Here’s something you might not know about me. What I’m about to share changed the course of my life and lead me to become a Chiropractor. It’s also a BIG reason why I’m committed to paying it forward to the local community.
I always had a keen interest in sports, the more Speed, Contact and Adrenaline involved the better. For sure I had my fair share of injuries playing hurling and rugby in school and at club level but it wasn’t until I bought my first mountain board that things rapidly escalated downhill – LITERALLY…. down the side of the Slieve Gullion mountain trail.. on a snowboard with wheels at what felt like 100 miles an hour (because that’s just what you do when you’re 16.. right??).
My three brothers and I had this great idea of filming this event of me mountain boarding down the steep gravel trail, and from our previous takes, I wasn’t happy with how SLOW it looked on the tape. “I felt like I was flying! Why doesn’t it look fast on the camera footage?!”.
So off I went, picked a spot so much higher than ever before and swore to myself that this time it’ll damn right look fast on the camera! Well I can tell you… it was! It probably was the most stomach wrenching feeling that I’ve had, even to this date.
I remember being on the mountain board hurtling down through the forest, trees whipping past, the wind noise at that speed, feeling the G-forces on each corner carve. This is GGGREAT! And then the feeling of how am I going to stop this board sank in… I was so focused on getting the speed right that I forgot about this minor detail in my plan. Last thing I remember was the dreaded “Speed-Wobble” of the board rapidly slipping out and losing control under my feet, clipping the front edge of the board on a rock, me flying through the air, the board flying the other way, the peaceful feeling of flying high through the air looking at the sky through the forest canopy, then the awful sound of my head impacting against the trail ground. From here on it all goes black.
My brothers still tell the story of the 12 minutes I was unconscious on that gravel forest trail, the uncontrolled fitting of my body trying to restart after such a head trauma. They tell me of things I said in the ambulance on the way to the hospital emergency room. My Mother and Father speak of talking to me on the hospital bed 2 days later. The E.R. room Doctor, after examining my cracked helmet, said this was the only piece of protection that saved my life. I still have no recollection of any of this and the following weeks of recovery are still somewhat blurry.
Long story short, I am grateful to still be here to tell you of these events. However, the injury to my head and neck at the time left me with life-long problems. My neck was never right after this accident. I constantly felt like my neck was painful, locked up and restricted, and to the lack of my knowledge at the time I started to click my own neck and back for pain relief. This led to more problems because of the instability that was building up in my cervical spine. After the injury I also remember having some of the worst headaches and lower back pain of my life. And yes, I tried the Ice, tried the hot water bottle, did stretching and strengthening and even had to resort to weeks of different pain medications, nothing was helping..
I was originally introduced to Chiropractic through my father who also suffered from arthritic back pain. The first time I got adjusted I remember the instant relief and clarity that followed. It was like someone had just turned the lights on for the first time! The course of chiropractic adjustments that would follow on from my initial first visit had such a powerful effect on me and my entire nervous system that here I am.. 21 years later.. helping others who are frustrated and tired of living with pain.
Because of my own experience with Chiropractic, and through the incredible changes I see in practice every day, I truly believe that Chiropractic has something special to offer. If you know of someone who would benefit from hearing this story, why not share with them. You never know how far reaching your actions are.
Yours in health,
Dr. Neil Murphy (Doctor of Chiropractic)
