by DrWard
Runner’s knee and upper cervical chiropractic care? This original story appeared in the Fall 2013 NUCCA News, the quarterly newsletter of the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. It was part of one of three very different stories about healing through upper cervical care. This true-life story comes from Dr. Nathan Wheat in central Iowa, and was written by Dr. Zachary Ward.
Amanda Stevenson’s Knee Pain
Amanda Stevenson decided to get healthy and that running was going to be her way to do it. But when a common leg injury reared its head, she discovered getting her own head on straight with Dr. Nathan Wheat was key to getting her back on track.
"I ran in high school, and running was the only thing I knew," she told the NUCCA News. "I worked up from walking to running 30 minutes without stopping. Then I started entering races."
Six months into regular workouts and race training, Amanda ran into a common problem for distance athletes. "I developed a typical case of runner’s knee," she said. "It hurt so bad that it hurt even when I wasn’t running. I was told that I needed to rest, that I needed to take a break from running."
With just six weeks until an upcoming 20K race, Amanda did not think she was going to be able to run. But her stride and her pain would quickly change after a visit to NUCCA chiropractor, Dr. Nathan Wheat in Ames, Iowa.
"I went in [for care] and honestly I didn’t know if it was going to work," Amanda said. "But after my first few adjustments, I felt an immediate difference. I could tell that the biomechanics of my running had changed. That my knee had changed."
Not only was Amanda amazed that she could return to running so quickly, she was amazed to successfully complete her 20K race without any problems in her knee.
"I ran my race with no pain. I was certain even after I saw the improvements that the pain was going to show up again. I thought it was too simple. It has to be more complicated than that. But I ran my race and I finished a lot faster than I expected."
As Amanda continued her care under Dr. Wheat, she noticed she started achieving faster running times. For interval trainings her miles now come in at under 7:30, four minutes faster than when she first began running.
Amanda is now training for a marathon, and is convinced that her upper cervical care is an important part of her performance, not just in the healing of pain. "I know that having my body in alignment has made me faster."
(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)
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