The final doctor appointment...until next time

I had the last scheduled doctor appointment in my "corrective" plan.  Here were the results:

1) My cervical sublaxation has improved.  Originally, I had a cervical angle (called "lordosis") of 25 degrees causing my head to sit 23 mm to far forward, which could result in reduced lung capacity and digestive problems.  As of yesterday, my lordosis is between 29 & 30 degrees, reducing the forward position of my head to 7 mm.  For more specific information, click here.
2) My spinal thermography scan showed irritation in my lower back and in my neck and upper thoracic region, which seemed to support the that my forward head posture was still placing pressure on my lower back.
3) My right shoulder still sits higher than my left shoulder.

At my first appointment, my doctor and I defined "healthy" as waking up with no back pain and being able to run 10 miles with no back pain or ill effects afterwards.  Neither one of these are the case so far.  I did have a short period of time when I did not have any back pain, but I still would not consider myself healthy.  And, neither does my doctor.  In his opinion, I am 75% of the way there.

The results were not what I hoped.  I didn't expect to be perfect, but I was hoping I would have achieved more.  So, I am going to continue to see him once a week for the next few months.  Probably just as important as the actual adjustments, this will allow me a little safety net mentally.  Let me explain.  I plan to intelligently increase my mileage while continuing the exercises to improve my posture.  As I do increase my volume, it will be comforting to know I am going to continue to see the doc as he will be able to assess my physical well-being.  My mental state regarding my health and running is still extremely fragile, and the continued preventative appointments will serve as a crutch.

I would refer anyone to my doctor!  He gave me back the gift of running.  I truly believe that.  So, now begins my next journey.  It's up to me to figure out how often to run.  It's up to me how long each run should be.  To be honest it scares the crap out of me.  Last time I literally almost ran myself out.  I'm scared I'm going to repeat the same mistakes.

For now, I'm just going to worry about today...and I can't wait to go run my 6-7 km after work!