Verna Brame is so relieved to be feeling better that she tells everyone about her recent discovery.
Brame, who moved to Rita Ranch late last summer, has osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.
Her relief came by way of a new chiropractic business that opened a few blocks from her home.
Brame said that during the cold of winter, her pain grew to "about a 10 on a scale of one to 10."
"It got to the point where I could barely get around," said Brame, 73. "I had been using a walker, and it got to the point where I couldn't use a walker. I was having a hard time just getting out of bed."
When her son came to visit in early April, he saw the sign for Staggs' Chiropractic.
They met Dana Staggs and learned that he uses a machine called a Pro-Adjuster to do manipulations traditionally carried out manually.
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Staggs, who used to practice using the more traditional body work, said this is a much gentler approach.
The Pro-Adjuster, which is a hand-held instrument, scans the bone and monitors movement. The vertebra is then tapped until it moves back into place. The Pro-Adjuster is a two-headed prong — one on each side of the spine — which can exert up to 20 pounds of pressure, Staggs said.
"First of all, you don't have the muscles fighting back as you do with a regular adjustment. There's no twisting or cracking of bones," said Staggs, 45. "The instrument actually does the adjustment itself."
His patients have been happy with the outcome, he said.
"We got pretty good results before, but I've got to tell you, I can't believe how much better the results are with this," he said.
Brame said that after her first session, she felt better. Then she went again, and her health continued to improve.
"Even after those few sessions, it's been a godsend to me," she said. "I'll tell everyone I see to go see him."
Brame said she is now in a three-week program to rehabilitate her left side.
Staggs, a third-generation chiropractor, practiced traditional chiropractic medicine until a little over four years ago.
"My shoulders were just shot from sports and from doing the adjusting," he said. "I had to retire because of that."
He said he's excited to be working in his field again.
Brittany Staggs, 19, works as a receptionist for her father.
She said business has been picking up steadily since they opened on April 4 in the shopping center at 8140 S. Houghton Road, Suite 130.
Most of their customers are from Rita Ranch and Vail, she said.
"We just have people stopping in all the time telling us how this is long overdue, to have a chiropractor out here," Dana Staggs said.
"It's been overwhelming, quite honestly, how responsive they've been."
New business
Staggs' Chiropractic, 8140 S. Houghton Road, Suite 130, on the northwest corner of East Rita and South Houghton roads. At his clinic, chiropractor Dana Staggs uses a computerized machine called a Pro-Adjuster.
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Want to learn more? Call 574-3600 or go online to www.pro-adjuster.us.
Opening a new business in the area? Let us know about it! Call reporter Patty Machelor at 235-0308 or e-mail her at pmachelor@azstarnet.com.
