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Voices

Patient voices

Written by patients at our four clinics, translated from the Japanese originals.

These are personal impressions and do not guarantee any result.

Funabashi

Takanekido Sekkotsuin5

The two-hour drive was well worth it.

T.M., 20sTakanekido Sekkotsuin

I developed plantar fasciitis through marathon running.

At a local medical facility I was told that it would heal if I rested, but after two months the pain had not changed. I thought that a clinic with a track record of treating plantar fasciitis would be able to cure it completely, so I searched and found Takanekido Sekkotsuin, and I drove two hours to get there.

When I showed them my condition, they looked into the causes of plantar fasciitis, including the shape of my feet, my back muscles and my pelvis. I was told that when my foot lands, only the ball of the foot below the big toe touches down and my toes are not being used, so the impact goes to the sole of the foot. They also analysed that my back muscles and pelvis were tilted forward, and that my shoes did not suit me.

They taught me a great deal about solutions: wearing special socks and insoles, receiving pelvic alignment through chiropractic care, and so on.

After continuing for a month, I could move my toes, and thanks to pelvic alignment, the insoles and the rest, the impact of my foot landing went somewhere other than the sole, and the pain eased.

I think the reason I have improved this far is that they explained my injury and the solutions so precisely. They are cheerful and dedicated, and easy to ask about all sorts of things. The two-hour drive was well worth it. I will keep doing what I have been doing, and I hope to make a full recovery.

I was looking for a clinic I could visit with my child, so I came here.

Takanekido Sekkotsuin

I was looking for a clinic I could attend with my child, for postnatal pelvic alignment and to ease the tiredness of raising a baby, and that is how I came here.

I had back pain every day from carrying my baby and so on, but the pain went away with the massage and Raku-tore (EMS muscle training). Pelvic alignment has also helped my body settle, so I started running, and six months after giving birth I completed a 10 km race.

They adjust the treatment to how my body is on the day, so even when I have pain in my feet or shoulders, it soon gets better. During treatment my baby daughter waits in her stroller, and the staff keep an eye on her. She has become shy of strangers and sometimes cries loudly, but everyone watches over her so warmly that I can receive treatment with peace of mind. We had been staying at home under the voluntary restrictions for a while, so it has been a good change of pace for both of us. Thank you, as always.

I enjoyed my trip without any worries.

K.T., 70sTakanekido Sekkotsuin

I heard about this clinic in October 2020 from an acquaintance who was a patient here.

About six or seven years ago, pain began in my left hip joint. I went to a nearby seitai (manual therapy) clinic, but I did not feel much change and stopped going. After that the pain came and went, and I did not think much of it and simply left it alone.

But the price of this was lower back pain, and I became aware that even the way I walked was odd. In that state, a friend invited me on a trip to Shikoku. I wanted to be able to walk a little more easily, so, though anxious, I came to the clinic. I was surprised by the staff’s lively voices and cheerfulness, and my anxiety disappeared.

Under the guidance of Miki-sensei, my practitioner, who wanted me to be able to travel in good health, I had a month of “special training” (?) three times a week, with Raku-tore (EMS muscle training), pelvic alignment and manual therapy. Thanks to that, I enjoyed my trip without any worries. As I carried on with treatment, my friend told me that my way of walking had changed, which showed me it was working, and I was very happy.

From now on, whenever something is wrong with my body, I will rely on Miki-sensei as my reassuring “helper”. Thank you in advance for your care.

Tenosynovitis in my right wrist kept coming back, so I looked for a new clinic and found this one.

WomanTakanekido Sekkotsuin

The practitioners and the atmosphere seemed good, so I started going to Takanekido Sekkotsuin.

At my first visit, both my wrist and my whole body were in a poor state. From the posture photo, I had not imagined that the balance of my whole body was this far off. After a month of attending, the pain in my wrist no longer came, and my posture had improved considerably, which surprised even me. By continuing, I am also becoming aware of changes in my own body. Because each patient has an assigned practitioner who gets to know them, I feel at ease and still attend today. The clinic is bright inside, and I think it is truly a good clinic. I am grateful to Koike-sensei, my practitioner. I look forward to your continued care.

They support me in feeling well, in body and in mind.

Woman, 70sTakanekido Sekkotsuin

I have been under the care of Takanekido Sekkotsuin for almost 30 years now.

I have been looked after by Director Miki for a little over three years. Director Miki is always cheerful and is a welcome presence who clears away my tiredness and aches. Director Miki supports me so that my body and my spirits feel well. (Thank you.)

