Dr. David Day uses his hands to fix and heal — whether restoring an antique car, refurbishing a broken-down desk into next-to-new office furniture, or adjusting an aching back. “I’m a hands-on person,” Day said. The chiropractor, who opened his
Dr. David Day uses his hands to fix and heal — whether restoring an antique car, refurbishing a broken-down desk into next-to-new office furniture, or adjusting an aching back.
“I’m a hands-on person,” Day said.
The chiropractor, who opened his Kapa‘a practice in February of this year, sees mostly patients with pains in the low back or neck, along with a few who are there as a preventative measure.
Tucked away on the second floor of the historic Seto Building, the office has a view of the coastline, interrupted only by palm trees. A cool, ocean breeze makes relaxing that much easier during the hour-long appointments. And the small setting prevents any impression of an impersonal doctor’s visit.
His work, while primarily chiropractic, incorporates different healing arts treatments to first release muscle tension, which leads to longer-lasting adjustments, he said. While some practitioners focus on a single point of pain — say a knee or the neck — Day says his approach is more holistic.
Before a chiropractic treatment, Day weaves into his practice reiki, massage, ortho-bionomy, craniosacral therapy and myofascial trigger point release, all of which are intuitive modalities that read the body’s sensory signals to ultimately relax the patient.
Day said he often works with his eyes closed, relying on feeling to sense muscle tension.
Commonly employed during the beginning of a session is the “chi machine.”
Its name may rouse doubt, but just five minutes offers a sensation of calm and relaxation found after an hour of yoga.
Also called an aerobic exerciser, the device works by shaking the body from head to toe, thus realigning the spine and increasing
circulation.
Laying down, the patient places his or her feet on top of the machine, and it oscillates back and forth in a swinging motion similar to that of a goldfish swimming.
It may not seem like much, but as the movement at the feet gradually makes its way through the legs, arms, neck and head, the patient loosens up. After a few minutes, the swaying stops, creating a tingling sensation that can be likened to pent-up energy escaping the body.
Day usually follows this warm-up exercise with myofascial trigger point release, which uses pressure to release tension from tight spots in the muscle tissue.
“You feel all of a sudden (that) it releases and relaxes,” he said.
With the body in a calm state, Day proceeds to adjustments of the spine, wrists, ankles, knees, neck and shoulders.
He concludes most sessions with craniosacral therapy, which uses very subtle touch around the head and neck to center and relax the patient.
Day also, on occasion, explores reiki, a hands-off running of energy across the body, as well as reflexology, or manipulation of nerve endings in the feet that correspond to different organs in the body.
“You do the feet, and you’re just floating,” he said.
For the hands-on healer, the ability to effect positive change in patients’ lives is what he enjoys most.
“Seeing people’s face change after I’ve worked on them, that’s my biggest reward,” he said. “They just lighten up.”
• Blake Jones, business writer/assistant editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com.
