WHEN I WAS IN THE SECOND GRADE, I was cruising around on my bike with the older kids in the neighborhood. I tried to follow them as they played, but I couldn’t really keep up. So, as all the older kids took their bikes over a jump, I followed, and I ended up flipping over my handlebars and slamming headfirst into the street. Of course my mother rushed me to the emergency room where I was given all sorts of tests on my skull. The diagnosis was limited to “swelling of the forehead.” All indications were that I had recovered just fine… at least until I hit high school and was having chronic low-back pain.
My parents tried the customary avenues: family doc, orthopedic, etc. Since they were having no success, my parents turned to a chiropractor. They had heard different reviews of chiropractors but were out of ideas about how to help me. So off we went.
After an exam and an x-ray it was discovered that I had a nasty curve in my lower back that was actually my spine’s way of compensating for an injury in my neck area. The chiropractor asked if I had any accidents when I was younger. Naturally we all thought of the incident with the bike eight years earlier. As the doctor explained it, my spinal bones had been knocked way out of place and never corrected, therefore they fused themselves together in the wrong place! The rest of my spine was curving itself around trying to get me straight.
The chiropractor adjusted my spine.The adjustment did not hurt—it actually felt good. I followed the recommended treatment and found relief and was able to return to the sports that I loved.
As a matter of fact it all went so well that—after my time at Penn State (We Are!)—I decided to become a Doctor of Chiropractic and spent my next four years at Sherman College of Chiropractic where I received my doctorate in 1994.
A few years later I met my wonderful wife, Lisa, who has not only become a partner in life as we enjoy raising all four of our beautiful children together, but also at the clinic. She is the one who really makes the place hum. (Thank her for the hot cider during the holidays!) We love what we do and are grateful to have the opportunity to help so many people in the Phoenixville area. I absolutely pride myself on being the best for my patients. I am honest, straightforward and caring.
Based on my experience as a young boy and a teen, I know first hand how important it is for children and their parents to be checked by a chiropractor. Therefore, my practice is a family-based wellness center with an emphasis on children and their parents and their health issues. We look forward to helping you and your family. –Dr. Jim Schaffer