Though he had experienced some neck and back pain episodes in the past, my husband Peter had never been in so much pain.  It took him five minutes just to get out of bed and straighten up enough to walk—or should I say shuffle—to the bathroom.  He was stooped forward like a 90-year-old man and bore little resemblance to his normally happy 39-year-old self. We were staying at a hotel near the beach in Santa Monica and hoping to enjoy a much needed vacation.  Our children were at summer camp and we had chosen to visit California rather than battle the vacation crowds in Europe.
 
Peter was trying to figure out what he might have done that could be causing so much pain.  “Maybe we should go to the Emergency Room and get some drugs for this back pain” he wondered out loud.  I know that long plane flights, carrying luggage, and sleeping in an unfamiliar can be a problem.   “I guess that renting rollerblades yesterday on the Venice Boardwalk wasn’t such a good idea”, he said.   “You seemed to be doing fine”, I told him.  “Were you feeling any back pain yesterday?” I asked.  “Nothing was hurting badly enough to bother me more than to take a couple of ibuprofen before bed last night.  I thought that would do the trick.   I am shocked by how much pain I am feeling now.   Even a small movement sends a red-hot shock to my low back.  I think the pain is beginning to radiate to my legs too.”
I remembered that once upon a time back home in Germany, Peter had hurt his low back carrying some heavy boxes and was helped by a physical therapist.  On our long plane ride I had been reading an article about the American basketball player, Dennis Rodman, and his good results at overcoming a back problem with chiropractic care.   I asked Peter if he would be willing to go to a chiropractor if I could find someone who would be able to see him on short notice.

My work in marketing analysis has made me pretty adept at internet searching and I used my skills to locate an experienced, highly-recommended Los Angeles chiropractor near our Santa Monica hotel.  I called Dr. Dean Goodman, D.C. and left a message on his office answering machine.  He called us back within five minutes and took time to speak with me and with Peter.  He asked some questions that seemed curious to us, but he said were important to be sure that coming to his office was in fact the right choice.  He asked us if Peter had been ill or if he had fallen recently.

He told us that he would fit us into his schedule and that we should come to his office.  My poor husband was in too much pain to bend forward to put on his own shoes, so I helped him dress and slip on his beach flip-flops.  A taxi took us to Dr. Goodman’s office.  Peter had to lean against me for support as we made our way down the hallway.

While we were waiting for the doctor to see us I read an article that said that according to researchers at Duke University, the cost of treating back pain will cost Americans approximately $25 billion annually. Researchers also predict that 8 out of 10 Americans will more than likely experience back pain during their life-time. Many people who are currently suffering from back pain are unaware that the treatment and the cost involved can be greatly reduced with the right kind of Chiropractic Care.

We filled out the patient intake forms and the doctor’s assistant led Peter back to a treatment room.  Dr. Goodman went into to see Peter and then came out to ask me if I wished to observe the examination and treatment.  I was pleasantly surprised to be invited into the treatment room.  The doctor asked Peter some more questions and examined his back and neck.  He checked his balance and muscle strength.  He wanted to see if Peter could go up on his toes and back on his heels and whether he had a strong grip.  Even though my husband was bent forward in pain, he was able to do these things well enough to proceed with the treatment.  “I will sometimes order x-rays,” Dr. Goodman told us, “but if I feel confident that I can begin treatment without extra testing, I will usually ask my patients if they will consent to that approach.”  Peter had no problem with letting the doctor proceed.  There was something very calming and reassuring about Dr. Goodman.  I noticed that there pictures all over the wall of his office about his accomplishments as a marathon runner.  Though he didn’t appear to be that old, I could tell by the date on his Yale diploma that he was probably older than my father.

Several times when Peter changed positions on the table I could hear him grunt in pain.  I had to ask “Dr. Goodman, do you really think you can help my husband’s back pain?”
He replied “Pain is the way the body sends us a message that it needs help and some type of special attention.  When a person is having the kind of back or neck pain your husband is experiencing they want quick relief.  That is natural.  The drug companies spend a fortune advertising medications for pain relief, but masking the pain does NOT address the cause of the pain.  That is what we focus on as chiropractors—THE CAUSE.  Most back and neck pain is due to an irritation of the nerves….usually because there are bones that are misaligned and muscles that are out of balance or in spasm.  That is what I think is going on with Peter.”
Dr. Goodman turned his attention back to Peter and continued the treatment. He massaged my husband’s back and used a couple of instruments that he called “electrical muscle stimulators”.  His table also moved slowly down then up as Peter lay on his stomach.The doctor then placed Peter carefully on his side and gently stretched and pushed on his lower back.

He showed my husband some easy exercises that he could do back at the hotel.  He even suggested that if the pool felt warm enough, Peter could walk back and forth in the pool for five or ten minutes.  As much as we wanted to go the beach or sight-seeing he suggested that we take it easy today and come back for another treatment the next day.  The doctor reassured us that as bad as Peter had been feeling, there did not seem to be any reason for alarm.  He gave us his mobile phone number and told us to call him if anything was going on that we were worried about.

Peter was still in pain when we left the office, but seemed to be standing straighter and walking a little faster.  Getting in and out of the car was still a challenge and for the remainder of that day, Peter would wince a bit whenever he changed position from sitting to standing.  But he seemed much less agitated and decided to take the doctor’s advice to heart.


The treatment the next day was similar to the first one.  Dr. Goodman checked Peter’s alignment and muscle balance and did another treatment that he called an adjustment.  That is the chiropractic term for re-aligning bones that are not correctly positioned.  The doctor explained that this procedure allows proper motion of the bones and accurate transmission of the body’s signals in the nervous system.  “The nerves are the information highway of the body”, Dr. Goodman told us, “That is how your body tells you there is something that needs attention and enables you to adapt and heal.”  It made sense to us.  More importantly it seemed to make sense to Peter’s body.  By the third day after his initial back pain episode, Peter was moving like a normal person.  I don’t think that surfing or roller-coasters will be part of our experience this time, but I am thrilled that finding the right Los Angeles chiropractor saved our vacation.

Lisa, the writer, shares her husband's neck and back pain problem which could only be resolved with proper chiropractic care. Had they not contacted Los Angeles Chiropractic Dr. Goodman, her husband's condition could have worsened.