***This was a hosted visit, & all thoughts and opinions are my own. I’m not a health professional, so check with your Doctor first.***

Have you ever wondered what it’s like visiting a chiropractor? I’ve been having major back pains the last few years, and I just assumed that massages would fix it. I brought it up to my friend who runs the Instagram account, Charleston Toddlers, and she recommended I visit her husband, Dr. Ty Cooper, with Cooper Chiropractic. And guess what? Turns out, a massage is helpful, but combining it with a chiropractic adjustment was exactly what I needed.

Cooper Chiropractic Information

The team at Cooper Chiropractic has over 20 years of experience, and was voted “Best Chiropractor” by Charleston Living Magazine. They’re very knowledgeable at what they do, and you can tell that they really care about you, and want to get you back to your limber self. I also loved that I could ask a million questions, and they didn’t look annoyed that I kept asking lol.

Be sure to check the website for up-to-date information

Location: 5750A Rivers Avenue, Charleston, SC 29406
Contact:  (843) 723 – 6475
Hours: Mon – Fri 9am-1pm & 2pm-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm
Cost: New Patient $100 (45 min), each visit after $60 (30 min), Child visit $20 (12 and under)
Additional Services (add on): Cupping $20, Laser Therapy $40, Taping $10

What it’s like visiting a chiropractor

Growing up, I used to visit a chiropractor regularly for adjustments because of the sports I played. It really helped me bounce back quickly and help with the muscle pains that I had. This was the first time I went back to the chiropractor since I was a teenager, and I immediately felt relief after the first adjustment.

The number one reason I hear people say they need to visit a chiropractor is because they got in a car accident or had some type of injury. But did you know that there are other benefits of visiting a chiropractor? These are just a few of them:

• faster healing time
• better posture
• pain relief
• helps with headaches and migraines

Consultation/Initial Exam

When I first arrived, I filled out a few standard forms asking about my health history, insurance info, and read through a few disclosures. Once I was taken back to my sectioned off room, Dr. Ty came in to review the docs I filled out, and asked me some follow up questions about my answers. After the consultation, it was recommended that I get the laser therapy, percussion, and adjustment.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is an add on service that can help with rapid pain relief. There’s a whole biology lesson on this, but I’m going based off of what I asked and learned.  So in short, laser therapy helps with the healing process of sprains and strains, by increasing the production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), which helps repair damaged cells and create new ones. The light doesn’t burn you or anything, however, there is a slight warmth to it, but there was no pain or discomfort with it.

Percussion Massage

What can I say? I loved this! Most of my muscle pain is carried in my upper back, and this combined with the laser therapy was amazing! The percussion massager is used to help loosen those tight knots, and decrease muscle pain and tension, so this makes complete sense.

Adjustment

Now to the good part. Well, they were all good, but this is the one y’all have been waiting for! The adjustment. This is the part that makes me the most excited but also the most nervous. Of course it hurts to get your bones back into alignment, but the relief I felt was almost immediate. Just do what the Dr. tells you, breathe, and relax. Dr. Cooper started from my head, all the way down to my toes. I had to go from face down, to the side, face up, and sitting up. The amount of cracks I heard was almost like music to my ears! On a pain scale of 1-10, I’d say this was a 6, but I have a high pain tolerance.

Other services when visiting a chiropractor

Cooper Chiropractic offers other services as well, however, I did not get them this time. I will definitely be adding them on to my next visit.

Cupping

My. mom used to get this done when I was younger, and I thought it was the weirdest thing! Now, I’m starting to see why she did it, and realizing that it’s not that weird. So the purpose of this is to help improve blood and lymph circulation, pain relief, and decrease toxins.

Taping

If you’ve ever watch Olympic Beach Volleyball, then you’ve probably seen Kerri Walsh with KT tape all over her arms. It’s used to provide support and help put pressure on the tissue that it’s wrapped around. I used this on my arms when I was pregnant, and it was really helpful. At Cooper Chiropractic though, I’ve seen pictures of them using the tape on the pregnant mamas to help with low back pain and pelvic pain. I wish I knew about that when I was pregnant too!

What to expect after visiting a chiropractor

You’ll leave a little sore, but it’s a good sore. Mine lasted about 2 days, but it felt so amazing to be able to bend, twist, and turn without pain. If you’re going in for an injury, it will take more than one visit to heal. I’m planning on making a visit at least once a month because PAIN FREE IS THE WAY TO BE! So if you’ve been waiting to go to see a chiropractor because you’re not sure what to expect, I hope this helped. And if you go see Dr. Cooper, makes sure to let them know I sent you in!