Complete Health and Rehabilitation

SHORT STORY– auto collision. I felt comfortable with the practice at the initial visit. I started treatments that lasted for weeks with no improvement. I saw Dr. Oistad only a few times out of the months I was being ‘treated’. He misdiagnosed a common injury as an «old surgery». Anytime I voiced concerns of pain level, lack of improvement, or recovery time, I felt he had a nonchalant demeanor. I felt I was being brushed off, like I was just another collision patient. He never once treated me himself. No adjustments, no Gratson, medical massage just the pta and tens. I felt bounced between the pain management clinic and him. Between the two the only effective treatment I received was more pills from the clinic, which I could only take at night because my daily activities require sobriety. I switched doctors and saw significant improvement within the first week. I saw my 2^nd doctor at least once a week. I just wish I wouldn’t have wasted my time. I might have been recovered enough to get back to work by now had I gone to a different practice to begin with. He seems more concerned with his Crossfit gym members than rehabilitating his actual patients.
LONG STORY– I have been seeing a chiropractor for years. I never had significant injuries. I regularly visited a chiropractor for muscle fatigue or joint pain from sports and exercise. I have never had to receive physical therapy. I had an auto collision and my regular chiropractor would not accept an LOP. I was referred to Complete Health and Rehab by my attorney. At my first appointment, Dr. Oistad seemed experienced and confident in his knowledge of common collision injuries. I voiced my symptoms and was evaluated in the office. I was sent to get x-​rays and an mri. Meanwhile, I was coming into the office multiple times a week to get treated with TENS only, for several weeks. I asked if I could get adjusted, at a therapy appointment. He came from his crossfit gym next door and said he didn’t want to until I got xrays and an mri. Ok, that makes sense. I asked for an adjustment after the mri and he said he wanted to wait. Fair enough, he’s the doctor. I only saw Dr. Oistad once that month for an x-​ray mri follow up. He told me my diagnosis. I went to research what he told me so I could know more about my injury and recovery time. The symptoms of his diagnosis were there. But, my most severe symptoms didn’t match his diagnosis. I have deformity on a different part of my body, which showed when the swelling stopped, after my first evaluation. I’m not a doctor or nurse, but, I knew things weren’t adding up. When I showed the giant bump and described the pain, at one of my TENS appointments, the p.t.a. wrote it down on my chart. Dr. Oistad didn’t see or talk to me until the follow up visit 3 WEEKS LATER. He said the xrays showed something where I have this giant bump, but it looked like a previous surgery. I HAVE NEVER HAD INJURY REPAIR SURGERY EVER. The only surgeries I’ve ever had are minor outpatient ectomy/​extraction. I had to get pushy for him to throw out the previous surgery idea. My treatment switched from tens to just stretching for several more weeks. I only saw him once that month to confirm I was seeing no improvement. After so many appointments just to stretch, I got fed up with no results and never seeing my doctor. When I did see him I felt pushed off into the herd of collision patients his office sees on a daily basis. When voicing my concerns of no improvement, he would have a nonchalant demeanor, no sense of concern. I had the cd copies of my mri and x-​rays, so I looked at them myself. I used the internet to translate to laments terms. But most I understood. I googled my symptoms and compared my x-​rays. Turns out, there was a common injury, which is pretty easy to see and diagnose. That was the «old surgery». When comparing my x-​ray image to web md, I found the injury is rated 1 – 6. My x-​ray picture is similar to a 3. Now, I am no doctor and the internet is not a doctor either, but I can match pictures of x-​rays. compare my x-​rays to other similar looking x-​rays. The internet diagnosis was probably correct. I gave my regular chiropractor a call to ask if I am being paranoid and this was normal. The answer was a BIG FAT NO! My regular chiro. referred me to a reputable practice that accepted an LOP. I switched to them immediately. I actually saw the doctor at least once a week if not more, I got adjusted and had more physical activity in therapy not just stretches for months. They looked at the xray and said my self-​diagnosis was correct. (Too bad I’m not the one getting paid for it) I saw improvement within the first week. I wish I would have avoided his practice from the get go and saved myself time and pain.