"This was the most life changing journey I have been on with Christy. I came to her in severe back and neck pain, muscle spasms, my sense of smell distorted, and numbness/tingling in my fingers and feet. This led me to feeling the weirdest tingling headaches, brain fog, emotional detachment, my voice was hoarse, and insomnia. I had been to the ER at least 9 times within 3 weeks with 4 CT scans 2 with contrast and 2 without contrast. I had a MRI of my neck and head with only one finding a bulging disc. My doctor looked at me and stated, “Maybe that is causing your issue.” I prayed for relief because I felt the doctors were not listening to me. I knew my body and something was not right. The disconnect in my body had been going on since March 2020. At that time, I became sick with what I was told was an Upper Respiratory infection via a telephone consultation. Due to COVID restrictions, I was not allowed in the office. From March 2020 to November 2020 I took prescription medicine after prescription medicine with no relief. I had even been to a chiropractor and physical therapy. I attributed all of my newer symptoms to neck manipulation because I was not getting better. I knew something had to be done because my condition was tearing my family apart. My doctor told me she was sending me to therapy and I agreed.
I walked into Christy’s office expecting another therapy session. I did not disclose anything to her, but just from her assessment of my body she knew the trauma my body had been through. I knew my prayers were being answered when she was able to tell me one significant thing about my body only I would know about. As our sessions progressed she continued to identify issues within my body that I knew but had been overlooked. We talked about nutrition and vitamin intake. The first day of my actual session she identified my anxiety. Within a week, my anxiety was gone, and I was sleeping at night again. One day I made a decision to stop taking all the allergy medications, muscle relaxers, and other meds the doctors placed me on. I began vitamins, switched my diet, and continued my sessions with Christy.
Over a 2 month period, I could notice my headaches decrease, my pain decrease, and my smell distortion changing. The numbness and tingling was starting to be less noticeable. I was having trouble keeping my arms raised for an extended period. I told Christy and within 2 weeks I was able to raise my arms again. I was starting to feel normal again. My mental health was normalizing and I could function daily again. I will honestly admit my first few sessions I would cry and was not sure why. Spiritually my soul felt so much more relaxed. I even remember going to her expressing how afraid I was for my health and to receive an MRI. I went to my appointment the day after a session and the fear was gone. I was very content and the worry was no more. I knew I was going to be alright.
Within 4 months, I was better physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. I’m living a normal life now and my family is no longer strained. I can lift things again and hold my arms up with no pain. I take my vitamins every day and I continue my nutritional plan. I continue to heal daily because as long as you give the body what it needs it will heal. I will forever be thankful for Christy for her IMT and nutritional knowledge.
PS- I forgot to mention they found a hemorrhagic polyp on my vocal cord early Oct 2020 with potential surgery needed. I went to a follow up 4 months later and the polyp was gone. I know what aided in my progress to the polyp disappearing was the fact I stop taking the meds prescribed. I let my body heal itself with the correct diet, nutrition, and IMT sessions." -Natalie
I walked into Christy’s office expecting another therapy session. I did not disclose anything to her, but just from her assessment of my body she knew the trauma my body had been through. I knew my prayers were being answered when she was able to tell me one significant thing about my body only I would know about. As our sessions progressed she continued to identify issues within my body that I knew but had been overlooked. We talked about nutrition and vitamin intake. The first day of my actual session she identified my anxiety. Within a week, my anxiety was gone, and I was sleeping at night again. One day I made a decision to stop taking all the allergy medications, muscle relaxers, and other meds the doctors placed me on. I began vitamins, switched my diet, and continued my sessions with Christy.
Over a 2 month period, I could notice my headaches decrease, my pain decrease, and my smell distortion changing. The numbness and tingling was starting to be less noticeable. I was having trouble keeping my arms raised for an extended period. I told Christy and within 2 weeks I was able to raise my arms again. I was starting to feel normal again. My mental health was normalizing and I could function daily again. I will honestly admit my first few sessions I would cry and was not sure why. Spiritually my soul felt so much more relaxed. I even remember going to her expressing how afraid I was for my health and to receive an MRI. I went to my appointment the day after a session and the fear was gone. I was very content and the worry was no more. I knew I was going to be alright.
