“I have lived with knee pain most of my life; I can remember specific instances as early as elementary school. (Full disclosure: I turned 65 in January, 2012). Over the years the pain went from sporadic to constant. I had Baker’s Cysts behind both knees, both of which had ruptured. I had – at various times – consulted an Orthopod, four Orthopedic Surgeons, had x-rays, two MRI’s, and two rounds of physical therapy. To a one, they all pronounced me “bone-on-bone” and definitely a candidate for knee replacements somewhere down the line. I had reached the point of living with constant pain and figured it was just a matter of time/tolerance for the pain, when I learned about Sue Cotta in 2008. I figured, “What could it hurt/might help”, so made my first appointment.
My first visit was an eye-opener. She was so gentle, I almost fell asleep as I lay on the table while she ever-so-gently worked on my knees and legs. When I got up and walked at the end of the session, I felt like I was “floating”. More’s the point, the pain was lessened considerably. She told me how to do the castor oil heat wraps, and if you get no other take-way, get this one: these wraps are wonderful! I have faithfully done them at least once a day ever since that first visit. They are not only soothing, but they also help to filter toxins out of the knees – and the direct result of that is the Baker’s Cysts don’t fill up with fluid any more, and there’s no more pain there. Over time and with successive visits, she helped me to keep the pain at bay, both by her gentle manipulations AND by her willingness to impart knowledge, so that – with my husband’s help – I could “traction” each leg at home, which helped to keep the bones aligned in between appointments with her. Most importantly, she identified the issue that NOT ONE of the “specialists” I had seen previously were able to discover: my issue was not that I needed knee replacements, but that my upper and lower leg bones have the tendency to go out of alignment, and thus the ends of the bones were rubbing on each other in an unnatural way – which was causing the pain. Most importantly, if I did have knee replacement done, it would not change the tendency of these bones to continue to go out of alignment; the direct result of this would be the wearing out of the replacement joint, and the need to have the procedure repeated – presumably time and time again. I became a real believer in the title “Unlimited Potentials”.
Then, on February 6, 2010, I broke my neck – a double fracture of the C-1. (I was fortunate that I did not need surgery because of the location of both fractures; they would heal on their own, with time). When I was discharged from the hospital trauma unit, I was referred to an Orthopedic Neck Surgeon for follow-up visits. The first visit, with accompanying x-rays, showed that the fractures had begun to heal, and I was able to graduate from wearing a hard collar to a soft one. I had more x-rays done at my second visit. I was surprised when I was told that I was discharged, and to go home and begin to wean off of the soft collar – even though the x-rays taken that day showed that one of the two fractures hadn’t completely healed.
I had experienced some pretty severe muscle spasms for a few weeks after the break, but they had gradually subsided over time. The miracle, to me, was that I had experienced no pain through the entire time. The “P.S.” to that was as soon as I began to wean off the collar, I started experiencing sciatica, which became increasingly painful. Every day was a test of how much I could try to manage while experiencing what became like knife-stabs with every movement. I finally had the thought, “I wonder what Sue Cotta might be able to do for me?” She was, again, a God-send. After a couple of visits, she suggested something that I wasn’t thrilled to hear: perhaps I needed to “go-back-to-start” and begin to wear the soft collar 24/7, for as long as it took. It was summer; it was hot – but I put my faith in her and went back to living with the collar. The result was that, after a few months, I was able to graduate to “no-collar”. Sue understands the whole cranial-sacral connection, and was able to ever-gently work with me so that, over time, the sciatica – although still there – is nevertheless nowhere near as painful as when she started treating it, and I am hopeful that, with time and her continued ministrations, I may be pain-free.
I openly admit to undisguised prejudice – “nothing succeeds like success” – but Sue Cotta has a different way of perceiving issues that may have previously been “painted with a one-size-fits-all” way of looking at them, medically. I am a living testament to her approach and healing touch, and would urge anyone with any challenging medical situation to take a leap of faith and give her a try. I call her the “Magic Hands Lady”; she is a blessing in my life, and I will be forever profoundly grateful for her knowledge, care and talent.”
Sue R, Cumberland, RI