For many years I was treated by a chiropractor, one of a team in a practice that inhabited an old building. The building had a novel appearance from the outside but inside it was a warren of rooms, many of them upstairs. My man occupied one of the upstairs rooms which entailed climbing a steep staircase. That doesn’t sound too bad until you come to the bend at the top where the stairs are narrower on one side. Well one day around eighteen months ago I slipped on the narrow part as I descended. A full fall was avoided by a quick grab of the banister but it served to put me off going. Many have said since that it is silly to have treatment rooms upstairs when most patients are either fully infirm or heading that way. At least they have a temporary disability, otherwise why are they there? I stopped going. I simply couldn’t face the climb or the descent.
So the months went by and my back got more painful. My friend goes to a chiropractor in her own area but it was too far for me to travel on a regular basis. However, she learned that her ‘people’ had another place just round the corner from where I live. The fact that the practice was in a bungalow had definite appeal. I decided to give it a go. To date I’ve had four treatments and I love it. I’m walking better and the hideous pain is on the way out.
One of the things I like about the place is that I am treated with my clothes on. No more of that messing about in a tiny changing room with barely room for a cat to stretch let alone a grown person getting undressed. Oooh the times I dreaded that particular operation, especially at a time when I couldn't raise my arms. There was a chair but once seated it was difficult to get up and manoeuvring legs and arms was nigh on impossible when one suffered with semi-mobile limbs ... the reason most people were there in the first place.
I fell in love with the new place as soon as I parked in their drive... one of those sweeping drives with an exit at either side, bordered with pretty flowers and shrubs. The entrance was an attractive studded door with a rambling plant scrambling up the side. There was no bell, callers simply walked in. This was so unlike the last place where after struggling down three steep steps from the car park, then up three more to the front door, ringing the bell and giving your name so that even passers-by knew who you were, you were let in.
Inside the new establishment I felt the Wow factor. It was like walking into someone’s home. Talk about comfort! No clinically austere surroundings there! The reception room was perfectly designed to make a person feel at ease. Lovely plush window seats with throw cushions, easy armchairs dotted around for those who don’t want to sit by the windows, a toy box for kids, and gorgeous plants and flowers tastefully displayed. There were actual books to read, not just magazines. There was a jolly newsletter which informed patients about the staff, the chiropractors, whether someone had a birthday and pictures of their celebrations, outings they’d been on, and news of the talks they give, the workshops they run, and lastly items about some of their patients. I was impressed when I saw it first time and even more so by the receptionists who spent time with the people while they wait. All this and only a quid more than the last place I went to.
In the consulting rooms, although there is a desk and a computer, the chiropractor joins his patient in the sitting area: two comfortable armchairs, a coffee table, and flowers. Like I said, it was like visiting someone’s home. The treatment couch was adjustable so I didn’t feel the need of a ladder when I went to lie down. The chiropractor simply raises the couch when his patients are settled and lowers when it’s all over. Lovely.
The best of all, though, is that I got an actual diagnosis ... something I’ve never had before. Tilted pelvis and a curved spine. Sounded dreadful to me but the guy was very reassuring. He couldn’t change the structure but he could relieve the pressure it caused. And has. Already. I am being treated by gravity. No, I’m not suspended from the rafters, just simple wedges placed in position so that the pelvis is ‘told’ to behave. Once the wedges are in place the guy leaves the room while I ‘rest’ to peaceful music. I guess he’s away around eight minutes. The wedges are removed and straight away I can feel a difference. I was, and am, impressed. Did I say that before? I have exercises to do, most of them familiar from my yoga days, simple but effective.
That’s my waffling done.... now for some pictures. They were taken in the reception area, I didn't think it was right to take shots everywhere I went.
Wooden ornaments showing how mobile a body can be!
The skeleton was seen en route to the practitioner's room ... it was worth risking a quick click on the camera
