Chiropractic Care

A Personal Testimony

One of the biggest thing’s that attracted me to Crossfit is the “constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity.” Since it is constantly varied, it has the ability to keep someone like me interested. Then, once you combine that with community competition within the gym then it is workout gold in my opinion. However, every once and a while, we need to evaluate our goals and analyze our performance to come up with ways to meet those goals.

About 3, maybe 4 months ago I began having some problems with my back while running. I found that any time I ran for any sort of distance (greater than 400m) my back would lock up and drastically cut my ability to perform at the most optimum level during my daily workouts. There came a point where I said enough was enough and did some research. Granted, it was as simple as typing “Crossfit” and “Back Problems.” That’s what opened my eyes to the world of chiropractic medicine. I decided to give it a whirl and thought, “what could happen?”

Image Property of the Merrimack Valley Wellness Center

That same Google search led me to the Merrimack Valley Wellness Center. It is a small practice, owned and operated by Dr. Ryan Hewitt D.C. and his wife Kendra. They work effortlessly to improve the wellness of all that walk into their doors. Dr. Ryan is a Crossfit coach at Crossfit Rt 1  in Melrose, MA and is also a Crossfit Games competitor. I felt confident in knowing that Dr. Ryan would be able to provide the best care and insight as it related to my back, and the fitness regimen that I have come to love.

I called up, and spoke with Evelyn. Evelyn is one of two of the MVWC’s lovely assistants. She was extremely courteous, knowledgeable, and accommodating. She was even able to get me seen same day for an assessment. All I needed to do was print off some forms online and bring them with me when I came in.

Once I arrived at the office in North Andover, MA. I was shown to a little seating area that had an informational video playing. Today’s video was of Dr. Ryan & his wife Kendra lecturing to a local box about what Paleo is, and how it can benefit the individual athlete. I actually wished I had to wait longer because it was interesting & informative. However, I did not wait long and Dr. Ryan brought me in to an examination room for evaluation. We were able to find several problem areas with my posture that led to a corrective care plan to bring my spine back to optimum health. I was sold, I was willing to make the time and financial investment in returning my back to shape.

It was not cheap, I did a small cost/benefit analysis to price out if it would be better to use my insurance or to pay out of pocket. I found that with my high copay’s it would actually be more beneficial to pay out of pocket. Thankfully, due to my profession and Crossfit affiliation there were discounts available to use which made the care actually affordable.

I started out going 3 times a week for adjustments and after the 4th or 5th week, I had my first progress exam. I found that my posture was much more inline. The weight I carried on each foot was more equal. Most importantly, running wasn’t a problem with my back. I found that I would be able to run easier.

If you are remotely near the North Shore area, and are looking to improve your back health, I strongly recommend you check out Merrimack Valley Wellness Center. Dr. Ryan is a very knowledgeable professional and is able to get you back to your optimum health to get you performing the way you want to. If you want more detailed information, or have any specific questions about my experience with Dr. Ryan feel free to comment here and I will be glad to help you out!