Growing up, alternative medicine was nothing new to me. My mom was a massage therapist, so I was exposed to different types of bodywork from an early age. I received acupressure, deep tissue massage, and many other forms of massage as a child. As I got older, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and herbal remedies were also commonly recommended in my family. Those early experiences helped shape my openness to alternative approaches to managing pain and supporting overall wellness.
Over the years, I've experienced chiropractic care, acupuncture, physical therapy, and massage therapy. Some experiences have helped me find relief, while others have left me frustrated or disappointed. My journey has also taught me how important it is to distinguish between temporary pain relief, a medical finding, and a confirmed diagnosis. Most importantly, I've learned that patients deserve to be heard, even when healthcare providers disagree about what might be causing their symptoms.
My Back Problems Began at 13
My history with back pain began when I was 13 and injured my back while skating. I didn't think much of it at the time. I took off my skates and walked home in pain, then babied my back until it felt better. Although the immediate pain subsided, I was never able to bend the same way again.
By the time I was 16, everyday activities could be difficult. I remember feeling as though I was going to collapse while shaving my legs before school or trying to put on my underwear and pants. I couldn't do sit-ups in physical education class, either, and my PE teacher, Mrs. Farr, accused me of faking my symptoms to get out of participating. I knew I was struggling, so I went to my mom and begged her to help me.
My mom took me to a chiropractor, who adjusted my back. I felt better afterward, but the relief was temporary, and I still didn't understand what was happening. I only knew that something had changed after my injury and that certain movements were much harder for me than they should have been.
Pregnancy Made My Back Pain Worse
When I became pregnant at 18, my back problems became even more noticeable. As soon as I started showing, I had difficulty walking without pain and a limp. My doctor told me that sciatica was common during pregnancy and would go away after I delivered my baby, so I trusted that explanation and hoped things would improve after childbirth.
Unfortunately, the pain didn't simply disappear. Carrying my baby was sometimes easier than putting her down because bending over to place her on the bed or floor made me feel as though I might collapse. Throughout my 20s, I continued to experience back pain, but I largely ignored it while raising my children and managing everyday responsibilities.
When I was 26, I had my youngest child. By the time he was about three years old, my back problems had become impossible to ignore. One day, I was cleaning the kitchen when the floor was wet, and my son came running in and fell. I bent down to pick him up, and my back went out. I could pick him up, but I couldn't put him down, so his father had to take him out of my arms while I struggled to get back to my bedroom.
I waddled toward the bed and slowly inched my way onto it, eventually using a massage machine on my back to try to get some relief. It was frightening to realize that my pain could interfere with something as basic as picking up and caring for my child. That experience pushed me to seek more help as my back problems continued to worsen.
Acupuncture Provided Relief, but the Pain Continued
In my 20s, as my back pain became increasingly difficult to manage, I turned to a friend who was an acupuncturist. The acupuncture helped alleviate my pain, allowing me to walk without limping or feeling as though I was going to collapse. After struggling for so long, that improvement made a meaningful difference in my daily life.
However, the relief didn't mean the underlying problem had been resolved. My back pain continued throughout my 30s, and I eventually began using my health insurance to receive chiropractic care. During that period, I was told that I had a loss of lordosis, meaning a reduction or straightening of the spine's normal inward curvature. This was described to me as flatback syndrome.
I was also told that seeking medical attention earlier might have given me more options for addressing the problem. Looking back, I wish I had pursued answers sooner, but at the time, I had spent years trying to manage my symptoms as best I could. I couldn't help wondering whether earlier evaluation might have made a difference.
July 20, 2010: Treatment for a Strained Back
Although the injury was painful, I didn't have a bad experience with the chiropractic care or acupuncture itself. My experience reinforced my willingness to explore different approaches to pain management, even though I continued to experience back problems over the years.
April and May 2021: Knee Findings and More Back Treatment
By 2021, I was in my 40s and dealing with persistent back pain as well as knees that would give out on me. I told my doctor about these problems and sought further evaluation. On April 6, 2021, I received an explanation for a finding in my left knee that helped account for some of the pain I was experiencing.
The evaluation identified patellar enthesophytes at the insertion of the distal quadriceps tendon. In simpler terms, these are bony projections associated with the area where the quadriceps tendon attaches to the kneecap. This finding wasn't what the medical team had originally been looking for, but it was discovered during the evaluation and offered a possible explanation for my knee pain.
Thankfully, the imaging showed no degenerative changes in my knee. I was told that steroid injections might be considered if the pain worsened. My back was also being evaluated, and I was referred to chiropractic care and physical therapy for the reported loss of my spine's normal curvature.
By May 10, 2021, I was struggling with how to proceed because my medical insurance didn't cover physical therapy, and I couldn't afford to pay out of pocket. I canceled my appointments with Hope Orthopedics, even though my knee pain could be debilitating. I felt caught between needing treatment and being unable to afford it.
2022: A Disagreement About My Back Diagnosis
In 2022, while living in Oregon, I was receiving chiropractic care and physical therapy for my ongoing back problems. I had also been seeing a doctor there for approximately six months when I explained that a doctor in California had told me I had flatback syndrome.
My Oregon doctor responded, "There's no such thing."
I felt stupid for repeating information that another doctor had given me about my own body. What bothered me wasn't simply that two doctors disagreed, because I understand that medical professionals can interpret symptoms and findings differently. It was the way the disagreement was handled. I felt dismissed rather than given an explanation of what my symptoms and reported spinal findings might mean.
