Dr. Ellen Masman, In-House Chiropractor

My Chiropractic Story

My body showed no symptoms of pain for 25 years. That is when, what I call “The straw that broke the camel’s back.” I was doing a forehand swing and I heard a huge snap that came from my back. That night I swear I had something sticking out of my back. The pain was very sharp.

It grew steadily worse for the next year. The Air Force doctors (I was an enlisted member) gave me pain pills, muscle relaxers, specific exercises to strengthen my back and physical therapy every day. Nothing made the pain go away. The pain was so intense that I could not lift my hands above my chest. I have a fairly high pain tolerance because I grew up on a horse farm and rode for 20 years. I had more trauma than most people have in a life time by age 25.

Since I could no longer lift anything heavier than 10 lbs I was medically cross trained into another job. I became a personnelist. This job has you sitting at a computer (I started with a type writer) with your head cocked to hold the phone to talk and type at the same time. I’m sure you’ve experienced this awkward position before. We moved from overseas to Arizona a year later. My job was intense working at base lever for 2 years. I finally had God smile down on me and I was moved to a squadron.

All of a sudden people just started talking about Chiropractic care. I had never heard of a Chiropractor, let alone what they do for you. My curiosity was peaked because my back was getting worse. I heard about one Chiropractor that I could afford with my Senior Airman pay. I made an appointment and was scared to death. I begged my husband to go with me and he finally gave in.

My first appointment was amazing. Dr. Carla let me talk and fully explain what I was going through. It was a complete 180 degree change from the Air Force doctors. I appreciated her listening skills. She did an exam and then took some x-rays. I was to come back in 2 days for a report and my first adjustment.

Dr. Carla showed and explained why I was having so many problems. I am a visual learner and I completely understood what was going on in my body. She took me into an adjusting room and gave me my first adjustment. I knew at that moment in time that this worked. My pain was reduced drastically and immediately. I was hooked (I had had this pain for 6 years at this point).

That night Dr. Carla was having a health talk that she required each patient to attend. I learned what the body may do if it is correctly aligned and given the right nutrients. I also felt my back slowly going out of align as I sat and listened. I was to learn this was from ligament laxity. Since I had been out of align for so many years (from all the traumas I had as a child with my horses), the ligaments had been stretched too far and couldn’t hold me in the correct position. I also learned that ligaments take a very long time to heal since they have very little vasculature (very low blood flow, hence, very little nutrients).

I made many more appointments in the years to come and kept learning more and more about Chiropractic care. One day Dr. Carla looked at me and said, “You’d make a good Chiropractor.” I just looked at her and almost laughed. Dr. Carla kept saying this over the next half year and I started thinking about being one. I signed up for Anatomy and Physiology. I absolutely love the class!!! The human body is so cool. God knew what he was doing.

I retired from the Air Force here in Wichita Falls at Sheppard AFB. I started taking my classes I needed to get into the doctorate program at Parker University in Dallas, TX. I was shy of algebra, trig, chemistry and physics. Four and a half years later after much studying and praying, I finished school. In order to be a licensed Chiropractor, you must pass four national board exams and jurisprudence for your particular state laws. Then you may apply for your license in order to practice. It was a long road, but it is totally worth it when I help my patients initiate to better their health and healing abilities.

Angela Streadwick, Personal Trainer

My name is Angela Streadwick and I recently started working as a personal trainer in July. I earned my M. S. in Exercise Physiology from MSU and I’m currently working toward my PhD in Health and Human Performance at Concordia University. My serious commitment to exercise began with speed skating when I was in junior high. I competed with a small team and traveled for regional and national competitions. I learned quickly that hard work, consistency, and technique (good form) were three of the most important tools for success. I had an excellent coach who insisted we strengthen our legs with resistance training to improve our race times. This made a lasting impression on me because it worked! I won the regional races in my division that qualified me to compete at nationals. I loved skating and exercising because it made me feel great. I continued exercising throughout my life and always encouraged my friends to exercise with me.

After my daughter was born, I started working towards my bachelor degree at MSU. I competed with the MSU cycling team for 3 years and participated in several collegiate national championships. I spent time traveling, training, and competing with collegiate athletes in many different states. I also enjoy riding horses. I have two off track thoroughbreds that I retrained after they finished racing. My husband trains other peoples’ horses and the client comes out to practice riding before the horse goes home them. I’ve noticed that their lacking the overall strength needed to ride safely. I love to be able to help them get stronger by teaching them exactly what exercises to do.

While earning my M. S. in Exercise Physiology I worked as a graduate assistant where I had the opportunity to assist/teach weight training classes where I realized that I loved helping students/people improve their physical fitness with strength training because I saw the transformation and they felt more confident. Seeing their excitement and enthusiasm encouraged me too! I found that I enjoyed helping others reach their fitness goals so I reached out to a fellow colleague at MSU who was working at RX Strength and he contacted me when an opening became available. I felt very welcomed and everyone is much like family. I am honored to be part of such an amazing community of hard-working clients and trainers. I have the opportunity to work with people of all ages and fitness levels. I enjoy every one of my clients and encourage anyone who is interested in fitness, strength, cardiovascular health, or continued exercise after rehabilitation to come by and visit or call the office.