In May of 2005, I first began having symptoms of neck strain and shoulder pain, and began to notice I was getting headaches more often. At first, I attributed the pain to the stress in my life; my father recently passed away, I had separated from my husband and was trying to begin a new life – not to mention the fact that I had a very stressful job where I worked long hours.

I began seeing a chiropractor who tried some adjustments and acupuncture treatments, but I found these treatments to be painful and afterwards only experienced relief for short periods of time. Then, four months later, I woke up one morning and I couldn’t get out of bed. I was in so much pain; I could not even lift my arm. I saw my primary care physician and began taking anti-inflammatory and pain medications. It took rising my dosage level three times before I felt partially comfortable (but the pain was never gone). After about a month without relief, I got an MRI of my neck which showed I had 3 herniated discs that were bulging and placing pressure on the nerves in my spine. My doctor sent me to a spine specialist who told me my only option for relief was surgery, to have my neck fused at the bulging disc areas. I was told this was a very invasive procedure that required a stay in the intensive care unit, 15 weeks of wearing a neck collar, physical therapy and possible paralysis. Plus I was told that if I ever got into an accident in the future I would be at great risk for serious trauma. Instead of surgery, I opted for 2 cortisone spinal injections administered to my neck that only relieved the pain for about a week at a time each.

I began looking for alternative methods of relief. A friend had told me about Dr. Jeff Keller at the time I had the MRI, but I was still in too much pain and the thought of having anyone adjust me was too much to bear. Then a co-worker who had had similar problems with his neck had seen a flyer about Spinal Decompression therapy offered at Summit Chiropractic. When I called the office I was told that the procedure was ideally designed for treating the low back but that the doctor would be calling me to talk more to me about my situation. When I spoke with Dr. Keller, he told me that the equipment wasn’t anything I could use but, he thought he could be of some help. I made an appointment for an evaluation, and at that time I was in so much pain I could not carry anything heavier than 1 or 2 lbs. and I could hardly lift my coffee cup due to the numbness and pain that ran down my whole left arm and into my hand. I was taking over 20 ibuprofen tablets a day (and on occasion Vicodin) and was only sleeping a couple of hours a night.

I was surprised at the gentleness of my first adjustment with Dr. Keller. It was nothing like what I had experienced with chiropractic before, and I felt that Dr. Keller really understood the severity of my condition. After that first adjustment, I noticed that the headache I had had for so many months was gone, and after 6 adjustments I was feeling so much better overall. The pain was subsiding and I was taking less and less pain medication. By the end of my 3 month treatment plan I had regained the strength in my arm, the mobility in my arm and neck (my numbness was gone) and I was sleeping and living pain free. I know that I still have 3 herniated discs in my neck, and that it will take a very long time to heal (if ever), but I have been pain free for several months now and I know I owe it all to the care I received and continue to receive from Dr. Keller and Summit Chiropractic!