"I began seeing Dr. Rebecca Pangemanan in May 2006, after herniating discs in my lower back about 1 ½ years earlier. As a result of my injury, I had suffered numb and tingling feet for about 15 months. (This is in addition to the low back pain I have suffered for more than 20 years.) The numbness and tingling were a great improvement over the excruciating pain that had radiated down my leg for about three months immediately after the injury, so I tried to minimize my complaining. However, the injury changed my life.

At the acute stage, my general practitioner had contributed her advice, a referral to a physical therapist and a neurosurgeon, and a prescription for pain medicine and anti-inflammatories. 

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The neurosurgeon, after telling me I was not a surgical candidate, added additional advice about modifying and limiting my activities and told me that it would take “a long time” for the tingling and numbness in my feet to disappear. An excellent physical therapist helped me deal with the pain during the acute stages, provided instruction and guidance for exercises and stretches to strengthen my back and core muscles to minimize the likelihood of re-injury, and encouraged me to remain as active as possible.

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I have always been very active. I love working around my home—everything from cutting and clearing huge bushes and small trees on the 10 acres where I live to cleaning gutters, power-washing the siding and deck, and stripping wallpaper and painting rooms in the old house where I live. I have jogged for about 25 years, and I hike, cross-country and downhill ski, play very bad tennis, ride a bike, and canoe a bit.

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For the 15 months before I saw Dr. Rebecca, I substantially limited these activities, and often was in a foul mood about it. We began hiring a nephew to do much of the yard work that I loved. He, and not I, helped clear bushes, make a wall for the flower garden, and shovel topsoil. Last fall, he climbed the ladder to power wash the siding on the second story of the house. He carried ladders and moved furniture. I did almost none of this. Additionally, I almost never carried groceries into the house or carried my own suitcase or laptop when I traveled. I quit running, canoeing and downhill skiing, and reduced the level of intensity of my other sports.

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After 15 months of this life, not only had my bad mood and the tingling and numbness in my feet continued, but I also started having severe foot pain. This added complication finally pushed me to seek additional treatment. While I was trying to figure out who to see and where to go, I talked with my new general practitioner about my symptoms and my concern about permanent nerve damage. He changed my anti-inflammatory medication but was not able to offer much other help. During this same time, I encountered Dr. Rebecca at a health fair. We discussed my symptoms and concerns, and she suggested I come in for diagnostic tests and a consultation. Since then, she has changed my life again, and this time for the better.

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Within three weeks of starting treatment with Dr. Rebecca, my foot pain was virtually gone. Although the pain occasionally comes back, the intensity is dramatically reduced and it is of short duration. The low back pain I have lived with for most of my life has decreased each month, and is usually nonexistent. While I still have some tingling and numbness in my feet, the intensity is substantially reduced and I often can make it disappear by simply changing my position. 

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This fall, after four months of treatment with Dr. Rebecca, I have cleared brush, moved furniture, lugged a vacuum cleaner around the house, and climbed on a ladder to power wash siding and paint walls and a ceiling. I often carry my own suitcase and computer now when traveling, and I always unload groceries. I rode in an 18-mile bike race this summer, have played some tennis and have hiked several miles on multiple occasions. Dr. Rebecca gets the credit for all of this. My symptoms are substantially improved while, at the same time, my level of activity has increased fairly dramatically. I am regaining my life—Dr. Rebecca has helped me recover functional skills that are important to me. As I continue my chiropractic care with her, I am optimistic that my symptoms will continue to improve and I am confident that she can help me stay active and functional for the future.

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Visits to Dr. Rebecca are quick and low stress. Usually my wait is less than 2 minutes, and I almost never wait more than 4-5 minutes. I am almost always in and out of the office in 15 minutes or less.

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Several months ago, I referred a friend who had been advised by her medical doctor that surgery was the next step for her carpal tunnel pain. She has been seeing Dr. Rebecca since June and recently told me that she now has only occasional numbness in her hands, but it is infrequent and dramatically reduced in intensity. I referred a second friend who had relatively minor symptoms and is now receiving curative and preventative care from Dr. Arthur. I am a converted skeptic and am most appreciative for the care I am receiving." 

~ Ava Crow