A Pain in the Atlas

By Bob Cox

The first time I hurt my back was when I was a 21 year-old college student. A buddy from a statistics class had this annoying habit of admiring his own physique a little too much for comfort, so I figured the best way to shut him up was to look even more ripped than him. I proceeded to ramp up my workout routine by adding more and more weight to my barbell until I accomplished my goal.

The cost of that gain was pain, excruciating pain! Eleven years later, an x-ray from the doctor’s office revealed a herniated disk in my lower back. It felt like King Kong had been squeezing me like a banana. Over time, I learned a valuable lesson: It’s better to feel great and look okay than it is to look great and feel like an abused piece of fruit! So I made several major positive changes in my life, which included adjustments to my workout routine and handling stress proactively and have enjoyed a mostly pain free existence ever since.

This past month; however, I made not one but two bone headed decisions, which allowed the 50,000 pound gorilla back into my life. I went up slightly in the weight that I normally use because my dumbbell wasn’t available (My stupid ego wouldn’t allow me to wimp out and go down in weight), which was just enough to stress out the muscles in my lower back. A week later, at the end of a long day delivering magazines, several copies fell to the floor and in an exhausted state, I stretched awkwardly to grab them and wham, my back was twisted tighter than that rope King Kong used to pull Fay Wray back into his arms.

After a week of unrelenting pain and stiffness with no relief in sight, my wife Diana suggested that I call Dr. Blakely, who had recently helped her by significantly reducing the chronic pain in her back, neck and shoulders. I followed her sage advice and got an appointment for the following day.

After a thorough questionnaire, consultation and several x-rays, Dr. Blakely found not one, but three disks in my lower back that were too close together, causing those disks to pinch even more nerves. On top of that, she discovered that my spine was extremely curved and my atlas, which is the bone that rests between the skull and spine, was out of alignment. She believed that by fixing my atlas, she could straighten out my spine and relieve the pain in my back.

After just two weeks, I’m feeling much better! I would say about 75% better as I’m able to do all the things that many of us take for granted, like putting water on the cooler, tying my shoes and picking up the morning newspaper without unbearable pain and stiffness. I’m confident that Dr. Blakely will continue to help me get my back back (Sounds like a movie line from Mars Attacks) and my life back. Thanks Dr. Blakely and please tell King Kong to find another banana to squeeze!