My new world (how to read my blog!)

Posted byChristy CollinsPosted inResourcesTags:, , , , ,

Hey everyone,

As some of you know, I started this blog back in 2016 when I felt totally helpless. I was totally dependent on chiropractic adjustments, which I thought were the only thing that could help me, and I was beginning to think surgery was the only long-term answer.

But somehow, something magic happened when I finally put this problem on the front burner.

I’d kept this problem on the back burner for a long time. I held back from trying too many different approaches, and I hated to even talk about it, afraid no one would believe me.

Yet I reached a point where I realized that leaving this problem on the back burner wasn’t helping me at all. Taking no for an answer, and being quiet about it, only prolonged my problem.

So I moved it to the front. First and foremost. If this problem was going to make me put the rest of my life on hold, I was going to hit it with everything I’d got.

And then, the answers came, piece by piece. Some of the discoveries even happened by accident, but they also happened because I was paying full attention.

My blog is like my passport through that time.

You can see the various stamps of where I’ve been, and the places I’ve visited along the way.

  • You can see the moment when I first realized strengthening my muscles actually could work to stabilize my SI joints, the way people had been telling me it would.

I’ve left some of these older posts up, because I thought it would helpful for all of you out there, to see how I found my way out of this time.

However, there is so much else I want you to know!

I’ve been reading through some of my older posts lately, and finding that actually, my thinking has changed since I wrote them.

It’s not that what I said was wrong— it was what I knew at the time, and was based off of the best information I had.

I’ve come so far, and I’m in such a different place now— I wanted to make sure you know!

For one thing, I no longer believe aquatic therapy is the only way to get better.

I’ve got a lot of posts up where I talk about how it really was the key to my recovery, and I kind of struggle with whether to delete them or not.

Because I love my past posts… and I even, finally, love that person who wrote them. (I’ve come a long way in having self-compassion, after years of questioning myself for having these “mysterious” health problems no one else seemed to have!).

So do I delete those posts, or leave them up? That person was struggling… but she found her way out of that mess. And think it’s probably good for people to see that.

Now, I can see I thought aquatic therapy was the only way because of the limited information I had at the time. It was what my chiropractor told me, when in actuality, it would have been better if I stopped seeing him and found the right physical therapist.

I still love aquatic workouts, but now I know there’s just so much more to strengthening and recovery. And, most importantly, I don’t want anyone who can’t get to a pool to think there’s no way for them to get better. It’s so not true.

What it comes down to for one person may be different from another.

The key thing is to strengthen your muscles, and there are absolutely gentle ways to do your strengthening on land! (I just didn’t have anyone to tell me that in 2016!).

Some people might even go to PT to work on their core strength, only to discover they have dysfunctional breathing patterns, and need to actually correct that first.

I really regret working with my chiropractor for so long.

Yes, he was able to put my joints into the correct alignment, but there was just so much missing to this treatment model.

For one thing, I had an undiagnosed hypermobility condition, and now I know I never should have been receiving chiropractic adjustments in the first place!

But even if that hadn’t been the issue, it is still a very limited treatment model.

Correcting your alignment is crucial — but there is so much you can do to optimize your stability through training both your muscles as well as your nervous system. In the long run, that’s what the answer is — the goal is to become so stable that adjustments are a thing of the past.

So… what do I do, when this is what I believe now, and I still have these old posts up talking about what I learned from my chiropractor?

Some of them I’ve edited… some of them I’ve left as is.

This was my story, and I’m giving you the answers I have now because I really lived it.

I can help you, and know exactly how it feels to be lost… because I was lost.

So do I leave my past stepping stones up? Delete them?

What do you guys think?

Do you find it helpful to read the story of how someone overcame something, even if their thinking later changed?

Or would you rather just skip straight ahead to the answers?

Let me know in the comments below!

Published by Christy Collins

Hi, I'm Christy! I'm a health coach who helps people overcome SI joint dysfunction and chronic pain.

16 thoughts on “My new world (how to read my blog!)”

