I was in a car accident on July 16, 2004. The accident involved a rear collision which pushed my car into oncoming traffic where I was hit again head-on, spinning my car to face the opposite direction.  I was unbelievably lucky to walk away, thanks to seat belts, crumple zones and the front airbag.  Though I did not sustain any serious injury, and xrays showed no broken bones, there was extensive soft tissue trauma.  My primary care physician, and an orthopedic specialist recommended ice and NSAIDs to relieve the the immediate pain and swelling; and rest and patience for everything else.  For weeks I was in constant pain mostly on the left side of my body in my neck, shoulders, and foot.  My job working at a computer exacerbated the pain in my neck and shoulders.  I had to curtail my usual activities-walking, cycling, swimming, running- because they made the foot worse.  . I returned to my primary care physician several times, but was told repeatedly that it would just take time. 

Finally, in desperation, I went to an acupuncturist at the gym near my workplace  I’d never tried any alternate medicine, and I was skeptical, but after the treatment, the pain in my left shoulder was much reduced.  The acupuncturist told me that she could feel that my back was way out of alignment, and that acupunture treatments would offer only short term relief until I got treatment for the underlying cause of the pain.  She said that she wouldn’t treat me further until I had seen a chiropractor, and she did recommend someone.  I came to see Dr. Chad Messina on the emphatic recommendation of my friend and one of your long time clients, J. W.

I was able to get an appointment quickly and easily, for which I was very grateful.  Dr. Messina spent well over an hour with me on that first appointment, taking my history, listening to the description of the accident and beginning treatment.  I was nervous and a little tense, but he was very patient.  He explained not only what he would be doing, but also why he would be doing it.  This approach resonated especially well with me.   I’ve worked in biotechnology for more than 20 years, so I am constantly fascinated by the way living things, including me, adapt or respond to environmental insult.  After the accident, my body definitely felt insulted.  Dr. Messina’s attitude of both competence and caring, helped me to relax and let my body be manipulated to health.

After just that first treatment, I felt remarkably better.  Dr. Messina focused initially on my upper back, shoulder and neck, both stretching the muscles and making chiropractic adjustments.  Almost immediately, I gained substantial mobility in my neck and shoulders.  The pain was not completely gone, but it was certainly much less.  On a scale of 1-10, I walked in to the office at about an 8, and left the office at a 2.  There was some soreness from the adjustments, but that was gone within a few hours. 

For the first couple of weeks in September, I came in for treatment 3 times/week.  I have continued to see Dr. Messina about 2 times per week since mid-September, and I continue to improve. [This was written in the middle of October.] The pain in my neck and shoulders is nearly completed abated.  By the end of a full week of working at a computer, I do still feel some discomfort (1-2), but a good night’s sleep seems to alleviate even that.  I have better mobility now than I did even before the accident, and I have been able to resume most of my fitness activities, though I’m not yet at the same frequency and intensity I was used to before the accident. 

Lately, with the back responding well, Dr. Messina is beginning to focus more on treating the pain in my foot.  Last week, my foot seemed markedly better, so on an  intensely beautiful fall day, I decided to try a short run (~3 miles).  I did not feel any pain while I was running but several hours after the run, the pain was such that I could not tolerate full weight bearing on the left foot (7) and I was walking with a pronounced limp.  I happened to have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Messina a couple days later, and I told him about the foot.  He did some ART treatment and the relief was immediate and total.  I walked out of the office with no pain at all in my left foot!

This whole experience has been a revelation to me.  Before the accident, I experienced aches and pains, some related to my posture at work, some related to athletic activities and all I considered the inevitable result of getting older. (I’m 47.)  After the accident, the pain was so much worse, of a different character and I was afraid it would be chronic.  I got little satisfaction from my PPO and I was desperate for relief. Like many other skeptics, I had several acquaintances who had success stories from their chiropractic treatment. Since my insurance did cover chiropractic, and I had exhausted what my PPO would do conventionally, I took J.W.’s advice and made the appointment with Dr. Messina.  Now, I can actually believe that I don’t have to live with pain or constantly medicate to suppress it.  I also don’t have to give up the sports that I so enjoy, and that contribute so much to my physical and mental health and to the quality of my life in general.

Thank you and sincerely,

Lisa O.