A lifetime of hard work as the owner of Buxton Riding School had taken its toll on Louise Thompson.
Twenty-eight-years of mucking out stables and sweeping up – together with the occasional fall from a horse – left her with long-running back problems. The start of every day had become a painful challenge.
“When you’re running a business you’ve just got to get on with it,” says Louise. “It used to take me 20 minutes to stand up straight every morning, after crawling to the bathroom on my hands and knees. I was taking painkillers every day.”
Louise had suffered from lower back problems for many years and MRI scans revealed two damaged discs – one badly worn and the other bulging, putting pressure on her spine.
Regular physiotherapy, acupuncture and Bowen Therapy had little effect and she was left facing surgery, using rods and pins to support her spine, as the only remaining option. It was a drastic step she was reluctant to took.
However, Louise’s situation took a dramatic turn for the better after an encounter with Phil Heler of Buxton Osteopathy Clinic. He explained about the IDD – Intervertebral Differential Dynamics – therapy now on offer at the clinic and after studying the MRI scans, advised that her condition was suitable for treatment.
“I was ready to try anything and I started off just before Christmas with three treatments a week. It’s made a massive difference,” says Louise.
The therapy applies computer-controlled forces at precise angles to gently draw targeted spinal segments apart, relieving pressure on discs and trapped nerves and easing muscles and ligaments.
Phil adds: “IDD therapy is a non-invasive alternative to surgery for chronic back, neck and leg pain.
“It also avoids risks such as post operative infections and bleeding – and the need to take rehabilitative time off work, which is an important factor for someone with a business to run.”
Louise now has one treatment a month as her condition improves: “I can cope with my back now. It still aches in the morning, but it’s nothing like as bad as it was – and I don’t need painkillers. Everything is so much easier.”
