<hr /> <i>By John Beaudoin, The Democrat Missourian</i></p><p>Small towns and small counties house a bit of a medical quandary.</p><p>Everyone knows the doctors, the nurses &#x96; and the ailments. In really small areas, urgent care is sometimes miles and miles away and the local clinics are closed up by 7 p.m.</p><p>While living in Iowa, I was fortunate enough to keep in relatively good health. Beyond a sniffle or cough, I avoided any major accidents, incidents or illnesses that would have sent me to the next town over or down the road to a clinic.</p><p>Until my sciatic nerve issue, that is.</p><p>A few days before I was due in Omaha to attend a day-long newspaper conference, I started to feel some pinching in my back and an odd pain running down the right side and down into my leg. Not long after, my right foot was intermittently going numb.</p><p>This was not good.</p><p>At the conference, I limped around all day as if I was nursing some weekend-warrior accident that happened on the flag football or softball field. At one point, my boss just chuckled as I walked past him in pain. I don&#x92;t blame him. I am pretty sure I looked ridiculous.</p><p>During the one of the breaks, I did something no one should ever do &#x96; I found a computer and logged on to Web M.D.</p><p>After typing in my symptoms, I found out my ailment &#x96; sciatica. Yep, never heard of it. But it was comforting to read that this affliction affects some pregnant women.</p><p>A few days later, I buckled and walked across the cobblestone streets of Woodbine, Iowa, to Dr. Jackie&#x92;s joint. She was the local chiropractor. She could also talk sports, which was a huge bonus.</p><p>I described my injury in terms that only she could probably decipher and she scheduled an appointment to take a look.</p><p>I won&#x92;t give away her secrets, but six sessions or so later and all was cleared up. And boy was it a relief.</p><p>The shooting pain down my leg, numbness and general discomfort was starting to get old. Top that with a severe lack of understanding about what I was going through and even less of a desire to explain it to people, and you get a rather grumpy small-town newspaper guy.</p><p>Dr. Jackie did the trick, though.</p><p>Had I ever seen a chiropractor before? No. Would I do it again if the need arises? Absolutely.</p><p>Heck, I might even make the trek back to Iowa for that kind of treatment.