I know it’s not always easy.

I’m not sure if I’ve shared this with you before, but I have been in your shoes.

When I was a preteen, I experienced opposite sided knee and ankle pain. Sometimes the pain was so bad that I could barely walk, and other days the pain didn’t even exist – allowing me to dance and play soccer at a high level without limitation. I saw a variety of healthcare professionals about this on-again-off-again pain, all of whom told me that I was young and active, and this was my body’s way of telling me to slow down and take a break.

One day during a ballet class, my ballet teacher was correcting my posture during an exercise and noted that I had more muscle on one side of my spine than the other. She suggested I follow up with my paediatrician. When I saw my paediatrician, he didn’t know what to say about my knee and ankle pain but did examine my spine and sent me for an x-ray. The x-ray revealed that I had scoliosis – a curvature of the spine. Little did I know that this diagnosis at 14 years old would greatly shape my personal and professional life moving forward.

I was then referred to a variety of specialists and healthcare professionals and was casted in plaster for a back brace. It was at this time that I began to experience more frequent knee and ankle pain, as well as back pain for the first time in my life. The pain became more frequent and disruptive to my life, causing me to miss more and more soccer practices and dance classes. Couple that with having to wear a plastic back brace in grade 9, and I did not have the best attitude towards my healthcare team or diagnosis.

When you’re IN it, it feels like that’s all there is and all there may ever be, but it’s really not.

My paediatrician (who was ahead of his time) eventually referred me to a chiropractor, who my mum scheduled me with for an initial assessment on a Saturday morning. Being the frustrated and in pain 14-year-old that I was, I immediately thought “great, another doctor… This is the last place I want to be on my weekend.” However, it was the chiropractor who took the time to explain to me why I had knee and ankle pain, how that related to the curvature in my spine, and why I was also now experiencing back pain for the first time. It was the first time in months a healthcare professional had taken the time to educate me on my diagnosis, and it was game changing for me. Chiropractic care and massage therapy quickly became a staple in my treatment plan, and afforded me the most pain relief, as well as understanding, of my condition.

I’m forever grateful for this experience because it instilled an empathy in me. It inspired me to take the path I have. At age 14 years, I decided that if I could help someone the way my chiropractor had helped me, then all the blood, sweat, and tears (and years of schooling + educational debt!) would be worth it. Working with thousands of people (just like you) across the country to help them better understand and manage their pain has been one of the most rewarding aspects of practice.

For those of you here who are still in the middle of your journey, know that nothing lasts forever, and you CAN come out the other side, better and stronger than before.
I did and you can too.

PLEASE stick with it. Stick with our treatment plan and trust the process. The only way forward is to keep walking the path.

You can book your first (or next) appointment here.