My first job in Chiropractic was in Crawley in West Sussex. I had worked as a clinician in the University clinic, which was radically different to practicing in the real world. My skills were not particularly well developed, and I had no idea what a proper evidence-based plan of care looked like. The first year of practice was difficult, I tried a variety of different chiropractic techniques with different patients but wasn’t sure what would work best. I was under pressure to deliver results quickly and wasn’t good at managing patient expectations.
I’d been working there for about 7 months when ‘Jane’ walked in. It was lunchbreak and she came into the clinic wanting to talk to one of the Chiropractors. She was almost in tears as she recounted how she was I so much back pain it hurt too much to even walk 200 yards from her office to the shops at lunchtime. To be frank I wasn’t sure how much I could help her, it seemed she had been on a downward spiral it seemed for years. I told her as much, but it was clear she was getting no help elsewhere so why not try at least. Once I had done a proper consultation I just said, ‘Why don’t we see you twice weekly for six weeks and then see where we are then’.
Fast-forward six weeks and the review – from having been unable to walk 200 yards without pain, she could now walk round the shops for an hour at lunchtime with just some occasional stiffness. How had I helped her achieve this? Just basic chiropractic adjustments – no massage, no stretches, no acupuncture, no K-taping. She was with me for 5 minutes, and it could have been 2 if I hadn’t chatted with her.
This brought up the next question, where do we go from here? In my head was a voice that said I should start reducing frequency, but on the other hand she was clearly still improving week on week at a fast rate so why slow down? I discussed it openly with her and she was all in favour of continuing for another 6 weeks and then re-reviewing then.
Fast-forward another six weeks and she had reached the point where she could spend three hours walking up and down the South Bank of the Thames with her husband and daughter. I left that practice literally a week later and relocated to Swindon, but I have never forgot how privileged I felt in helping Jane ger her life back in 12 weeks, and it showed me just what Chiropractic can help someone achieve when delivered properly.
