Posted on April 14, 2022
Nurse chooses chiropractic to relieve pain, fuel her health
A typical workday for Keren Nobel is logging 15,000 steps – the equivalent of nearly seven miles. As a registered nurse at Mercy Health St. Mary’s Hospital, she’s on her feet for 12.5-hour shifts four days a week – longer and more often during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keren’s also an athlete who enjoys pushing herself with strength training and running – she’s training for the Bay Shore Marathon on May 28 in Traverse City. Plus, she’s an aunt with lots of active nephews and a niece, loves traveling all over the world and is pursuing a degree as a family nurse practitioner.
In short, the 29-year-old from Dorr, is very busy and doesn’t have time for pain.
“I’m so physically active, and I tend to push myself,” Keren said. “Chiropractic has been such a help.”
She began care years ago. Growing up on her family’s farm – “I’m talking morning milkings and baling hay!” – Keren and her family experienced a lot of wear and tear on their bodies. They began seeing Dr. Tom Fowler, a chiropractor in Holland. Now, Keren sees him at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.
Fowler recently joined the outpatient Spine Center team, adding another element to Mary Free Bed’s holistic approach to care. He’s the only doctor of chiropractic in Michigan who’s board certified in rehabilitation.
Keren seeks chiropractic when she experiences right shoulder tightness or lower back pain, and also for prevention. Her care includes adjustments, stretches, home exercises and education on posture and body mechanics, such as the use of pillows for proper alignment while sleeping.
“Keren’s typical of a lot of patients – very busy at work, very active at home,” Fowler said. “And now she’s training for a marathon, so she’s running more and cross training. This has increased the use of certain muscles, which affect the mechanics of her lower back, not to mention the stress on her joints. We’re working on mobilizing her joints and adding stretches to stop it from progressing into a more debilitating injury.
“This kind of prevention is so important.”
Keren can’t say enough about the impact chiropractic care has had.
“I’m always seeking to improve my body mechanics and chiropractic helps facilitate that,” she said. “It helps me so I can move … so I can live my life and not be limited by pain. It’s extraordinary.”
