Dr. Elizabeth Sczerzenie (Sir-z-nee) has been practicing Advanced Biostructural Correction (ABC) as a doctor of chiropractic since 2018. The office is conveniently located in downtown Norwood, 45 Walpole Street, Suite 2—next to the Norwood Public Library. Her patients usually call her Dr. E. She said with a smile, “It makes it easier for everyone.” She continued, “I provide compassion, integrity, and effective structural care. Treating a patient as a whole person is central to our approach. We intentionally schedule my day so that I have plenty of time with each patient not only to provide quality and personal care but also to answer any questions or concerns they may have.” 

 

When a new patient walks into Structural Wellness Chiropractic Dr. E asks herself this question: Looking at the patient’s body as a mechanism that should support them through their daily activities, how can I help this person gain stability? Dr. E explained in brief the principles behind ABC, the distinctive healing modality her practice is based upon. “The body loses leverage and slumps forward so muscles and joints twist and tighten in compensation. If we can get the bones back where they need to be, the muscles and joints will release the compensations, body tension will decrease, and patients will experience major symptom relief.” 

She noted, “I have a ‘posture wall’ that I use as a backdrop for posture pictures to help us measure a patient’s progress. Having this simple visual tool helps me as a clinician to see if the patient is making progress. The person should be (and almost always is) standing more upright with their shoulders relaxed after treatment. This practice provides before and after pictures so we can document progress in an objective measure—it’s inexpensive and straight forward. As time passes, we forget how much pain we were in, so this helps us factually measure progress in posture improvement. 

Dr. E is no stranger to back pain herself. She described her personal experience of benefitting from the ABC treatment she now shares with her patients. “I had lower back pain as a teenager. My mom took me to her ABC chiropractor, which helped significantly. During college I dislocated my shoulder while playing soccer. The dislocation was so severe that I had to be put under general anesthesia to have it relocated. After physical therapy, my shoulder was better but not completely healed. It was not until I was able to get treated with ABC that my shoulder felt 100% back in place and was able to fully heal. 

Patients come looking for pain relief from various walks of life. Dr. E noted that “I treat hairdressers, firefighters, preschool teachers, athletes, nurses, and many other active professionals. However, I most commonly treat people who spend a lot of time hunched over a computer screen, either for work or studies. Whether patients are active or sedentary, they all suffer from poor posture throughout their workday. Whether it’s sitting with slumped posture, bending over and lifting with poor ergonomics, or even exercising in unsafe ways, my goal when working with a patient is to not just get them feeling better and standing taller but to help improve their ergonomics so that they have a better chance of staying out of pain in the future. 

Dr. E originally planned to go into neuroscience research. Her participation in Northeastern University’s co-op program provided opportunities for her to get experience in the research field. She said, “I noticed that my bosses spent a lot of quality time with their computers. I was fascinated by what I was studying but I realized that research was not for me. During college I also discovered that I really enjoy working with and caring for people. Becoming a chiropractor gave me the opportunity to combine my love of neurology, mechanics, and care for the human person. At chiropractic school, I had the opportunity to try many different techniques and modalities. I found that nothing worked as consistently and predictably to get patients standing taller, breathing deeper and out of pain as ABC. 

Dr. E is an active member of Norfolk County Catholics (a local young adult group) and her faith is her guiding compass both in and out of the office. She stated, “I seek to help patients not just by providing excellent hands-on care but also by affirming the dignity of every patient who walks through my door by listening attentively and responding compassionately.” To get in touch with Dr. E call 781- 349-6625 or go to her website www.structuralwellnesschiro.com which has more detailed information about how ABC can help you stand taller, breathe deeper, and function pain free. 

- Marjorie Turner Hollman