I had been dealing with back pain since I was 13, struggled to bend, experienced pain during pregnancy, and spent years trying to find relief. I wasn't trying to diagnose myself. I was sharing my medical history and attempting to understand what was happening to me.
After everything I had experienced, being told that the condition didn't exist felt as though my symptoms were being dismissed along with the terminology. I wanted someone to listen to my history, explain the medical findings, and help me understand what treatment might be appropriate.
Is Flatback Syndrome the Same as Loss of Lordosis?
After that experience, I researched the subject myself and came across information from Medical News Today about flatback syndrome and its symptoms. Finding that information made me even more frustrated because I had been told I had a condition in California, only to have the diagnosis dismissed in Oregon.
There is an important medical distinction here. Loss of lumbar lordosis describes a reduction or straightening of the lower spine's normal inward curve, while flatback syndrome generally refers to a broader spinal alignment problem that can affect posture and the ability to stand upright comfortably. The terms are related, but they are not always interchangeable, and an imaging finding alone does not necessarily establish flatback syndrome.
I cannot independently determine which diagnosis best describes my back based on my history alone. However, I believe that if a doctor disagrees with a previous diagnosis, the patient deserves a clear explanation of why, what the findings indicate, and whether additional evaluation is needed.
Medical opinions can differ, and an earlier diagnosis may need to be reconsidered. That doesn't justify making a patient feel foolish for asking questions or sharing information from another provider. After living with pain for decades, I wanted answers, not to feel as though I had wasted time trying to explain my symptoms.
May 21, 2023: Acupuncture for My Left Ankle and Knee
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| Acupuncture needle in my ankle |
Once again, I did not have a bad experience with acupuncture. Throughout my personal history with both acupuncture and chiropractic care, I haven't had the negative experiences that would make me dismiss either practice altogether. Acupuncture had helped relieve my back pain in the past, and I remained open to exploring different approaches to managing discomfort.
That doesn't mean every treatment works for everyone or that pain relief necessarily resolves an underlying condition. My experience has simply shown me that I can appreciate the relief I've received while recognizing the importance of proper evaluation and individualized care.
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| Acupuncture needle in my knee |
When Massage Therapy Disappointed Me
Here is the part that might surprise some people: I've had a couple of bad experiences with massage therapy, even though I'm a massage therapist myself.
My first particularly unpleasant experience happened at an inexpensive Chinese foot reflexology establishment. The pressure was so deep that I was incredibly sore for several days afterward. This wasn't ordinary, mild post-massage tenderness. It was unusually intense soreness, and it didn't feel okay.
Deep pressure isn't automatically better pressure. Massage should be tailored to the individual, their comfort level, and their needs. Clients shouldn't feel that they have to endure excessive pressure for a massage to be effective.
Unfortunately, I returned to the same establishment and had another negative experience. On that occasion, I was exposed twice during the session. For someone who works in the massage therapy profession, that was especially disappointing because professional draping, privacy, consent, and respect for personal boundaries are fundamental aspects of providing massage therapy.
Clients deserve to feel safe and respected throughout a session. These experiences reinforced something important to me: the price of a service doesn't tell you everything about its quality, and the name of a treatment doesn't guarantee that it will be delivered professionally.
What My Experiences Have Taught Me
My experiences with alternative medicine have been a mixture of relief, pain, frustration, and lessons about what I need from healthcare and wellness providers. I grew up around massage therapy and traditional approaches to health, and I've personally experienced acupuncture and chiropractic care without any negative encounters. At the same time, I've experienced massage sessions that left me excessively sore or violated my expectations of professional conduct.
I've also spent decades trying to understand and manage my back pain. Acupuncture helped me walk more comfortably at certain points in my life, chiropractic care became part of my treatment, and physical therapy was recommended to help address my ongoing problems. I've faced financial barriers to accessing care and the frustration of feeling dismissed when I tried to explain what I was experiencing.
When you're living with pain, you don't necessarily know the medical terminology or understand every finding on an imaging report. That's why you seek professional help and trust that someone will listen, evaluate your symptoms, explain the possibilities, and help you determine the next steps. You shouldn't have to be an expert in medicine to deserve that consideration.
As a massage therapist, I recognize that the responsibility goes beyond performing a technique. Practitioners must listen to their clients, respect their boundaries, adjust treatments appropriately, and understand that every person has different needs and experiences. Being open-minded doesn't mean accepting every treatment without question. It means exploring options thoughtfully, paying attention to your body, asking questions, and understanding potential risks and benefits.
I believe conventional medicine and alternative approaches can have different roles in managing pain and supporting well-being. What matters is making informed decisions, seeking qualified practitioners, and finding care that respects both the evidence and the individual.
My journey has taught me to advocate for my own well-being and to seek practitioners who treat me with knowledge, care, and respect. I'm still managing the effects of longstanding back and knee problems, and I know that one treatment isn't the answer for everyone. But I firmly believe that patients deserve to have their concerns taken seriously, even when their diagnosis is uncertain or their symptoms are difficult to explain.
After all these years, one lesson stands out above the rest: listening matters. Sometimes, the first step toward helping a patient is taking the time to hear their story, understand their concerns, and treat them with the respect they deserve.
