Monday, June 1, 2015

Listen To Your Body! It Knows You Better Than Anyone!

As I was coming in through the side door on Saturday, my right leg gave way, I fell to the floor and could not get up. After trying two or three times, I realized the leg couldn't and wouldn't hold my weight. Luckily my hubby was in the room, and helped me to the recliner. I was in a great deal of pain and had a hard time positioning myself to at least alleviate some of it. I asked Barry to fill a bag with ice, and get me a pillow to use as a prop. He broached the subject of going to the ER, but I flatly refused. "How about seeing an orthepedic?" he asked. Again my answer was a definite, "No!"

You see the same thing happened to me playing basketball during my freshman year in high school, only it was my left leg that failed me. It was 1959, and back then the doctor said it was a sprain, rest it for a few days and everything would return to normal. But after thr ee months, I was still dragging that leg around relying on my right one to do all the work. When I came home for summer vacation, my Baba took one look at me, grabbed her purse and insisted I follow her down the avenue. Although it took us some time, we finally made it to our destination. The name on the door said, 'Ann Hook, Chiropractor.' I'd never even seen the word, chiropractor' before, so I had no clue what I was in for. We had to walk up two flights of stairs, and believe me, that wasn't easy. The hallway was dark and silent. I started to feel a little uneasy, but I had complete faith in my grandmother.

Ann Hook, who was my Baba's friend and fellow church lady, opened the door to her office and immediately started a conversation. The two women talked about quilting, recipes, and church functions. Without so much as a greeting, the chiropractor instructed me to lay down on a skinny cot located against the wall. I did as I was told, assuming she'd examine my leg to see what was what. However, Mrs. Hook simply went to the end of the bed, and while still chatting with Baba, she took my left foot in hand and roughly jerked it sideways. For an instant, I felt a surging pain, then nothing. I was then told to stand up, and when I did, I was totally shocked. My left leg was straight! I could bend it, and amazingly I could walk normally without pain. I still had no idea what a 'chiropractor' did, but believed their services were nothing less than miraculous. When Baba asked what was owed, Ann Hook waved her hand which indicated she expected nothing in the way of compensation, hugged my grandmother, and promised to be at the next quilting session. We left her office, walked back up the avenue and returned home in a lot less time than it had taken for us to get there.

Over the years, that knee 'went out' often, but a quick visit to Mrs. Hook's office and all was made well again. In time I could manipulate it back into place myself. It's been many years since it has given me any trouble at all.

I immediately recognized what had happened to me on Saturday. A week prior I'd been doing work outside and had constantly placed my right leg in an awkward  position when transplanting bushes. I believe I dislocated my knee because I experienced discomfort and trouble walking after the job was completed. I hobbled around for the next few days, then as I stepped into the doorway, the knee of its own volition, shifted back into place causing excruciating pain and rendering me helpless. Because I didn't enlist the skilled talents of a chiropractor, the joint did the best it could under the circumstances.

I have been icing the right knee down, keeping it supported with an ace bandage, using a walker to get around, and believe I'll be ready to go it alone very soon. Funny how your past provides you with certain knowledge and wisdom that stays in your mind for a lifetime. Without realizing it, you can bring whatever you need to the fore when the occasion presents itself.

I have been in tune with my body ever since my first chiropractic visit. I don't usually rely on physicians to tell me what is physically wrong, my body does that for me. By listening to it, I understand its message, and act accordingly.

Don't get me wrong, there are times when seeing a doctor is imperative to your well-being. But I've found that most of the time, if you become quiet, your body will reveal the problem, and offer advice on how to return to good health.

Listen to your body, it's been with you from the beginning and has stored up a treasurer chest of knowledge you can delve into to find answers to the healing you seek. 

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