Everyone has a story. We've all been down different roads, followed certain paths or blazed our own trails all while being pushed and pulled in a million different directions. Sometimes we're amazed at where we end up and other times we just always knew. Either way, the journey is always worth noting. Me? I just always knew that I wanted to help people. So what's my story? Why do I do what I do? How did I end up here? I'd like to share my story with you, so that you have a clear understanding of why I am so passionate about my work.
When I was 9 years-old, I had my first (of many) migraine headaches. There was no recent accident or injury. No trauma to speak of. Essentially, no obvious reason as to why a child suddenly developed a migraine headache. These headaches were persistent. Over the next several months I was experiencing these debilitating migraines 1-2 times per month. Light was too bright. Sound was too loud. There was no comfortable position. The pounding right-sided pain led to vomitting, followed by total exhaustion and 8-10 hours of dreamless sleep. I was obviously miserable, but also very scared and confused. Why was I continuing to have these awful episodes? Why won't it just go away?
I was first evaluated and treated by my pediatrician. I absolutely loved her. She was always so kind and helped me through many trying times as I suffered with asthma and allergy related issues. I was prescribed a medication. The instructions were to take this medication if/when I began to develop a migraine. Ultimately, the medication put me to sleep, so I would miss most the pain, nausea, and vomiting. However, this medication was only taken as needed. Nothing was being done to stop the headaches from returning.
Oftentimes, migraine headaches are caused by dysfunction of the joints in the upper cervical spine and the adjacent muscle tissue. Frustrated and worried, my mother took me to her chiropractor to see if he could help. I was seen by Dr. James Graneto in East Liverpool, Ohio three times. I've not had a migraine headache since then. Dr. Graneto was able to restore proper movement and function of these joints and the surrounding muscles, ultimately leading to the resolution of my headaches and easing our concerns. After that, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
I will always credit Dr. Graneto as the influence for my decision to become a chiropractor. My experience working with him drove my fascination with how the human body functions and what happens to it when it doesn't. From that point forward, I knew that I wanted to be able to help people in the same way that he was able to help a scared and confused little boy overcome severe pain. Fast-forward to today, and my mission remains the same: helping reduce my patients' pain by improving their movement. Whether it's headaches, shoulder pain, hip pain or a knee injury, it is vital that we understand how the body should and shouldn't move, in order to maximize its function and reduce pain. The better I can educate my patients about their pain, the more motivated they will be to get better and improve their movement every day. I'm eternally thankful that Dr. Graneto was able to help me with my pain and motivated me to pay that gift forward to others.