At the end of March this year, the owner of the business where I worked suddenly died of a cerebral haemorrhage. I was suddenly out of work, and I was in difficulty. I turned 70 this year, and finding a new job is hard. During the coronavirus pandemic I had been making masks by hand and selling them at my workplace, but… When I told Director Miki about it, feeling dejected, I was told, “You can sell the masks here, so bring them in,” and I was truly happy. Thank you. I can only feel gratitude. Thank you also to everyone who bought them.

Takanekido · Funabashi

Narashino

Okubo Sekkotsuin6

Their knowledge and skill were evident, and I felt I could really trust them.

Man, 30sOkubo Sekkotsuin

1.

Changes since I began treatment

(1) Symptoms

When running, I felt a numb, tingling pain around the base of the middle toe on the sole of my right foot. (About a year after I first sensed something was wrong, the pain grew stronger and I began visiting the clinic.)

(2) Diagnosis

• The transverse arch of the sole of my foot had collapsed.

• Too much load was being placed on the affected area because of a forward-leaning posture and because my toes were not working well.

(3) Treatment

• (At the clinic) Electrotherapy, posture correction, foot-sole massage, taping instruction, and so on

• (At home) Running with custom-made therapeutic insoles

(4) Results

• The pain eased about a month after I began visiting the clinic.

• With the therapeutic insoles, I was able to keep running without the symptoms returning. (The therapeutic insoles are expensive, but their effect is worth more than the price.)

I am back at work, and daily life is almost back to normal.

I.Y.Okubo Sekkotsuin

Looking back now, the symptoms had been there for quite a long time.

Perhaps I had been pretending not to notice, telling myself, “I can walk. I can move. I can work. So I’m fine.”

I suddenly felt pain in my buttock and went to be examined. On the first day, a walk that should have taken about ten minutes took me many times as long, but I somehow managed to get there on foot. After that I went to the clinic by taxi.

I could barely walk. Standing was hard, and so was sitting. It hurt even lying down, and I had to steel myself before turning over in bed.

I could not manage housework, work or my hobbies, and I thought this state might go on forever.

The director’s assessment was that my pelvis and hip joints were out of alignment, and the deep muscles had become stiff and knotted.

In the photo taken on the first day, my right shoulder was lower, and my waist, conversely, dropped on the left.

At first there was inflammation, so treatment was given with the affected area cooled with ice.

Manual therapy, chiropractic care on a Thompson table, and Raku-tore (EMS muscle training) to work the inner muscles.

I went every day for about two weeks, and now I go twice a week.

I have returned to work, and my daily life has almost gone back to normal.

Even so, one thing has stayed with me to the end: a feeling that makes me want to tap the side of the top of my leg, where it joins the body. That is the hip joint. This odd feeling had been there for a long time. I am told that this is where the real start begins.

I must keep going until this discomfort is gone too. Thank you, and I look forward to your continued care.

Standing and walking as though an iron ball were attached to my ankle…

Woman, 50sOkubo Sekkotsuin

My body leant to the right, and with strong pain and swelling I walked dragging my leg.

Even when the practitioner said, “Let’s work at it for around two months without rushing,” my symptoms were such that, to be honest, I thought, “Surely not.” Although I am a layperson and could not explain things well, the practitioner listened very sincerely to what I said, and explained in plain words, with photos and with a skeleton model.

Because of my irregular working hours I could only go once or twice a week, but by about a month the frequency and strength of the pain and swelling had begun to change. Every time, the practitioner listened to even my small doubts and questions. I was so happy to find that my way of walking changed as I paid attention to it in daily life. I find myself wondering what those days of going to an orthopaedic clinic and taking medication were all for, and thinking that I wish I had come sooner. I am truly grateful for the practitioner’s treatment, the pelvic alignment, the Raku-tore (EMS muscle training), and the practitioner’s kind words. All the staff are kind people, and thank you for always chatting with me as well. I want to get better and better, so I look forward to your continued care.

Precise treatment and advice from practitioners I can really trust.

Woman, 50sOkubo Sekkotsuin

The counselling at my first visit was very thorough, and the explanations were easy to understand.

They listened to my current symptoms and what was troubling me, and explained in plain terms what might be causing them and how treatment would proceed. F-sensei told me, “Let’s work at this together,” and I thought, “I want to get well,” and decided to attend. Each time, they stay close to me during treatment and even look after my state of mind. I also consult them about all sorts of things by LINE and other means, not only during treatment. They give careful advice every time, which makes me glad and reassured. At one of my visits I became curious about acupuncture and consulted Y-sensei. I felt anxious and a little afraid of acupuncture, but after hearing the explanation I felt reassured. Because I sensed reassurance and trust from Y-sensei, I decided to go ahead with it. I had a tingling, throbbing pain throughout my legs and had been unable to sleep at night for days, but after a single treatment the tingling pain went away. I truly felt how remarkable acupuncture can be. Their treatment and advice are precise, and they are practitioners I can trust completely.

