Anyone that spends any time standing and talking with me will notice one very disturbing thing. I am crooked in a very literal way. I lean to the side.
Not just a little, I am like the human equivalent of the Leaning Tower of
Pisa. No one knows why I lean. I am not even sure when it began as I have
been this way for as long as I can remember. Chiropractors all want to fix me, but they
soon discover that they cannot.
With the leaning come other issues as it seems that when you lean it affects your neck, shoulder, hips, legs and so on. Lately I have rediscovered my stride, having lost it over the last six months or so, and have began walking once more. I walk an average of 4 miles a day, which, while good, is still down from last year's five. In resuming walking, my body has begun overcompensating for the fact that I'm crooked and I was having some issues with numbness in my lower legs. Knowing I was long overdue for a chiropractic tune up I started making phone calls, hoping to find one locally. I used to go to one in Virginia Beach, but he has changed his adjusting methods, opting to use a hand held device for adjustments instead of the old school leaning on your body and making you go snap, crackle and pop. I am sure some prefer the new method; I however am not one of those people. That was the reason I found myself in Dr. Stewarts office this week.
I liked him immediately, as he reminded me of a non pompous, un-tanned,
version of Dr. Ordon, from the TV show The Doctor's. Dr. Stewart came across as
honest and sincere and told me straight from the start that he could not fix me.
He feels he can help me manage the situation and help me feel better but he
knew, and admitted from the start, that he will not be able to "fix" me. Knowing
that to be true it was very refreshing not to hear the same old BS of how we can
correct this. He not only adjusted me, he showed me some exercises and told me
which ones to stay away from, he also talked about other things that might help
such as adjusting the way I carry my purse.
I carry a very large handbag. It is a genuine Hobo bag made of soft leather
and looks more like a overnight bag than a purse but, I love my bag. I read
about a purse such as this in the Stephanie Plum series by one of my favorite authors, Janet Evanovich. In the books Stephanie keeps everything she needs in that bag and, well, after hearing how much help that bag can be I just had to find one. I have had it two years and I must say Stephanie is right, you can carry nearly half the house in that bag! Therein lies one of the problems, the purse is terribly heavy. Now thankfully Dr. Stewart did not try to dissuade me from carrying such a hefty purse. Instead he commended me for carrying it cross-body saying that actually helps. What he did suggest was for me to drape it on the opposite side from which I normally carry it. So I was like sure, I can do that. I slipped the purse over my head, flipped in and brought it right back down. I looked down and was like hmmm, that didn't work did it? I tried it three more
times, much to the amusement of the good Dr. Each time I would merely flip
the purse and bring it back to the original position. Apparently my brain does not function outside of what it considers to be normal as I had a devil of a time getting that purse onto the other side of my body. This morning, when I went out, my purse was in its usual resting place. It is plain to see that I will always be a work in progress. I
guess some things are just not meant to be fixed...
Not just a little, I am like the human equivalent of the Leaning Tower of
Pisa. No one knows why I lean. I am not even sure when it began as I have
been this way for as long as I can remember. Chiropractors all want to fix me, but they
soon discover that they cannot.
With the leaning come other issues as it seems that when you lean it affects your neck, shoulder, hips, legs and so on. Lately I have rediscovered my stride, having lost it over the last six months or so, and have began walking once more. I walk an average of 4 miles a day, which, while good, is still down from last year's five. In resuming walking, my body has begun overcompensating for the fact that I'm crooked and I was having some issues with numbness in my lower legs. Knowing I was long overdue for a chiropractic tune up I started making phone calls, hoping to find one locally. I used to go to one in Virginia Beach, but he has changed his adjusting methods, opting to use a hand held device for adjustments instead of the old school leaning on your body and making you go snap, crackle and pop. I am sure some prefer the new method; I however am not one of those people. That was the reason I found myself in Dr. Stewarts office this week.
I liked him immediately, as he reminded me of a non pompous, un-tanned,
version of Dr. Ordon, from the TV show The Doctor's. Dr. Stewart came across as
honest and sincere and told me straight from the start that he could not fix me.
He feels he can help me manage the situation and help me feel better but he
knew, and admitted from the start, that he will not be able to "fix" me. Knowing
that to be true it was very refreshing not to hear the same old BS of how we can
correct this. He not only adjusted me, he showed me some exercises and told me
which ones to stay away from, he also talked about other things that might help
such as adjusting the way I carry my purse.
I carry a very large handbag. It is a genuine Hobo bag made of soft leather
and looks more like a overnight bag than a purse but, I love my bag. I read
about a purse such as this in the Stephanie Plum series by one of my favorite authors, Janet Evanovich. In the books Stephanie keeps everything she needs in that bag and, well, after hearing how much help that bag can be I just had to find one. I have had it two years and I must say Stephanie is right, you can carry nearly half the house in that bag! Therein lies one of the problems, the purse is terribly heavy. Now thankfully Dr. Stewart did not try to dissuade me from carrying such a hefty purse. Instead he commended me for carrying it cross-body saying that actually helps. What he did suggest was for me to drape it on the opposite side from which I normally carry it. So I was like sure, I can do that. I slipped the purse over my head, flipped in and brought it right back down. I looked down and was like hmmm, that didn't work did it? I tried it three more
times, much to the amusement of the good Dr. Each time I would merely flip
the purse and bring it back to the original position. Apparently my brain does not function outside of what it considers to be normal as I had a devil of a time getting that purse onto the other side of my body. This morning, when I went out, my purse was in its usual resting place. It is plain to see that I will always be a work in progress. I
guess some things are just not meant to be fixed...
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