  1. Hi
    Thanks for sharing your story and it’s a hard decision to know what to do for thr best in regards of what people want to hear?
    Saying that, it is nice to see a timeliness, almost diary but perhaps do a new one with referrals back to when/where you thought certain things helped? In that respect I’d like to see the ‘skip ahead’ kinda thing.
    (I’m currently struggling and have booked back in for the chiropractor, he was unsure about seeing me with my recent hEDS diagnosis, however he does have another client with it and only uses minimal adjustments so I’m hoping he can help, going to have a chat with him initially (I did improve after seeing him 2017 to 2019). I do worry that the exercises given by my physio could be making things worse or not helping?)

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    1. Thanks for the feedback, Wendy! I think that’s a great idea to do a timeline of how my thinking changed— I’ll definitely look into that!

      And I would say, if you’re concerned that your exercises might not be helping, that’s absolutely a feeling I would take seriously. The right exercise routine should be completely painless — every exercise can be modified!

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  2. Do not delete! Maybe just put something on the bottom about where you are on your journey now, or click here to see how my thought process has changed since this. I think it helps people who are in the throws of pain and trying to solve their own issues.

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  3. I would not delete. Your blind alley just emphasizes how difficult and complex this problem is. Treatment needs to be individualized to see what works and what doesn’t. Perhaps, add a commentary in red to past blogs where your thinking has dramatically changed and a hyperlink to your new understanding. A good example is the non-sensical chiropractic adjustments on a loose SI joint which you started with and now realize were doing more harm than good. That treatment only further strains/loosens the SI ligaments even more, and can lead to catastrophic results such as ligament tears, upslips, etc.
    Keep up the great work informing and helping!

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  5. I agree about the commentary in red that Dr. Segel suggested. Maybe someone will identify with your old thinking and that will help them realize why your new way of thinking on some things has changed. It is a relief to know that it is possible to get better. I totally identify with the back burner thinking. I sometimes want to forget about it and not hassle with all the exercises, but every day I’m quickly reminded that it is something I need to deal with. I would love it if you had a booklet of all of your excercises. I would definately pay for that. I’m hoping to schedule a phone call with you in the near future when I get all my questions figured out. So thankful for you and the informaiton that you share.

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    1. Thank you so much for chiming in, Ronda! It means so much to know people are still finding my older posts helpful.

      Yes— I’m absolutely planning to put out more info about my exercises. Looking forward to speaking with you!!!

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  6. I definitely think that you should leave your old posts up. Like some of the others said make a reference to your new thinking. After all it was part of your journey to get to where you are now and even with all the ups and downs it shows people there is a light at the end of the tunnel you just have to be persistent. I have been following you for a while now and I myself have gained valuable insight from your blogs to the point that I am finally getting the help and relief I was seeking. It wasn’t easy getting to this point and I couldn’t have gotten there without your blog so I think you should leave them up. Finally I have been told I have Hypermobile joint syndrome or Elhers Danlos lll I have to do further test to get confirmation of the Elhers Danlos (I did not know there was different levels) but I definitely have hypermobile syndrome. Finally someone believes me. I have been going through Prolotherapy what a difference in my SI joint pain. Hopefully only one more treatment 🤞so thank you thank you for all that you are doing. Every little nugget of info helps in some way.

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    1. Thank you so much, Sharon. I’m also glad my blog has been helpful to you in this way!

      Reading some of my past posts, I can see such a huge difference in how I thought about this issue before I knew I was hypermobile — it makes such a HUGE difference once you can figure that out about yourself.

      Wishing you the best with prolotherapy— let me know how it goes!!!

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  7. Hi Christy,
    I would leave the old posts, but maybe put links to updated information that you have learned. One thing I learned in my journey is that I had the wrong chiropractor. I found the right one in the summer of 2020 and have been healing ever since.

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  8. Hi Christy,

    I think you should definitely keep the old posts, but at the very top of them, in bold and hard to miss, put something like “UPDATE – While still useful, I no longer think it’s absolutely necessary, here’s why” and link to this post.

    I recently was diagnosed with SI pain, just found your blog (which is such an excellent resource), and just finished reading all 8 of your keys to recovery and a bunch of other posts, and all throughout there is such a strong recommendation for aquatic therapy that I said to myself, “shoot, I’m crazy if I don’t look into this, she obviously has thoroughly researched this and says it’s absolutely necessary,” went and googled aquajogging a bunch.

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