Glad to hear it!
That’s great that your appointment went well! I went to a chiropractor a really long time ago and then just never went back. I think it can be really helpful.
I went and saw a chiropractor last year right before my half marathon. and I had the worst experience. He made my neck and back so tensed up hat I ran my half with out being able to turn my head side to side.
My trainer keeps telling me to try another, that not all chirpractors are bad, i’m just too nervous to do that agin.
Thanks for the post! I have been thinking about going to a chiropractor for a couple of weeks now but was scared. Everyone keeps telling me to go but I do not know anything about them. (I have horrible back pain some morning from my horrible new bed. The tile floor is softer!!) Thanks for the post though. Very helpful.
I can’t wait to hear if your adjustment helps with your hip pain. I really hope it does, because that is going to build a strong case in my mind for chiropratic care!
Thanks for this post! It is enough for me to schedule my own appointment!
Don’t go to chiropractors for things outside of join/muscle pain. I think there’s a lot of quackery out there in this medical field. There are some who believe that every ailment/illness you have is because your spine is out of line. Yep, from the second you are born, they think your spine gets out of alignment and that your allergies, cancer, AIDS, etc. are all because of that. So please educate yourselves and don’t get talked into this. The James Randi Educational Foundation has a great post on this: http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/chiropractic.html
I’m right there with you on shying away from medication. I take medication when I absolutely have to, but otherwise I prefer to let my body fight its own battles. Obviously there are times where my body isn’t capable of dealing with the problem on its own, in which case medicine comes in, but I am definitely not the person who will load up on Sudafed, Nyquil, cough syrup, etc. every time I sneeze, you know?
Getting a great chiropractor is always nice! I have gone before for neck related issues and absolutely loved it! I also get that nasty hip bursitis issue. I have found that foam rolling and using a firm ball to roll on often helps while it may be a bit uncomfortable.
I have heard that the hip issue is fairly common in women because we have weaker glute adductor muscles. I have tried to strengthen them and have seen a big improvement!
Hey Julie, have you ever read “Taking Charge of Your Fertiity”? Several friends of mine have had issues with birth control pills and the ring, and this book has helped them go off birth control and know exactly when they are ovulating. It doesn’t sound like you have issues, but I myself was creeped out about taking the pill, and after reading this book I gave it up. (Why don’t they teach this stuff in high school?) Anyway, it’s great for when you don’t want kids, and then for when you do! :0)
yes! i need to buy that book. i’ve heard a lot about the fertility awareness method and am VERY interested. thanks for sharing!!
It would be very interesting if you could do a post on birth control – including the pros/cons of various methods. I am currently on the pill, but would really like a non-hormonal method of birth control.
I finally made the squash casserole last week with the added mushrooms. I felt like mine came out a bit watery. Do you pre-cook everything until the water evaporates? I also used fat free greek yogurt, which may have added to the problem. Tips? It was delicious, so we’ll be making it again (we crumbled up and browned 6 oz of Isernio’s hot italian chicken sausage), just wondering if you have any additional tips for success!
i actually drain the excess liquid before i bake it! i should definitely add that to the recipe! i’ll go edit it now. 🙂
@peanutbutter
I have one of the copper IUDs (went off hormonal birth control about a year ago) and I like it. It’s more work than birth control in a way (my periods are much more heavy and cramps went from dull ache pain to random sharp pain) but I think it’s definitely worth it. I feel better about my health since the copper IUD works without hormones. Just thought I’d chime in!