The pain was excruciating, my back and legs so weak, I barely made it from the car to the door of the building.

When I came out 45 minutes later, I moved freely and the pain was gone.

A little pain returned the next day; I had a few more treatments during the next few weeks. But I’ve found chiropractic care to be a great help when my back problems act up.

“Most of the time less severe conditions are due to over-doing it, lifting a heavy object or continuing to work when we have already injured ourselves,” Dr. Justin Fogo of Chelsea Chiropractic and Acupuncture clinic said.

“More severe conditions — disc injuries, nerve pain — are due to a larger underlying problem such as degenerative changes, spinal stenosis (narrowing of an opening where that nerve passes) or trauma.”

On a patient’s initial visit, Dr. Fogo’s focus is first about pain and inflammation control, he said. He uses electrical stimulation to relax muscle spasms and decrease pain, ultrasound to promote a quicker healing time.

For low back injuries, he may use traction therapy. He does chiropractic adjustment/manipulation, and may use acupuncture for pain — which I haven’t tried.

Fogo grew up working on his family’s farm on the Nebraska/Kansas border. As a student-athlete (football and wrestling) he saw a chiropractor for sports-related injuries and was impressed with how treatments helped him.

He received his undergraduate degree in psychobiology; his doctorate from a chiropractic college. Then, after working with other chiropractors for a few years, he opened his Chelsea practice in 2004. His wife Mary is office manager; their sons, ages 20 months and nine months, are often at the office.

Dr. Fogo said that, while he grew up in the country Mary grew up in a city, so they find Chelsea the perfect fit for them.

“We feel lucky to live and work in the same wonderful community,” he said. “We didn’t land here accidentally. We chose this city to start our first practice, buy our first home, raise our sons and be a part of something great happening in Shelby County. If we can bring a little health and wellness to a community that has given us so much, it’s both a pleasure and an honor to do, so I love what I do and hope to improve the quality of people’s lives every day.”

He has certainly improved mine.

Shelba Nivens can be reached by e-mail at ssnivens@bellsouth.net.