Your Back MAY Be Out, BUT...

...Your sacro-iliac isn't out of whack, you are not too fat, your hips aren't misaligned, your SI is fine, your hamstrings aren't too tight, your arches haven't fallen, your core isn't weak, and your back isn't swollen...your piriformis doesn't have a syndrome, Your IT band isn't out of tune and your overly pronated feet are just fine like they are. You might have Scoliosis and Spondylolisthesis and your leg lengths might be different too, your stenosis and facets might be showing up abnormal as well.  Your structure may not be normal at all, but what is normal?

I always like to say if you took a MRI of my spine or pointed out  my asymmetries and imbalances I probably couldn't get out of bed!  Maybe these are simply what make me different than you.  These type of findings are what I like to term "noise" in my evaluations.  I am always thinking are these the pain producers or not?

"Once you start mentally leaning towards the idea of asymmetries as a major cause of pain, you start noticing and emphasizing only the cases that seem to confirm that expectation … and ignoring the ones that contradict it. "-  Paul Ingraham

I was reading Paul Ingraham's  article a few days ago and found it to be excellent!  I agree with pretty much everything he has to say.  Especially when he says

 "It is every health care professionals highest ethical responsibility not to mistake profitable recommendations for good health care. They are rarely the same thing." 

Does this sound like me or what?  If you have time I recommend that you read this.  It is great food for thought!  

As you know, I want to get to the root of your problem and teach you how to care for it yourself.  I love Graston and have advanced training in it.  I hardly ever use this because it doesn't get to the root of the problem, neither does electrical stimulation, foot orthoses, dry needling, or ART.  These seem to be all the rage in physical therapy and chiropractic care these days.  They are all targeted to treating soft tissue as if that is all that could possibly causing your symptoms.  If your symptoms are disc related, these modalities don't even come close to treating the cause.

I also have advanced training in spinal and joint manipulations but rarely do I need to use them when I practice MDT or the McKenzie Method.  This method is based on a progression of forces beginning with self generated forces.  In the majority of cases, this is all that is required in rapidly reducible conditions.  If I ever need to do a spinal manipulation I am assured that the force progressions have been thoroughly explored before this treatment option is reached.  You know I will think twice or three times before I every manipulate someone's spine.  I am really freaked out right now with spinal manipulation right now because of the recent death of a 30 year old father of two.  You can read more about that here.   I wonder what he was having his neck manipulated for.


So if you tell me you have your spine manipulated several times a year over the last umpteen years and it helped, then I always wonder if this really worked why are you still going after all of these years?

I guess what I am trying to say is, don't get hoodwinked into believing everything you hear from anybody in the healthcare business, including me.    Don't buy into it unless you have results.  Unless of course, you just want a massage, a spinal manipulation, dry needling, Graston or ART.  They all feel good to me too, just temporarily.  If you want to get to the root of your problem, to see if you have a rapidly reversible condition, and you want to learn how to take care of it yourself you know what I am going to say.  "Everyone Deserves a Good Mechanical Assessment and Treatment Plan!"  Visit grimmpt.com or call 504-228-0524 to set up your evaluation today.