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MY CHIROPRACTIC STORY – DR. DAVID COVEY, D.C.

CHILDHOOD INJURIES

Like many, I was never checked at birth by a chiropractor or throughout my childhood years. My parents were taught the only reason to see a Chiropractor was for back pain relief.

I had many childhood falls and injuries, like most children. I hit my head on the roof when I was 3 years of age. This subluxated (misaligned) the top bones in my neck and affected the nerves. From that point onwards, I had many recurring ear infections.
When I was older, I loved to jump my BMX bike over ramps, which often did not end well!

At 10 years of age, I fell off a play structure onto my side, subluxating my lower neck, upper back, and the base of my spine. My parents had me checked later at the local Emergency Room and were told that nothing was broken and that Tylenol for a few days would suffice. Within a year, I went from better-than-perfect vision to needing glasses. Fatigue and lack of energy were the effects I felt during my teen years.

FIRST CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS

My introduction to Chiropractic was at age 18, after experiencing my first episode of low back pain. In the beginning, one adjustment took away my pain. A year later, the pain was back, and had worsened, and I needed 2 weeks of care to get rid of my pain.

A CHIROPRACTOR WITH BACK PAIN?

I experienced occasional neck and back pain from time to time throughout my undergraduate years (Bachelor of Science in Pre-Medicine at Bob Jones University, 1994). During Chiropractic College (Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Doctor of Chiropractic 1997), neck and back pain came more often. I would see the student interns when I had pain, and get adjustments, low volt current, and stretches, which helped. After graduation and continuing through my twenties, pain and stiffness became more frequent and significant.

By 30 years of age, 5 years into my chiropractic practice, I had chronic neck and back pain. I was experiencing profound stiffness, left arm weakness and numbness, sciatica in the right leg, chronic daily headaches, and migraines weekly! Symptoms became so severe, that I was considering ending my career, as I could not practice because of the pain.

How did this happen to a chiropractor? Because of childhood injuries that were undetected, uncorrected, and allowed to degenerate! The folly of pain or symptoms as the only basis of care is that symptoms will come and go as the body attempts to stabilize a damaged spine.

Architects know the importance of calculating structural loads and building with a level foundation, or gravity will take it down! So too, your spine must be flexible and aligned properly! If your spine is not moving and aligned, altered alignment and lack of movement will cause damage and degeneration to the discs and joints in very predictable stages!

The subluxations in my childhood years misaligned my spine. With my spine in abnormal positions and alignment, gravity and time caused the breakdown in the discs and joints of my spine. These disc herniations in my neck and back were now threatening my career and my quality of life!

FUNCTIONAL CARE

Symptom-based or functional chiropractic care was not enough!

Many Chiropractors focus on restoring motion and eliminating pain, known as functional care. Like dentistry in past decades, people would see the dentist only when the pain was present. Once the decayed tooth was removed and the pain was gone, then care was finished.

Many chiropractors and their patients have been taught to only go to a chiropractor if there is pain, and that care is complete once the pain is gone. No pain, no problem, right?

CORRECTING THE CAUSE & PREVENTION

Pain relief is often the first and most necessary step when many people enter our office. We want to get you out of pain and help you feel better. But unless the cause of the problem is identified, the problem will continue to come back.

Dentistry has learned the value of getting checkups to find problems early. Early detection and prevention, like regular dental hygiene and cleanings, have resulted in people having healthy teeth for longer in life.

I often have people tell me, “My spine is fine, never had problems”. It is great that you have not had pain, but it is no evidence that your spine is aligned, and moving well, and your nerve system is healthy. Everyone who has a spine should have a checkup! It is crucial to find problems early, regardless of the absence of pain!

IS IT POSSIBLE TO REALIGN THE SPINE?

At the chiropractic college where I studied, the focus was on back pain management. I was taught we could help with pain, but it was impossible to correct the alignment of the spine.

In my crisis, when I could no longer practice, I met another chiropractor who challenged me to correct the alignment of my spine. He had trained with chiropractors who had learned to change the alignment of the spine. Like an orthodontist, whose focus is to straighten teeth, his focus was to realign the spine.

CHIROPRACTIC STRUCTURAL CORRECTION

Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) was founded by Dr. Don Harrison and developed by his son, Dr. Deed Harrison. Dr. Don Harrison was a chiropractor with a Master's in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics. Along with his son, Dr. Deed Harrison, they have reshaped my profession in the last 3 decades. Drs. Don and Deed Harrison and those affiliated with CBP are the most published and peer-reviewed researchers in chiropractic and have developed the science of structural correction of the spine.

A NEW BEGINNING

In the first 3 months of my Chiropractic Structural Correction program, I started to feel better as my spine started moving better and had less spinal cord tension. As pain levels dropped, I had hope again that I could get well!

I joined the practice with my chiropractor as an associate, to learn what he was doing. I began my training in the science of spinal correction. I took courses through CBP with Dr. Deed Harrison and others to learn the best practices, art, and science of evaluating and correcting the whole structure of the spine.

12 MONTHS LATER

There was a massive reduction in pain and symptoms during the first year of care! The curve in my neck started coming back, and neck and back pain was reduced by 90%. The left arm weakness and numbness were gone. The daily headaches ended! Weekly migraines were reduced to once a month. Sciatica in my right leg was gone. Life was returning!

In the 3rd year, my upper neck started moving and corrected more. Migraines stopped and my vision (convergence insufficiency) started improving.

DISABLED TO IRONMANS!

In the 5th year of care, I passed my driver’s license test without glasses. I completed my first half-ironman race! I felt like I got my life back in those first years of corrective care!

What has been even more amazing to me, is that my spine has continued to improve every year for the past 18 years! Instead of deteriorating from phase 2 (visible degenerative disc and joint disease) at 30 years old, to phase 3 (advanced osteoarthritis) at over 52 years old, my spine is continuing to improve each year with chiropractic care!

Since that time at 30 when I thought the practice was over, I have completed 5 half-ironman races, sprint and Olympic triathlons, 3 marathons, mountain biking, and CrossFit for the past several years! I am in my 50s and in the best shape of my life. I am setting new personal records, and improving as I get older! I look forward to an even better spine and health in future years!

The changes in me have had a profound effect on my family too! Instead of a sick, miserable 52-year-old phase 3 father, suffering, “checking out” for Freedom 55, my children have a healthier, happier dad!

I am enjoying life with my beautiful wife, Faith-Anne, and four wonderful children, Hope, Grace, Nathan, and Luke. I am serving my Saviour at Crosspoint Baptist Church, overseeing the church property development, and welcoming people to church. Outside of practice, I love mountain biking, running, CrossFit, motorcycling, and woodworking.