I’ve had scoliosis since I was just a little girl in elementary school. Because my back is a bit more curvy than the average person’s (see my x-ray below), I experience back pain ranging anywhere from dull to excruciating on a regular basis.

In the years since my initial diagnosis, I have dealt with my back pain through a wide variety of means. I have heated it, iced it, stretched it, gone to physical therapy, taken ibuprofen, ignored it…and finally, in my Senior year of college, I began to go to the chiropractor for it. In the name of being honest, I must say that physical therapy was highly successful in alleviating my pain…but spending two hours at the therapist three times a week was a massive time commitment. It became a part time job!

Because physical therapy was such a large time commitment in my experience, I didn’t continue it once I became a college student. I also didn’t have a car on campus my freshman year, so unless I was willing to hoof it to the therapist (nope), it wasn’t going to happen. Instead, I dealt with my pain in the best way I could…but nothing seemed to make too much of a difference.

Enter: chiropractic care. It was the week before classes began my Senior year and I decided that I’d had enough with my achy back. I looked up my family’s health insurance plan and found out that chiropractic care was partially covered, then called multiple chiropractors in my area to discuss treatment plans and possibilities.

The kindest woman at Brugger Chiropractic took my call and set up an appointment to meet with me that same day! When I arrived, Dr. Brugger took a variety of measurements and had me bend this way and that to test my range of motion. He then gave me a spinal adjustment…and I legitimately heard the hallelujah chorus.

Spinal adjustments are much more than “cracking your back,” although often times there is a cracking sound (*cringe*) throughout an adjustment….the chiropractor is aligning your vertebrae and restoring your spine to its functional state. He does this by applying controlled force to manipulate joints and improve range of motion.

Spinal health is extremely important because our spines are like the mailmen of the body–they carry messages from our brains to everywhere else through the nervous system in our spinal column. We gotta take care of our “messengers!”

And the best news? I only have to visit Dr. Brugger once a month for about 10 minutes! (My initial program required me to go twice a week for three weeks, but after that it’s once a month for life.) Adjustments are quick, but they are powerful.

Since starting my chiropractic therapy program, I have noticed:

• Virtually nonexistent back pain
• Significantly fewer headaches
• A more sound sleep at night
• Less stress and anxiety
• More energy!

Why I love chiropractic care:

• It’s natural–no drugs, no intervention…it involves working with the body
• It’s fast–just a 10 minute adjustment once a month leaves me feeling great
• It works–check out the pain relief I’ve experienced as a direct result of chiropractic care above!

Have I convinced you yet? If you’re interested, you can find a chiropractor near you with this website. If you’re in the Elon/Burlington area, hit up Brugger Chiropractic–they are awesome! Questions? Comments? Do you love the chiropractor? Comment below!

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*I am not being paid or perked in any way to write this post. All opinions expressed are completely my own.*

This post has been liked to Thank Your Body Thursday.