Returning to An Active Lifestyle After Three Years of Limited Mobility

As a fitness instructor, car accident survivor, and sufferer of spinal stenosis, Yvonne Heath was no stranger to chiropractic care when she came into Tuck Chiropractic Clinic for help three months ago. She had even seen multiple doctors at the clinic over the past few years. This time, she was visiting Dr. Earsing for the first time in seek of relief from upper back and low back pain. Little did she know that asking for help for her knee out of sheer curiosity would lead to a life-changing treatment plan.
Three years ago, Yvonne had torn her meniscus and needed to get surgery to repair the damage. Despite a successful operation by a very talented surgeon, she hasn’t been able to walk properly since. The result of the surgery was limited flexibility and extreme tightness in the joint, surrounding muscles, and tendons – causing limited range of motion. At the time of her first visit, she was unable to straighten her leg.
For three years, Yvonne was kept from doing what she loves the most: hiking, going to the gym, yoga; even walking up stairs proved to be a challenge. Despite six long weeks of physical therapy, she wasn’t seeing progress in her recovery. Her surgeon eventually told her not to waste her money on therapy, that she would simply have to live with it for the rest of her life.
Because of the imbalance of her ability to walk, she began experiencing problems in other parts of her body. The resulting middle and lower back pain led her to Tuck Chiropractic Clinic. It was then that she asked about the possibility of a treatment for her knee.
“For some reason I didn’t really think they would be able to help me but I decided to ask anyway,” says Yvonne. “It’s like a miracle. My knee is never going to be perfect, but it’s so much better than I ever thought it would be.”
With the combination of multiple therapies, hands-on treatment, soft tissue therapy, and a lot of persistence from Dr. John and Yvonne, she has been able to return to a fairly normal gait and an active lifestyle. The muscles and tendons around the injury area had been shortened and distorted the muscles and tendons. With electrical stimulation therapy and ultrasound therapy, the muscles can begin to relax and allow for more movement during the manual adjustments and myofascial therapy techniques.
“Dr. John worked so hard on my knee,” says Yvonne. “So hard that I joke that he’s probably getting his daily work out just by adjusting and stretching me!”
For the first time in three years, Yvonne has returned to the gym – something she had enjoyed as a fitness trainer for her entire life. She can enjoy her workouts with more range of motion. She walks up and down stairs with ease. And she’s finally been able to begin hiking again. After being active for so long and taking three years off, it’s been incredibly rewarding to return back to the level of active lifestyle that she loves without having to take pain medication daily.
While joint and extremity adjustments aren’t the most common problems patients come into our clinics for, we are always eager and happy to help them regain their mobility. Because the body works so closely together, pain in certain areas often begets pain in other areas.
“You just end up grinding your joints down because your body is not aligned,” says Yvonne. “I would recommend that anyone over 40 start going to the chiropractor as a preventative measure. It’s important to start going early so that you don’t end up having to get surgery like I did.”
Yvonne goes on to add that she especially suggests visiting Tuck Chiropractic Clinic in Bedford if they are in the area. After seeing many chiropractors over time and three at our clinic, it’s clear that our continuity in quality care is a priority.
If you’re experiencing limited mobility and back pain due to overstrained joints or muscles, we can help. Our friendly staff are waiting to answer any questions and schedule your first appointment.