Introducing Palm Beach Gardens Chiropractor, Dr. Steve Prefer
Have you ever considered an injury to be a blessing in disguise? When I was in my early 20's, I was seriously injured while playing sports. I was the kind of person that would never stop working out because of an injury. One day a manager in the gym saw me grimacing as I attempted to sit up after bench pressing. I explained to him how I hurt my lower back and he suggested that I see a chiropractor who's office was right across the street. He told me that he has a good reputation and is also a fellow gym member.
Being a stubborn male, I waited about a week before making an appointment to see the chiropractor. I didn't want to go, but my work outs were being ruined by the pain I was experiencing.
To make a long story short, I was back in the gym working out in just two weeks after being diagnosed with 2 herniated discs in my lower back by my chiropractor. I thought to myself, this is a miracle. A couple of weeks ago, I struggled to tie my own sneakers! I could not believe how fast I healed.
I became good friends with the chiropractor over time. He played on several of my softball teams through the years. One day while in his office, I told George (the chiropractor) that I was bored with my career. I was a part owner of a deli located in Long Island, NY. George asked me if I had ever considered chiropractic school? That was a scary thought, I was about to turn 31 years old.....school again??? Rather than dwell on the fear of returning to school at my age, I decided to jump right in the first chance that I had.
I discovered that I needed a four year degree before starting chiropractic college. That was fine, I had already graduated from Hofstra University. I did, however need to complete my prerequisite courses; they were probably even harder than chiropractic college itself looking back. Physics I and II, Inorganic Chemistry I and II, Organic Chemistry I and II......the list goes on and on, but I made it through and began chiropractic college in Georgia at Life University. While in school I decided to take outside seminars in order to learn as many techniques as possible. This way I could apply the best technique for each individual patient. That's a decision that I'll always be grateful for. I'll never forget my time in chiropractic college. I graduated in 1995.
Now things get scary again.....I have to find a State to practice in, pass the State Boards after previously passing the National Boards and open up a practice. Can you feel the stress mounting?
The one thing that you are not prepped for in chiropractic college is how to deal with the public. I was scared at first but I decided to just be myself and treat others the way that I would like to be treated. I developed a nice "family practice". I loved my time and experience in Virginia. Through the kind words of many successful patients, my practice flourished.
After many years in Virginia, I decided that I needed to be closer to my parents who were in Florida.....here we go again.....State Boards....studying 8 hours a day.....coffee, coffee and more coffee!!! Now I'm here in Florida and have just opened up a new practice in a gorgeous new building on Northlake Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens. It's funny how something so good came from something pretty bad.....a blessing in disguise? You bet it is, 13 years later and I'm having the time of my life!!!
The only difficult part about being a chiropractor is you must constantly "sell" chiropractic. That is not me, I am not a salesperson. I let my work speak for itself. I may not see 20, 30 or 40 people a day but I go home at night knowing that I did the absolute best job that I could on each and every patient. I spend on the average 30-40 minutes treating a patient.
I have a very high success rate at my office but if I can't help you, I will find you someone who can....that's just the way I operate. You will find me here 7 days a week. As long as there is someone in pain....I am there for them......makes vacations a little tricky, but I've been blessed and this is one way to show my appreciation.
Now, let's get to some of your questions........
Chiropractors only work on back and neck problems right? Not at Preferred Chiropractic, I work on injuries from head to toe.
Once you see a chiropractor, you always need to see them forever, right? Not this chiropractor......when you are out of pain, your treatment is concluded!
I don't have the time necessary to correct my spinal misalignments. I understand, so let's get you out of pain. Unless you are seriously injured, most sprains and strains take about 2-4 visits to heal. Let me explain why.....when you get hurt, your body lays down inflammation to protect the injured joint or area. We first need to reduce the inflammation with therapies before we can make any stabilizing corrections.....hence 2-4 visits for this type of injury.
But I've got a serious disc bulge, what am I looking at? About 6 treatments for pain to exit and another 6 to correct the misalignments. Can I stop after 6 treatments? Yes, but by doing this, you may create a weak area in the future; the choice however is always yours.
Will I feel pressure to commit to additional treatments? NEVER......I'll explain your options, you make the decision!
What will happen if I am inconsistent with my treatment immediately after an injury? Your body will take longer to fully heal.
What about things like headaches, sinus troubles, sciatica and carpal tunnel? Do you work on those? We work on most all areas of the body that nerves travel.
What do nerves have to do with my health? Pressure on a nerve can reduce information traveling from point A to point B. Let's use the dimmer switch as an example. Great party!!!.......now dim the lights by 75 %........it's still a party, but great party???.....probably not!
Can you give me examples of nerve irritation? Absolutely. An example of a hyper-irritated nerve (too much information) would be diarrhea. An example of a hypo-irritated nerve (not enough information) would be constipation.
Now let's open up the dimmer switch to 100%. Both problems should disappear because now the brain is sending 100% of the information necessary to sustain the organ's life.
Do Chiropractic adjustments hurt and what is the cracking sound? I'll take on the cracking sound first.....that is generally air being released from the joint capsules in the area being corrected. Does it hurt?......... Does it hurt when you crack your knuckle? People are always afraid of things that they don't understand. Do not worry, I use many different chiropractic techniques in my office and the majority of them do not involve the “air release” which is responsible for the cracking sound that some people fear.
What is your greatest achievement in Chiropractic? I had a 61 year old lady come to see me for excruciating lower back pain. She was told by her medical doctors that she probably would never walk again without the use of a cane. It seems that the pain she was experiencing was being caused by a tumor that was in an area too dangerous to operate on. I remember seeing her face and how stressed out she looked. All signs were pointing toward her retiring and that was something she was unprepared for financially.
I used a chiropractic technique that was very non invasive. Comfortable wedges were inserted under the patients pelvis. The patient lies in the prone position for about 20 - 30 minutes. This technique provides gentle traction to the entire lumbar spine. It is normally used on hot disc patients. It was her last chance, so we did all that we could. I treated her twice a day for 6 straight days, then once a day for an additional 6 days.
She left my office with no pain. Her medical doctors were in a state of dis-belief. They convinced her to take another MRI. The post MRI revealed no signs of any tumors.
After comparing her two MRI’s at my office, my patient and I shared a long hug and even longer smile. Over time, I have seen a lot of miracles in my office….I thank God every day for this career.
When I was younger, as stated earlier, I lived in the gym. Whenever there was something heavy that my friends or relatives needed help with, I was usually the one who got the call. After the job was done, I would typically hear things like "thanks, I never could have done that without you". I remember, as if it were yesterday thinking to myself....." I hope that I end up with a career that allows me to hear those kind of things all the time"......... Funny how life works isn't it?
I hope that I have made you a little less apprehensive about coming to a Chiropractic office. Given the chance, I'll do everything in my power to help you.
God bless,
Dr. Stephen G. Prefer, DC
Patient Login
Free Newsletter
Dr. Prefer, DC Asks...
