Routine trip to the chiropractor

I was finally able to fit into Dr. Yan's busy schedule this morning. Though it's been two weeks since my sniffling accident, I'm still waking up in the morning with a stiff neck. After searching around the wrong 7-11 on the corner of Fuxing and Mingquan this morning, (there's actually a convenience store on every corner of the intersection), I was eventually able to find the small doctor's office with the assistance of a security guard. It was an unimpressive narrow room with gray speckled tile flooring and fluorescent lighting. The observation area and the waiting room was separated with one Chinese silk screen movable wall and another rolling turquoise medical divider. Upon the walls hung several traditional Chinese paintings along with a pressure point chart next to his desk. He was in the middle of treating a patient when I entered. I apologized for not understanding his directions. "Duibuqi, wo zai bu yiyang de 7-11." "Wo xiang ye shi." It was then I realized why it was always he who was answering the phone - it was a one man show. He had neither a secretary nor a physician's assistants helping him out, just him. I sat in one of the blue plastic chairs for about ten minutes observing the decor while listening to slapping noises coming from the other side of the division. I thought to myself, it's a good thing I don't need that kind of treatment because it sounds like that might hurt, all the while trying to put paranoid thoughts out of my mind that I might be one of the first patients to become paralyzed by a chiropractic treatment. It was my first time going to a chiropractor as you may have guessed. The slapping noises subsided and a middle aged stout woman popped out from behind the division thanking the doctor. "Leenda Hong!" I picked up my bag and entered his office behind the silk screen. The first thing he did was ask me what my problem was and then proceeded to examine my spine while sitting in the chair. He pushed and prodded different points near my neck. "Your right side is more problematic. It's very tight." He touched a point on the right side of my neck which sent pain signals shooting up my nerves. He took a look at my back, "Your back is all out; you didn't know?" "Um, bu zhidao."
I lie stomach down on the table. He lifts and bends my legs, one side then the other. "Your right leg is not very good." That's right. How did he know? I've always had problems with my right ankle giving out when I walk. He gave a good push on my spine and there it was. CRACK! "Lie on your back" He had me turn to one side. "Relax..." C.C.C.Crack.k.k.k "Cross your arms" C.C.Crack.k.k "Turn your head to your left. Crack k. It actually didn't hurt too much and by the end of it I was feeling so much better. Well, that's just fantastic, I thought. I got up and walked over to a chair where he was waiting to reexamine me. "Your left side is better but your right side is too tight." This is when he proceeded to whack me with the palm of his hand on my right shoulder. "Just tell me if it hurts too much." I didn't want to seem like a pansy so I didn't say anything. Whack! Whack! Whack! I'm thinking, "Oh man, when is this gonna end?" Whack! Whack! Whack! My palms are sweating. Whack! Whack! Whack! This really hurts. Whack! Whack! Whack! He stops and repositions himself. Is it over? Whack! Whack! Whack! No. Whack! Whack! Whack! I try to meditate but I can't because every time he hits me the wind is blown out of my lungs. Whack! Whack! Whack! This goes on for about ten minutes and when its over, I'm not quite sure what to think. He asks me if I feel alright. I think so considering I was just pummeled for ten minutes. We make an appointment for next Tuesday. I figure, if I'm not better in a weeks time, he can use a different method. It wasn't until I got home and looked in the mirror, I discovered the physical marks he left behind. Half of my right shoulder is covered in black and blue splotches. The pain in my neck had disappeared only to be replaced by a pain in my trapezius. Strangely, it doesn't really hurt where he hit me but it's more of an internal muscle pain. Let's see if I wake up with that stiff neck tomorrow. I'll keep you updated on the prognosis.