Talking with the practitioners, they treat me in a way that makes me forget my own age. They are close to me, and very easy to talk to, so coming to the clinic is enjoyable. The staff are all bright and easy to talk to as well. I am soothed every time, and I receive many smiles. I have only been attending for three months, but there is less pain, and I have more time when I can move freely. I love everyone at Okubo Sekkotsuin. I look forward to your continued care.

Business trips are no longer a burden.

Man, 30sOkubo Sekkotsuin

I have been coming for two or three years now.

At first I sometimes had days of severe headaches from a stiff neck, and at times I took time off work. It has improved considerably since I started coming, and I am no longer troubled by headaches.

These days I keep coming as body maintenance.

The clinic is bright inside, and everyone seems to enjoy their work, so it is easy to come. I look forward to your continued care.

I am glad my body feels more comfortable than it did two years ago.

Woman, 30sOkubo Sekkotsuin

The first time I came was about two years ago.

I had pain at the base of my big toe and was having trouble because I could not put on shoes, but it had cleared up as the treatment went on.

My assigned practitioner changed over time and I felt uneasy, but the female reception staff spoke to me gently, and that eased my anxiety.

At the moment I have a bad stiff shoulder, and they are focusing on that in my treatment.

My body is gradually getting easier, and I am glad.

Sakura

Katsutadai Sogo Seikotsuin2

I can walk steadily now.

N.M., 80sKatsutadai Sogo Seikotsuin

I am being treated here for sciatica caused by spinal canal stenosis.

In the morning I walk in the park for my health. My symptoms used to be hard on me and even walking was difficult, but with Raku-tore (EMS muscle training) and alignment work, I can now walk steadily for four or five laps.

I was told that I could not keep my balance on one leg, and I had not realised that my balance had become this poor.

They measured my feet and carefully explained how to choose shoes and how to wear them. I had never worn shoes this properly before. I was prescribed insoles and am using them, and the fit is unlike anything I have felt before, which surprised me. I used to use insoles that a shoe shop had fitted for me, but this is a completely different level of comfort, and my walks are now a pleasure.

I look forward to your continued care.

I keep up exercises to regain my arch, alongside my insoles.

K.M., 70sKatsutadai Sogo Seikotsuin

Numbness began at the base of my toes, and after about two years a bump the size of a 50-yen coin appeared as well, and walking became difficult.

I wondered how much worse my foot would get. I was anxious about what I would do if I could no longer walk.

I searched online for “Morton”, and then the explanation with a model and the lesson on why shoelaces matter made it all click. While using insoles, I am also continuing exercises to regain my arch.

My first taping (arch support, I think?) felt very comfortable and I liked it. The second time, though, it hurt a great deal when it was peeled off, and I have had enough of that.

It has been a little over two months since I began coming to the clinic. The lump from the Morton’s neuroma is still there, but

I can now go about my life hardly noticing it.

On the way home from the clinic my steps are light, completely different from when I arrive, which surprises me.

I would like to have “Gacchan”, as it puts the whole body in balance, but 2,000 yen is a little much. Because insured treatment costs a little over 1,000 yen, I think I was able to keep coming. I am grateful.

Matsumoto

Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin6

I want to take away my daughter’s foot pain, so she can play the basketball she loves.

Female, teensMatsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin

My daughter, who has played basketball since the first year of primary school, has flat feet and a protruding accessory navicular bone.

She has played with pain until now, but this spring she joined the basketball club of the private high school she had hoped to attend, and practice began. As one would expect of a private school’s basketball club, the training load was much heavier than up to junior high school, and within a month she began missing practice, saying, “The soles of my feet hurt and I can’t practise.”

She had felt pain at the protruding accessory navicular and in her knees before, but pain in the sole of her foot was a first, so I searched on my phone.

That was when the page for Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin caught my eye. It said “foot specialists”, so I phoned, thinking, “Somehow I want to take her pain away and let her play basketball.” I told the practitioner, “My daughter went to a private high school because she wanted to play basketball. I want to let her play the basketball she loves,” and the practitioner examined my daughter’s feet carefully and thought it through with us. After talking it over, we had insoles made to fit my daughter’s feet, and while the pain lasted she focused on treatment without pushing herself, and watched practice from the sidelines. Two months after we started coming, with the insoles and a weekly visit, she is able to play basketball without pain in the soles of her feet.

