My dad was a professional athlete. My mom, a sporty blonde, was rarely not part of one of his athletic antics. Then came me … I can ride a horse, “an ounce of breeding is worth a ton of feeding” afterall, and hit a tennis ball 🎾 , but I am really not much of a “jock”. My posture, footing/stance, and gate were critiqued by dad as far back as I can remember. I don’t walk like a graceful ballerina, or even a bow-legged soccer player; my tennis game doesn’t suck, but it takes a lot of balance and hard work!

Over the years I have seen chiropractors across multiple time zones and continents. All have said I would benefit from better alignment, specifically with chronic stomach pain, stress, and it could even likely help the “walk” I was always trying to better.

A friend recommended a chiropractor in Switzerland when I was so stiff with stress and sore muscles I couldn’t move; the relief was real.

For as much as I have seen positive results from chiropractic care, a “traditional” adjustment is actually an anxiety-inducing activity for me.

When the practitioner takes my head/neck and makes the adjustment with a quick and swift, “crack,” my brain always goes to neck snapping for real. Like in movie when a killer wants a quick goodbye. Crack. Ugh. Me noooo likey. The sound. The waiting for it. The “am I still alive” split-second post neck crack. Nope, nope, and nope.

A few years ago I was driving across Seattle from my children’s elementary school back to Magnolia, and I saw a sign for Shepherd Family Chiropractic along my route. I had recently challenged my three year old to a “race” after dropping his sister off at kindergarten. When I lost the race, fell like Superman, and Blondie wasn’t gloating because I was bleeding, I knew something was off. With two broken ribs and sprained right wrist, the outdoor advertising for Dr. Shepherd’s sign advertising a pain-free life struck a timely chord. I thank the Birkenstocks I was wearing at 8am during my “race” for the injuries, but the truth is, a lot of it probably comes back to that aforementioned balance, or lack thereof.

The practice, on the west side of Lake Union, is small but mighty. Dr. Shepherd performs the activator method. That is, trained practitioners perform instrument-based chiropractic care. The handheld “activator” delivers the “crack” in a non-crack way. That is, instead of a sudden pop, you know, that moment where I pray I don’t die, the instrument delivers a fast, low-force impulse to the painful spot or specific area of the spine. Kind of like a little energetic impulse injection.

I have been able to get consistent results without the fear of death right there on the table in the middle of my adjustment. Make an appointment today, Seattle fiends, I highly recommend getting in on the alignment game!