Within 4 months, I was better physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. I’m living a normal life now and my family is no longer strained. I can lift things again and hold my arms up with no pain. I take my vitamins every day and I continue my nutritional plan. I continue to heal daily because as long as you give the body what it needs it will heal. I will forever be thankful for Christy for her IMT and nutritional knowledge.
PS- I forgot to mention they found a hemorrhagic polyp on my vocal cord early Oct 2020 with potential surgery needed. I went to a follow up 4 months later and the polyp was gone. I know what aided in my progress to the polyp disappearing was the fact I stop taking the meds prescribed. I let my body heal itself with the correct diet, nutrition, and IMT sessions." -Natalie
Pictured below are Natalie's Vocal Cords. The right one was taken in February 2020 and the left one in Mar 2021.
Christy started seeing Natalie on Oct 26th, 2020.
Christy started seeing Natalie on Oct 26th, 2020.
"This experience is life changing...you put me more in touch with my body than I ever have been...I wish I could bring everyone I know in here." -Kelly
"Trusting Christy with my total health since 2004, I highly recommend this rewarding experience to everyone!" -Shirley
" I am more than 65 years old and would like to tell you how I have been transformed in the last six months mentally, spiritually and physically. I was introduced to Christy Shaheen with Physical Therapy Unlimited in Manhattan Kansas in January 2014. With her help my diabetes is in much better control, my leg and knee have healed and surgery will not be necessary, and I feel young, able to keep up with 10 grandchildren. Her talents are unique and all accomplished without prescription drugs. I will be a work in progress each day and the quality of life better. I would highly recommend her talents to any and all regardless of age." - Carol
"I have seen over 30 physical therapists in my 38 years of life. Appointments with acupuncturists, back surgeons, chiropractors, herbalists, massage therapists, naturopaths, neurologists, and primary care physicians, have been often, and I know I am forgetting other titles of those who have tried to assist me in improving my well-being.
I took my first gymnastics class when I was four years old. I was 15 years old when I finally stopped due to the pain from the damage that had been done to my growing body. My last three years of gymnastics I was a part of the FM Acro Team, a nationally renowned traveling team that performed at half-times for NFL, NCAA, and NBA games. We practiced for ten months of the year, four nights a week, and traveled on the weekends for show season six months of the year. We had two months "off" every year, which meant we did summer diving programs, as being still was not encouraged, nor one of our forte's. By my final year on Acro I was hot-tubing for 30 minutes prior to seeing the trainer for taping/braces before practice. It was hoped that the hot water would help loosen my muscles and relieve some of the pain. I remember it just making me sleepy.
I loved gymnastics and it was a huge part of my life. I learned a lot about discipline, teamwork, focus, effort, failure, and success. Those are all things that I am grateful for experiencing.
When I was 27 years old I was in a bike versus car door accident which, literally, laid me out. I knocked myself out, broke the back of my bike helmet, her car window, and bent her door back on its hinges with my impact. Again, being still and going slow were not high on my radar, yet. Thankfully, I managed to just bruise bones, create a hematoma the size of my fist in my right breast, and basically threw my already struggling skeletal structure further into misalignment. I also suffered brain damage when I cracked my helmet head on the cement that altered my reflexes and nerves in my legs.
These two experiences in life caused my body to lock up (bi)monthly in varying places whether it be my low back, my upper back, or my neck. My monthly cycle added to the chaos as it would often pull discs further from their "homes" making movement excruciating and limited for days. I have muscle relaxers and use them in dire times, but even they can only put a dent in the situation.
I had tried everything that I could think of and had resigned myself to simply accepting the situation. However, my husband felt differently and encouraged/demanded that I go in to see my new primary doctor in Manhattan to discuss options, surgery finally being on the list. I told her this story and all of the different approaches that had been attempted thus far. She smiled at me and said, "I know just the person for you. Her name is Christy Shaheen, and don't worry, she is not a physical terrorist." (I have had some painful experiences in the past with PT's.)
