Why I Do What I Do! – Dr. Randall Roth
My Story
I would like to briefly share my story and why I do what I do! A number of years ago, something happened to me that changed my life forever. When I was about 11 years old my parents noticed that my posture was gradually getting worse. It seemed like they were constantly telling me to sit up straight. I would try to sit up straight for a while, then my back would get tired and I would go right back to slumping forward. I remember starting to feel like there must be something really wrong with me, with so many people commenting about my posture. Even friends and other family members started noticing my poor posture. My parents decided it was time to take action. They first took me to an orthopedic doctor who examined and x-rayed me. On the x-rays, he discovered that I had a progressive condition known as Scoliosis (curvature of the spine). If the degree of scoliosis gets bad enough, the conventional treatment involves fitting the patient for a back brace (called a Milwaukee brace) that must be worn 23 hours per day. If the condition keeps progressing, surgery might be needed at some point in the future. This is the surgery where they cut open the back and screw metal rods to the spine to support the curvature. Aside from being taken out of football and hearing the news about my back, I was emotionally crushed. Anyway, I went through some physical therapy and my condition seemed to not improve at all.
My parents did not like the way things were going and decided to call a doctor who was an acquaintance of my father. The doctor told them that he had experienced a lot of success treating people with Scoliosis without back braces or surgery. I was very excited to hear that there was still hope, and that I may not be condemned to a life of wearing a back brace or back surgery. This new doctor did an exam, took some X-rays, and then began “correcting” the curvature in my spine.
Full Circle
After receiving my treatments, the doctor took some follow-up x-rays and my spinal curvature was corrected. My posture also returned to normal. Oh, did I mention that this doctor was a chiropractor? It worked so well for me, and I was so impressed with the other “miracles” I saw in his office, that I eventually went to chiropractic school myself. “And that’s why I do what I do!” By the way, after the doctor corrected my spine I was able to return to junior high and high school competitive sports. What once seemed hopeless turned out to be a positive life changing experience. I was and am so thankful that my parents considered all of the options before throwing in the towel. Fortunately, they made the right choice for me. Sometimes I look back and think of what my quality of life would be like had they not made the right choice. As a parent, I can appreciate this monumental decision even more. It is scary to think that right now I could have metal rods attached to my spine had my parents not opened their minds to other possibilities.
After the profound life-changing experience with the treatment I received, my father went on to become a Doctor of Chiropractic, and I, along with my brothers, followed in his footsteps. While going through my doctorate training, I was delightfully surprised to learn that Doctors of Chiropractic were much more than just “back pain” doctors.
In 1990, after years of undergraduate and postgraduate work, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and a Doctorate Degree in Chiropractic. Four months later I opened my first practice. Fast forward to the present day, and it’s almost 30 years later (with many years of experience gained in treating conditions ranging from very simple to very complex)!
-Dr. Randall Roth