Holly Carter of Fresno hopes what she's about to undergo will finally give her an answer to her medical mystery. The 42-year-old public relations specialist and busy mom has suffered with a chronic neck problem since she was a teen.
"I live in pain, I live in pain," said Carter, "as you get older and you have kids, you have work, and those kinds of stresses -- it's gotten worse."
Holly heard about a new x-ray machine at Dr. George Wilson's chiropractic office in North Fresno. The Digital Motion X-ray (DMX) machine takes moving x-ray images.
A traditional, X-ray machine requires patients to hold still. "We want the patient to move. We want the patient to go through their full range of motion so we can really focus in on where the problem needs to be addressed," said Dr. Wilson.
Dr. Wilson says many people suffer pain, when they move in a certain way, so a motion X-ray can uncover a ligament or bone problem much faster than a static X-ray.
"Hidden injuries are revealed and we can design a more effective treatment plan, specifically for that patient."
Holly is centered within the "arms' of the X-ray machine, and in just seconds, a moving image is captured at the source of her pain.
The company that makes the DMX says the amount of radiation is minimal, and no more than the level, emitted during a traditional xray.The machine costs about $95,000 and Dr. Wilson says the investment, has already helped him, help his patients.
Holly hopes her motion X-ray will lead to a treatment that's drug-free. "I don't like medication, I don't like having to use medication. So for me, the more I can do to get my body back to a natural state to what I once was, that's what I'm looking for."
Patients can actually take home a DVD copy of their x-ray -- a "medical movie" that can help them keep track of their diagnosis and their treatment.
Holly hopes her medical movie has a happy ending and she's able to live the rest of her life, pain-free.