At my first appointment Christy did her assessment of my body without knowing any of my past. She kept hovering over my right shoulder/chest area. She eventually asked, "Did you suffer an impact in this area?" Yes, Christy, yes I did. I knew then that if this woman could read my body correctly, without having been told what it had endured, that I was in the right place.
Within four weeks of visits my pain began to vastly decrease, my body began to shift back to its proper home, and my periods returned to normal and stopped throwing my back out. I have not suffered one lock up in any part of my body. This is many firsts in eleven years time!
In under four months Christy has put "Humpty Dumpty" back together again, something I did not think probable. Her extensive knowledge has assisted me in healing physically and emotionally. The gratitude and thankfulness in my heart cannot be expressed enough for what she has done for me.
Thank you Christy. You are truly amazing." -Jill
"I was thrust into my healing journey due to injuries sustained in a double-fatality car accident one November night. Clinically, I had broken my neck in two places, compressed additional vertebrae, received a deep laceration on my scalp, suffered a severe concussion, and sustained multiple other bumps and bruises. While my husband worked to get me just to open my eyes, the doctors told my parents I would never be the same again and would most likely require long-term care.
As the broken bones, cuts and bruises all began to heal, I was told I was considered 20% permanently disabled and the likelihood that I would ever be able to rotate my neck much at all was very low. I lived in constant pain and had continual ringing in my ears. My bedside table resembled a pharmacy.
My body was on overdrive and I was in this hyper adrenal state as I called it. I would go through periods of frenetic activity, but then have heavy periods of exhaustion because of it. This cycle continued on for months until I found I had not been able to get out of bed for nearly two weeks. The pain was so intense I could hardly breathe. After three trips to the doctor where they found nothing wrong with me, they decided it was depression and placed me on anti-depressants. This took a bit of the edge off, but never fully resolved the situation.
My strong desire to return to “normal” led me down many different paths. . .neurology, ear/nose/throat, chiropractic, acupuncture, traditional physical therapy, and healing massage. Relief would come in small doses from each of these, but never for any extended amount of time.
That’s when I began working with Christy and Integrated Manual Therapy (IMT). It was my hours on the IMT table that changed my life and is, I believe, the sole reason I am a functioning, nearly pain free individual rather than confined to a wheelchair with a continual morphine drip!
IMT work is not always the quick cure – as in my case there was so much overwhelming trauma, it took some time (ok a lot of time) to work through it all – but what IMT can do is get to the root cause of why the body is doing what it is doing and feeling, and release it so the body can heal itself. We don’t have to live with pain because our bodies are amazing and have so much inherit ability to heal themselves, but sometimes it just needs a little nudge or help to find the right path toward healing.
A simplified example of this is dehydration. In this case, you get a headache and take an over-the-counter remedy to relieve it. Only it comes back hours later because you had not realized that the real cause was dehydration and drinking some water would actually have solved the headache altogether. That’s what IMT does; it gets to the real cause of the issue and makes it go away.
Through my journey, I learned that the body remembers everything and it is often the soft tissue damage during trauma that is commonly not addressed during the more widely accepted healing therapies. And, a pain which is felt in one part of the body is often really caused due to the compensation that part was doing for something else that was not functioning well.
I also learned that it takes a lot of hard work – but the more work I put in; the faster I actually began to heal. I found that when I let go of whatever feeling or emotion that ‘appeared’ while we were working, the easier it actually became. Sometimes this was from something Christy said, or sometimes it was from a memory or image that just popped into my head. But the times I fought actually feeling the emotion, or when I was afraid to continue, were the times that we made much slower progress.
And finally, I learned that the better my nutrition, the more the healing process took off. By simply including supplements and rebuilding the stores of good stuff in my body, I became stronger and more able to overcome the compensations my body had been doing for so long.
While I made tremendous progress in my initial phases of my journey, it was really after I put them all together, body, mind and nutrition that the real healing began. I am proud to say that today, I have almost full rotation of my neck, the constant pain has been relieved, I am medication-free, and I feel stronger than I have in years. I found that not only was I healing my physical body, but my emotional body as well and I became a much happier person to be around, too.
I’m not sure I will ever return to what was “normal” before the wreck, but I’m okay with that because my new normal is so much better thanks to Christy and IMT!" -Donna L.