Gently Pushing Away Pain

It’s such a mystery to me as to how osteopathy works. I occasionally visit Dr. Greg Craddock when I have a persistent pain and he inevitably sets me on the road to recovery.

Contrary to chiropractory, which always seems rather jerky, violent, and sometimes even painful, osteopathy is slow and gentle with constant pressure but virtually no pain. It’s not like massage because there is no stroking and no oil/cream involved.

It’s almost as though Dr. Craddock can see inside my tissue to know the cause of the pain. Today’s visit was the second and final appointment to deal with the hand I injured when I fell off my bike several weeks ago.

I tend to close my eyes and almost fall asleep as he deals with the problematic area and always works on my neck and spine. But when I open my eyes, there is an immediate feeling of improvement which I never sense with any other doctor.

When I walk out the door of that office, for at least a while I feel a fluidity in walking that is often missing in my peculiar gait. For a time I am actually in balance.

For Dr. Craddock, osteopathy is a second career, following many years as a NYC fireman. I’m sure he saved many lives in his previous career, but his real calling is this gentle alternative approach to pain that continues to amaze everyone he treats.

As I get older, I find I am more and more open to treatments of all sorts. But for chronic pain, osteopathy is the best I’ve found.