An Embarrassing Moment

One of my most embarrassing moments in Chiropractic wasn't even when I was the Chiropractor.  I was being treated by another Chiropractor and it was an excellent lesson for me because it taught me what NOT to do!

It all started when I began my running phase.  A patient of mine had mentioned she was doing this "couch to 5K Challenge" and I was like "Hey, I'm on the couch!  Maybe I could do the Couch to 5K, too?"  So, I started this journey to attempt to run a 5K.  It started off simple, but somewhere between couch and 5k, my body began to feel not so young as a spring chicken.  This is where the chiropractic care came in!

I asked Dr. Matt Hasty to adjust me.  He worked with me at Ingbretson Chiropractic, when we were down next to 'Ol Mexico about a mile south from our current location.  He was happy to oblige as we usually weekly exchanged adjustments.  I asked him to use the Rapid Release on me, too because my back and shoulders were really sore from my new regimen running.  Well, this is where it gets a little silly.  For any of you who know the Rapid Release Therapy tool, you know that it can actually get a bit tickly from time to time.  Is tickle-y a word?  I'm pretty sure it is.  It's pretty scientific.  So, he's using the Rapid Release on my back and it's starting to get a bit--tickly.  I start to squirm and I say "Wait!!  Hang on, give me a second, because it's too--Tickly"  And I'm squirming away from the Rapid Release the whole time!

Now, Dr. Matt Hasty is an awesome Chiropractor and he's a big guy, too.  I'm guessing he's not ticklish though, because his response was "Oh, come on Dr. Heather, you're fine.  You can handle it."  Needless to say, in his reality, he would likely be just fine with the Rapid Release Therapy, but I am the MOST TICKLISH person in the world, I suspect.  

The squirming got worse, my thrashing was crazy!  Before I knew it, I had flopped onto the FLOOR!!!  I couldn't help it!  I TRIED to stay still, I TRIED to resist the TICKLE, but I had ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL over my reflexes and my reflexes said, "GET AWAY-- get away at ALL COSTS!!"  And apparently, that included my ego!

I was laughing so hard and I believe Dr. Matt was laughing, too!  I don't believe either of us have ever had a patient fall off the table and onto the floor!!  My ego was bruised, but the rest of me was unscathed.  I had learned a great lesson!!

If a patient is ticklish to the Rapid Release, it is best to give them a bit of time to recover or switch to the less ticklish setting.  I have yet to lose a patient onto the floor and I'm grateful for the lesson I learned that day!