Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot
On Fridays I like to share some of the experiences I’ve had during the week with patients and in my personal life that I’ve found significant in some way. I like to share them in hopes that you might find value in them and have something resonate with you in your life.
A workout I enjoyed. Last weekend I wanted to come up with a new challenge for my sons, so I took them on a hike during which we all had to carry weight to make it more difficult. I wore a 40-pound weight vest while carrying 25-pound weights in each hand, my oldest son carried a 15-pound weight in each hand and my middle son pushed my youngest son in a jogging stroller with a 10-pound weight in the stroller as well. We went up a large hill for 1 ½ miles and then came back down. Even better, the boys wanted to get Chick Fil-a breakfast afterwards which ends at 10:30am so they had to hustle the whole time!
It was a challenging workout for all of us, but we loved it. I do these types of things with my kids to develop camaraderie while also teaching them that doing hard things is not something to be feared but should be embraced. Anytime we do something like this they always finish and are so proud they got through it. The workouts we’ve done that were the toughest on them (and me) are usually remembered the most fondly actually.
Do you do anything to help with feet or ankles? Yes! I’ve been able to help hundreds of patients over the years by addressing the alignment of certain bones in the feet and ankles. Often, they’ll have a misdiagnosis or a history of ineffective treatments for something involving the foot and ankle and after examining it, I will detect improper motion of certain joints. Most commonly, I will see misalignments of the talus bone (square bone that sits between the two lower leg bones) and/or the calcaneus (heel bone). When these bones are misaligned, the normal biomechanics of the foot and ankle go out the window causing pain, lack or mobility and over-compensation of the muscles and ligaments. There is often no specific inciting event to cause this, it just happens gradually. Re-aligning these bones restores function to the joints and allows them to quickly heel. This is not a cure-all for all foot or ankle pain, but thankfully I am very often able to help.
An interesting interaction and analogy. Last week I had a mom come in with her teenager. The mom mentioned to me that her daughter was having some pain and that based on her age it wasn’t “normal.” I had seen the teenager once previously about a year ago for her only chiropractic visit ever and so I asked both mom and daughter some follow up questions to better understand the situation. As it turns out the teenager does almost no physical activity (no sports, nothing at home) and sits most of the day on devices. The mom acknowledged that this wasn’t good but seemed to think that because the teen had been adjusted once and was young, that pain should never be an issue.
The analogy I used to explain the faulty logic in these assumptions was this – if a teenager had one dentist appointment in their lifetime and did no brushing or flossing on their own, would we expect the teeth to be healthy? Of course not. The spine is no different. Regardless of age, if you’re not physically active and having at least some form of care for your spine, it won’t be healthy and a sign of that is likely to be pain. Poor habits lead to poor results at any age.
“How do you handle it when patients don’t listen to your recommendations?” I got this one from a young doctor this week. My answer was that when I give a recommendation – for a course of care, type of adjustment, a supplement to take, a question to ask their doctor, a referral to another type of provider, etc. I do so with pure intentions. These are suggestions I’m giving based upon my experience and concern for the patient. It is never based on finances or any motive that doesn’t directly serve the patient’s best interest. Therefore, if my recommendations are not followed it does not bother me or hurt my feelings or pride. I will never know the reasons a patient does or does not do something, and many will have nothing to do with me. I try to do what I think will help them and if they follow it, great. If not, I know I tried to do right by them and that’s ultimately all I can do.
Some quotes I love.
“You are what you do, not what you’ll say you do.”
“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” – Socrates
“It doesn’t take many words to tell the truth.” – Sitting Bull
“The sign of a good doctor should be how many patients he can get OFF medications, not how many people he puts ON medications.” – Dr. Jeff Barke, MD
“Cutting corners, shortcuts, and taking the “easy road” is disrespectful to all of those that believe in you. When you cheat yourself, you cheat them also.” – Lennox Lewis
“Fear is a force that sharpens your senses.” – Marcus Luttrell
Want more?
- Don’t forget to follow Dr. Kenney on Instagram @Coloradochiropractor
- To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com and go to “blog”
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