PINCHED NERVES

I went to Waltham Chiropractic after being diagnosed with radial nerve damage to my right arm. I had no movement or strength in my right hand and numbness in my fingers. My right arm was permanently bent at the elbow, with my wrist hanging down. I went to physical therapy about 2 years ago. After each session, some strength came back to my hand for a couple of hours, but my hand would soon tighten up again. I saw two different neurosurgeons, a hand surgeon specialist, and many other doctors, but I was not getting any positive results. My mother and friends recommended that I go to Dr. Duffy. After just a week of treatment, I started to see improvements. My grip strength was just 17 pounds when I started, but it went up about five or ten pounds a time and is now 130 pounds. I was able to go back to work and attend culinary school full-time. I am happy to have my life back to normal again! I strongly recommend Waltham Chiropractic to others. 

-Henry Ward

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I came to Dr Duffy in late June, 2001 with a pinched nerve which was giving me extreme pain in the left side of my neck, my upper left back and shoulder, as well as my left arm. I had been experiencing this pain prior to coming to Dr. Duffy for at least a couple of months. I initially did not seek treatment with someone because I did not think it was a pinched nerve, I simply thought it was muscle trouble that with some massage, regularly and stretch thoroughly. I thought to myself that with my regular regimen I would be able to work the pain out myself. However, the pain worsened, imperceptibly at first but gradually became worse and worse. There were several periods of sleepless nights because the pain was so extreme, especially in my left arm. I finally began seeking treatment, first with a physical therapist and I was very unhappy with the results because they simply were not effective. I was doing the usual ultra-sound, some stretching, movement and manipulation with them, but it was not effective at all and the pain was not subsiding in the least. I hesitated to take drugs for this type of thing. My primary care physician had recommended pain killers but common sense told me that that would simply be numbing the pain, that there was something deeper going on. I later spoke with my friend about this condition and the friend suggested that I try a chiropractor and recommended Dr. Duffy.

I had never been to a chiropractor before. I was not informed very well about their style or treatment practices. I simply thought they only had expertise with the spine. Although I believe that everything is interrelated, I did not think a chiropractor would have any experience with a pinched nerve. I definitely had some doubts going in so I asked Dr. Duffy for a couple of references to talk to before I came from my home which is right outside Boston. My first impressions were ones of skepticism. He took x-rays at first and confirmed that it was a pinched nerve and prescribed a course of treatment for me which consisted of manipulation of the back and arm. At first I thought, “here we go again” the same type of thing I had experienced with the physical therapist. However, over time I definitely realized that the pain was subsiding. I began to feel much better even after the first two weeks. This process has also been very educational. I have learned a lot about the vertebrae and the padding in between the vertebrae and Dr. Duffy explained to my why the pain was so excruciating and where the pain was coming from. He made recommendations for me to come a certain number of times per week and then they would taper off until we were at an acceptable level of my functioning. The pain in my left arm was so excruciating that I could not toss a tennis ball. I am a right-handed player and a very competitive player, playing in USTA tournaments and college. I could not toss the tennis ball with my left arm or extend it at all prior to coming to Dr. Duffy. I am now beginning to play almost full throttle again and it has really been miraculous.

My posture has improved; I have a greater range of motion in my neck, shoulders and back. I am beginning to find that my stretching has become easier. Because the pain has subsided, I have a lot more energy. At this stage I would unhesitatingly recommend anyone considering chiropractor care to go forward with it.

- Bob Erikson