Ryan Storey

Ryan continued to rave about how good his neck felt...

"When can I go back? When is our next appointment Mommy?"

July 21, 2003 -  Ryan Storey, age 9, had never received chiropractic treatment previously, was not scheduled to be seen, but had come with his mother, Freda, to our office while she was being treated. A usually shy boy, he asked while I treated his mother if he could "get massaged too". While I worked on his mother, he told me that his neck had been bothering him. When I finished treating Freda, I put Ryan on the table and palpated (felt) his back. It was immediately obvious to me that some of the joints in his back and neck were stiff. Many of the muscles in his back were very tight, and some were tender and painful. I could feel that the muscles of his low back, that lie right alongside the spine, were particularly tight. When I pressed on them gently, he flinched with pain. I explained to him and Freda that tight muscles in the low back are often caused by irritation and inflammation in the abdomen; often in the colon (large intestine). I asked Ryan to turn onto his back and I gently palpated his abdomen. I could easily feel tight areas in his abdomen, and once again, he flinched as he told me that the light pressure on his abdomen hurt. I explained that it was probable that he was allergic or sensitive to certain foods that he eats regularly, and that those foods were causing the tenderness in his abdomen, which in turn was causing the tenderness in his low back and the discomfort in his neck.

I asked Ryan to turn face-down on the table again, and asked if I might press gently on his back to loosen the joints in his spine that were so stiff. Without hesitation he agreed. I asked him to take a breath and blow it out slowly. While he exhaled, I pressed down gently and gave a quick push. Ryan felt and heard the popping of joints in his upper back as they were loosened. It was obvious that he was very comfortable with being adjusted. I moved down his back adjusting the stiff joints of his back. It was clear that Ryan was enjoying this. I then had him turn on his back so that I could adjust the stiff joints in his neck. The joints in his neck moved beautifully, and again it was obvious that he was enjoying the treatment.

When he got off the table he said that he felt much better. As he and Freda stood in the reception area 5 minutes later, he wiggled his head and neck and stated that his neck felt so loose and so good.

Two days later, Freda came in for a follow-up appointment for herself. With excitement, she told me the rest of the story. She reported that for 3 hours following his treatment, Ryan continued to rave about how good his neck felt, and how loose it was; this with no questioning from Freda. On the ride home, Ryan asked, "When can I go back?", and "When is our next appointment Mommy?" During the same day, Ryan spontaneously reported to Freda that the soreness in his abdomen was gone. Freda noted that he seemed happier. If that weren’t enough for one day, Ryan, usually a picky eater, began to express interest in considering his choices of foods. When lunch was discussed, Freda almost fell off her perch when Ryan said, "How about a plate of carrots?"