Tedra Coakley, 36, suffers from slight scoliosis in her back, but it wasn’t bothering her a lot and even though she experienced a significant amount of lower back pain, she didn’t seek any kind of extended treatment. Her story is one that many people will be able to relate to as she lived with regular back pain and eventually wanted to do something about it. It was through her treatment with Greenville Spine and Dr. Kevin Lewis that put her on the right track for her spine health and ultimately changed her outlook about taking care of her body with the right chiropractor.
Lower Back Pain
Tedra suffered from lower back pain for years and it eventually started to hinder her everyday life.
“Just standing up and walking around for an extended period of time, I’d have pain in my lower back,” Tedra recalls.
She ended up learning about the Greenville Spine Institute at a vendor event a few years ago and was impressed by what she learned so she made an appointment with Dr. Kevin Lewis for an initial consultation.
“Sometimes just sitting for too long would contribute to the pain. I wanted to see if anything else was going on,” she said.
Initial Consultation: “Cause for concern”
At the initial consultation appointment, Tedra had x-rays done, a multi-point exam, and sat with Dr. Lewis to discuss what was happening with her pain. After reviewing the x-rays, Dr. Lewis confirmed that Tedra had 18 subluxations and her L1 vertebrae (this is located in the mid-back) was functioning at 0%.
“Well, that was cause for concern,” she said.
Subluxations cause inflammation and pain in the body. The majority of patients at Greenville Spine often come into that initial appointment with multiple subluxations. Lower back pain is also a common complaint and after treatment, the vast majority of patients see significant improvement. Spoiler alert: that’s exactly what happened for Tedra.
Pursuing Treatment Options
Dr. Lewis put together a customized treatment plan to pinpoint adjustments for the subluxations and the L1 vertebrae. She went three times a week for four months straight and did the exercises at home that Dr. Lewis and his team suggested for her.
“Throughout those four months, every time I’d go I would feel better and better,” Tedra said.
Two weeks after she started treatment with Dr. Lewis, she started working in a job where she would be on her feet for hours at a time. At first, she said she experienced initial soreness because she wasn’t used to that type of work but then the pain subsided as treatment continued and she works pain-free now.
Results + Unexpected Benefits
After those initial four months of treatment with Dr. Lewis, she went from 18 subluxations down to three and her L1 was functioning at 100%. Her appointments now have been reduced to every other week.
While Tedra felt amazing, she came away with more than a healthy back. She’s learned that Dr. Lewis can do a lot more than just fix her initial concern of lower back pain. During her treatment, she had experienced a knee injury in her daily life and thought to bring it up during her regular chiropractor appointment.
“I wondered if Dr. Lewis could adjust my knee and sure enough, yeah, he could,” she said. “If I ever had any issues, whether it’s my knee or my back, and couldn’t wait till my next appointment, I just called to see if they have any openings and they could always fit me in.”
Tedra was already an advocate of massage therapy but now recommends adding chiropractic care into self-care routines.
“I’ve had a great experience with Dr. Lewis and I recommend everyone go to a chiropractor,” Tedra said. “If someone has neck pain or has a headache or any type of ache or pain, I always ask them if they are seeing a chiropractor. I tell everyone because it has been such a tremendous help for me. The benefits are amazing.”
And maybe the best benefit of all is that after two years of treatment, Tedra feels younger than her age.
“When I started going to Dr. Lewis, I was 34 years old but I felt like I was in my 40s. It’s not fun when your body feels broken all the time,” she said. “I’m 36 and I actually feel my age if not younger.”
Ready for your transformation story?
If you’re ready to take that next step in addressing long term back pain, healing your immediate aches and pains, or just maintaining your overall health, give us a call at Greenville Spine. We would be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss treatment options. Call us at (864) 631-1420 and let’s get you started on accomplishing all your health goals.