From the Unknown to the Known: Heidi's Journey to Healing at OWL Chiropractic

My name is Heidi, and I’m the X-ray technician at OWL Chiropractic. I’ve been part of the OWL family since 2019, and let’s say—I don’t sit still well (just ask the team). I absolutely love helping people, whether it’s through digital imaging, a pep talk, or just being a steady support behind the scenes. Outside of work, I’m all about my family, my two pups, my hobbies, and whatever book I’m currently obsessing over.

My road to OWL wasn’t straightforward, but thanks to a good friend, it became the right one.

In 2012, while working at a previous job, I injured my lower back. I did the usual: physical therapy, chiropractic care, and visits with my medical doctor. I improved enough to return to work, only to get reinjured in the same exact spot.

Cue the cycle of pain down my legs, doctor visits, and more of the same treatment plans. (Sound familiar?) This time, though, the pain didn’t go away. It became chronic, and I just accepted that this was my new normal. With three kids and a full-time job, I found myself in survival mode.

Fast forward seven years: I was working for myself and setting my own hours when my friend Chandra (yes, OWL’s Chandra!) asked if I’d help out one day a week at the clinic. She knew what I’d been through—and how stubborn I was. I said yes to help a friend, not because I believed the chiropractic doctors at OWL could help me.

But I became a patient anyway, I went through the full new patient process—digital X-rays, spinal exam, consultation—and then came the second visit. Mind. Blown. For the first time, someone explained exactly what was going on with my spine and nervous system. I was given a personalized chiropractic care plan, and I stuck with it. It wasn’t a quick fix—it took nearly two years—but real healing finally started to happen.

Today, my pain is stable and manageable, thanks to consistent chiropractic adjustments and whole-body support. Eventually, with the help of my integrative care team (yes, both traditional and functional medicine), I was officially diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS).

This connective tissue disorder affects the entire body and explains everything from chronic joint pain and GI symptoms to fatigue, headaches, cardiac issues, skin sensitivity, and yes, even my party tricks. Oh, and it’s hereditary—so now I can help my children begin their own journeys toward wellness with answers I never had growing up.

Saying yes to a one-day-a-week job changed my life. I went from fear and frustration to clarity, connection, and a deeper understanding of my own body—and I get to help others do the same every day.