This Baby Is Like An Onion…

You’re probably wondering what an onion has to do with a disc problem right? Well, they are symbolic of the depth of problems that my patients often have.

I’m lucky in that I have a great working relationship with a lot of other health care professionals, MD’s, surgeons, PT’s, chiropractors, and numerous other professionals. It helps, as they know that when they refer to me, I’m going to go through whatever length of time it takes to get to the bottom of things. They know my philosophy and why I do what I do.

Anyway, it’s like an onion because there are a lot of layers to someone with a disc problem. Rarely is it “hey doc, this is my first time I’ve ever hurt my back!” Usually it’s “hey doc, I’ve had back pain for 15 years, and pain in my leg for the last 3 of it, and I’ve been to about 10 other doctors before I’ve seen you and I even had surgery once too”. That’s the typical presentation…many, many treatment approaches, some successes, some failures but bottom line is that they are not well. My job is to not only look at all the treatment they’ve had, but also to try and figure out what it is that they are missing. Then, I have to figure out what “layer” this problem is. Is it the root? Is it the surface layer, deep? What exactly is it. Then I have to roll up my sleeves and actually get to work on not only dissecting the exact game plan, but also how long and with whom we have to work with.

I don’t mind though, it’s fun, it’s amazing to see the lifechanges and to see the testimonials I get. People are genuinely happy, and it means the world to me. I recently had 3 patients that hadn’t been in for a minimum of 2 years prior. All were still doing excellent with either their back or their neck, but rather came in for a few reasons. One just for a checkup as he still couldn’t believe he was doing so well. Two others came in for other injuries, one a knee, the other a shoulder. It’s great to not only hear they are doing well, but that they also trust our work to come back again. It means a lot to me.

Most people’s onions have a few distinct layers…we have the disc itself of course, the musculature, the ligaments, the disc nutrition, the motion of the disc, scar tissue/adhesions, posture and biomechanics, and finally lifestyle. We address all of those as part of our program, and frankly I think that’s what gives us the best results. It’s a combination of so many things that gets the results we (and you) are looking for.

So there you have it. It’s an onion when it comes to your problem. I’m actually pretty good at peeling the onion and hopefully you’ll give me a shot at yours. Although, don’t give me a real onion, I tear up in just seconds! Although make sure you eat your onions…very healthy for you as it supports your liver detoxification pathways through sulfination!