My clinic has been seeing a lot of truck drivers recently. They are coming in with low back pain and left shoulder pain. To me, this is no surprise when considering the long hours of sitting, driving and quick bursts of heavy lifting and labor when loading or unloading the trailer or supplies they are carrying.

The pattern of asymmetry created by right foot on the gas pedal, left hand on steering wheel and relaxed posterior pelvic tilt sitting is ripe for creating pain and pressure points throughout the body. The great news for truck drivers is that they have me in their corner. As an acupuncturist AND yoga therapist, I am uniquely positioned to assess these out of balance patterns and treat them. What this means for the truck driver?? Back to work quickly with less pain and armed with some techniques to help them be more balanced on and off the road.

What does a treatment with me look like?

At first, we will have a phone conversation to find out what's happening with you. This will take about 15 minutes and is completely free. This allows you to see if you feel like you connect with me and think I can help you. It allows me to get an idea what's going on and also determine if I think I'm the right person to help. When we have established we are a good fit, I'll book your first visit (maybe even a few follow ups) on the phone and you'll fill out some paperwork for me online before you visit.

The day you come in, we will talk about your paperwork. I will do muscle testing, some feeling around in areas of pain and maybe even places you might feel are unrelated to pain, and explain to you the treatment plan. Then you will get on the table, and I will get to work making you feel better.

In the treatment plan, I could use acupuncture needles, cupping (which is like a really good massage), electrical stimulation (which makes recovery a lot faster), kinesiology taping (which gently reminds your body the proper alignment), stretching, topical pain relievers and more. I have a pretty big tool kit and will talk with you about each type of treatment and why I think it would be best for you. I won't make suggestions if I don't feel they will get your better as quickly as possible.

How long will it take?

I get this question asked all the time. The answer is it depends on several factors. How long has the problem been going on being the biggest one. Generally though, I recommend a course of treatment that is 10 visits. Within the first two visits, you will notice a reduction in pain and an overall feeling that you are getting better. By our fifth or sixth visit, you will likely notice that there is only a shadow of pain remaining. At this point, we will stretch out our time between visits to see how long it can last. This gives us a great idea of how often you will need maintenance. Those last 4 sessions in a course of treatment are where we figure out maintenance frequency and determine how your work is now impacting your overall health and body. From there, we just keep tuning you up every 4-6 weeks to keep anything new from setting in.

If you are wondering how doe acupuncture work and why would I want to give this a try, you can check out my blog post about that here.

If you are ready to have that FREE phone consultation, get in touch with me here.

I'm here to help. You don't have to feel the way you do. Give me a call and let's work together to get you back to feeling good.

Michelle Stobart is a licensed acupuncturist with the Ohio State Medical Board. She is also a certified yoga therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She has been helping people find better health and wellness since 2003. Check out her 5-star Google reviews and what patients have to say about working with her. Then book your appointment to follow in their footsteps on your own journey to wellness.