“Relax your knees,” he said as he tapped on my kneecaps with the little mallet eliciting the expected kick response. He put the mallet into his coat pocket then sat down on the stool and inspected my ankles and feet.

“Lay back flat for me,” he said as he stood up and pulled out the extension at the end of the table.

I laid back flat and looked up at the bright fluorescent lights and ceiling tiles. He put the stethoscope back in his ears and placed the cold metal disc onto my belly. He listened in several places then removed the stethoscope from his ears and placed it back around his neck.

I looked down as he placed his hands on my belly and began to press deeply, starting at the edge of my ribcage to check my abdomen.

“Does this hurt?” he asked as he methodically pressed around my belly, getting lower and lower towards my shorts.

“Uhh, no” I said as I felt his warm hand slip under the waistband of my underwear and press deep over my bladder area.

“Good,” he said as his hand slipped out of my shorts and the waistband snapped back in place.

“Stand up on the floor for me,” he said as he pushed the table extension back in place.

He watched me as I climbed off the table. I stood in the middle of the room as he came beside me.

“Stand up on your tip toes and stretch your arms towards the ceiling,” he directed.

I stood up tall and stretched towards the ceiling as he watched.

“Now,” he continued “feet flat on the floor and bend over and touch your toes.” I bent over and he came behind me and began to press on my spine moving his fingers from the base of my neck and all the way down until his fingers slipped into the back of my underwear and he pressed on my tailbone.

“Stand up straight now,” he said. I stood up straight. “Hands on your head,” he said as he thumped my lower back just over my hips with his fist.

“Any pain when I do this?” he asked as he continued thumping.

“No,” I replied.

“Good,” he commented as he went to the counter and made notes in my chart.

“I want you to go over and pick up that crate and carry it over and set it to the left of the door,” he said as he pointed to the milk crate full of weights.

I walked over and bent over to pick up the crate.

“Jonathan,” he commented with an irritated tone as he walked over, “you need to squat down and lift with your knees, not with your back.” I stood there and watched as he squatted down to demonstrate proper technique.

“Now try again,” he said as he stood and watched me.

I squatted down and picked up the crate as he directed. It was heavy but manageable. I carried the crate across the room and squatted down to set it in place next to the door as instructed.

“OK. Have a seat up on the table. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said as he picked up my chart then walked out of the room closing the heavy oak door behind him.