Body Balance Physical Therapy and Wellness
2024-06-16T19:10:18.465Z
I've been meaning to write this review for just over a month since I've been discharged from Michelle's care. I kept putting it off because I wanted to write the PERFECT review since she completely changed my life, and it's really important to me that other people understand how important she has been in my healing.First and foremost, if you are a woman who has experienced chronic pain for many years, this is the place for you. I've been to almost 20 chiropractors, at least 3 physical therapists (before coming to Michelle), and spine surgeons, and I truly believe that Michelle has helped me more than anyone else. I'm only 26 years old, and before coming to Body Balance, I had been in chronic, debilitating pain, for one reason or another, since I was 15. When I was younger, it was endless migraines for months on end. Around that time, I also started dating for the first time in my life, and that relationship became very controlling, harmful, and abusive. I experienced a lot of trauma, so I got stuck in my fight or flight response, from the age of 16-23. I developed autoimmune issues like PCOS, which also caused debilitating pain. During those years, I was also in 3 major car accidents in less than two years, all of which caused extensive damage to my cervical spine in C5 and C6. My C5 disc was bulging, torn, and degenerative, which caused Stenosis in my spine, Cervical Radiculopathy, and unbearable nerve pain going down both my arms.By the time I started seeing Michelle, I had been through so many doctors, so many PTs, so many OBGYNs, and was recovering from Anterior Disc Replacement surgery. I trusted her almost right away because when she asked me questions about my medical health, she really listened, and explained how everything I had experienced was the result of a terrible healthcare system in America, paired with a lot of trauma in a short amount of time. She started this business to truly, genuinely help people, not just push them through the medical system, passing them from one doctor or specialist to the next. Not only that, but she worked with me financially, and we had a payment plan that worked for me... because she really cares about her patients more than anything else. That meant so much to me.Even after having surgery to correct my spine, I had a flare-up two weeks post-surgery, which is when I reached out to Michelle. I was desperate for relief and felt so defeated. How could surgery not even fix my pain? Early on in our sessions, she began to explain concepts to me like neuroplasticity, and how the brain works. She provided apps, educational videos, and a surplus of knowledge that helped me understand how the brain can get stuck in loops of pain, and the science behind it. Once I understood that my brain was sending pain signals to my neck, and the majority of my symptoms were psychosomatic, I knew that what I was experiencing was treatable.We progressed slowly, considering that I wasn't just recovering from chronic pain, but also from surgical, acute, pain. But after 10 weeks with her, I went from not being able to lift more than 10 pounds for many years, to doing 30lb chest presses, and 30lb overhead presses, working out consistently, eating healthier, and having a passion for living a healthy lifestyle. Now, when I get small flare-ups of pain, I have the tools, the knowledge, and the experiences to get myself out of pain, and not stay stuck in it anymore. I'm kinder to myself, I take care of myself more, and I'm just so eternally grateful to Michelle. I truly think that without her, I would have had the surgery, and stayed stuck in chronic pain. She has changed my life for the better, and I would recommend her to anyone who can relate, even just a little bit, to my story. You don't have to stay stuck in chronic pain, whether that's from autoimmune illness, surgeries that went wrong, or injuries. You can feel better again, it IS possible.
I've been meaning to write this review for just over a month since I've been discharged from Michelle's care. I kept putting it off because I wanted t... More