Everyone at Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin is always kind and cheerful. I only go along as a chaperone, but the conversations between the practitioner and my daughter are funny, so I enjoy my time there. I expect plenty more sore spots will appear in the future, and it is reassuring to think she can keep playing basketball while being looked after here. I am glad to have met such a good practitioner. Thank you for your continued care.

I can feel my whole body coming back into balance.

WomanMatsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin

When I first came, Morton’s neuroma was the main problem, but my whole body was in a poor state, with aches here and there in my lower back, shoulders and neck.

By about a month in, the painful areas had narrowed down, the pain moving from my feet to my lower back, shoulders and neck and toward a single area, and I began to feel my whole body coming into balance.

Now they are able to focus more on caring for the main problem, Morton’s neuroma. I used to be unable to keep shoes on for long, even for the sport I have played for many years, but partly thanks to the director’s advice on shoe size, I can now practise for long periods.

Each time I visit, the director and the staff greet me cheerfully and in a friendly way, and I come away energised. I am grateful every time for their knowledge and the plentiful advice.

I made it to the race I had almost given up on.

WomanMatsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin

A week before a half marathon, I strained the muscle in my right thigh playing mothers’ volleyball.

I had been training hard to set a personal best in the marathon, so I was quite shocked when I was injured. I changed my goal from beating my personal best to simply taking part in the race, and to heal the injury within a week I went to Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin every day after work. Thanks to the director’s treatment and advice, I finished the race on the day without feeling any pain at all. I had nearly given up on the marathon, but I was able to finish it in the best possible way, with a new personal best. I am truly grateful. Thank you.

The staff treated me kindly, and the treatment took place in a bright, enjoyable atmosphere, so I looked forward to going every day. If I am injured again, I would like to come back.

I was so glad to feel the pain going away.

K.T., male, teensMatsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin

My son, who was always saying “my feet hurt” or “my back hurts”, stopped saying “it hurts” after he began treatment.

He played basketball for twelve years from primary school, so I think his body was worn out. I think he is getting back to a healthy body now that Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin has looked after him. Thank you very much.

I had had lower back pain since junior high school and had been going to a clinic, but it did not improve much. After I started going to Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin, though, I could feel the pain going away with every visit, which made me very glad. I regret not going sooner. Because everyone was kind every time, I came to look forward to going. I went to ask about something close to the end of opening hours, and everyone still dealt with me kindly. Thank you. If something hurts again, I will come right away, so I look forward to your help. Thank you very much.

I am grateful to be treated like a friend, like family.

Woman, 50sMatsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin

My lower back pain started with a minor accident at primary school.

I had got by with one thing and another, but during work in March this year a strong pain left me bedridden for a month and a half. When I had improved a little, I found Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin and another clinic on the internet and compared them. What decided it in the end was the smile of the director, “Tsucchi”. Even getting from the car into the clinic was all I could manage. Day by day I felt easier, thanks to everyone’s smiles and cheerful conversation, and to Tsucchi’s treatment. They helped me get ready in time for my summer work in July and August, and with the help of painkillers and a lower back belt, I managed to see it through. I am still fighting the pain, but I intend to keep coming to Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin and heal little by little. It has not even been three months, yet you have treated me like a friend, like family, and I am grateful. Tsucchi, Ama-chan and Hana-chan are all such fun people, and I would like to meet the other staff too.

A mountain hike after a long break, and it had been a long time since walking was this enjoyable.

K.K., womanMatsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin

I go running and mountain hiking, and I have long been troubled by Morton’s neuroma in my left foot.

Lately, when I ran 7–8 km, or walked for about two hours when hiking, I could tell that the transverse arch of my foot had collapsed completely, and a severe pain shot through the tip of my left foot. I went to various hospitals and tried training, but nothing helped much, and just as I was about to give up I found Matsumoto Futaba Sekkotsuin on the internet. I was drawn by the words “specialists in legs and lower back” and “has a shoe fitter”, so I decided to go. To my surprise, after only two or three visits in which they loosened my feet, I was able to run more than 10 km without any pain at all. I was really astonished. I had been very anxious about the hiking, but I received some advice and decided to go. As a result, using both hiking boots and trail running shoes, I was able to go on two three-day, two-night hikes and see the scenery I had wanted to see. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed walking this much. I have also had insoles custom-made, and have just started using them. I can feel them lifting my arches firmly, and it feels comfortable. There are still mountains I want to visit and marathons I want to run, so I have been given a positive feeling: I will train, with the help of the insoles too. The practitioners are always cheerful and friendly, and very easy to talk to. It is so comfortable that I look forward to going every time.

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