I’m a big fan of milking the magic out of everyday life- not really following the ’someday when things are just right’ philosophy.

It’s a beautiful winter day here in Colorado. In reality, it’s the only winter day.

Let me tell you a quick story of what just happened in my the clinic. I think you’ll appreciate it.

A father who’s been bringing his teenage son in for sports medicine care inquired about what it would take for his son to be a chiropractor. (His son achieved some pretty cool results )

He said the possibility of doing what I do, as a career, piqued his son’s interest. He winked at me and said, ‘That hasn’t really happened before.’ (Fair enough for a 14 year old. I didn’t find my calling until I was 27.)

Of all the rewarding aspects of my job, when this happens I feel like I’ve made a difference in someone’s life. Even if it’s just temporary and something important was etched in his mind.

Over the years I’ve had a handful of patients who’ve had a great experience in the office then one thing leads to another and…

AHA! A moment of inspiration occurs.

The same thing happened to me. And many others in my profession for that matter. In fact, it seems ubiquitous.

It’s truly humbling and heartwarming when it happens but somehow today seemed special.

“It’s a tough profession in a lot of ways,” I said to them both. “You’re always the underdog because it’s not mainstream medicine. You’re usually perceived as not being a real doctor.”

The father looked at me and said, “You got my kid back on the ice in 4 days- that’s real enough for me.”

How cool is that?

His son was injured to the point where he was in a lot of pain and could no longer even practice. In 3 treatments for a very acute and painful knee condition known as Osgood’s Schlatter’s Disease (knee pain affecting children where the bony protrusion below the knee becomes inflamed) we were able to get him pain free and capable of returning to the ice in 4 days.

I did what I always do- treat the person not the symptom.

After assessing him I found pretty significant rotation of the pelvis along with a spinal curvature and asymmetrical lower extremity biomechanics in his gait, including marked foot pronation (fallen arches) on both feet.

We confirmed the findings via x-ray because it was pretty significant and it became apparent the cause of the knee pain…was not the knee.

His knee was just caught in the middle.

The muscles and tendons coming from the hips and pelvis that attach to his knee were forced to put excessive tensile stress to where they insert on the tibial tuberosity on his knee, causing the condition and the pain. Couple that with abnormal foot bio-mechanics and voilà!… you now have a disease!

Most ‘conventional wisdom’ would have prescribed rest for 4 to 8 weeks with therapy, most of it on the knee.

The one axiom I can follow pretty consistently in practicing bio-mechanically sound physical medicine is this; you’re almost always wrong if you treat and chase the symptoms.

Regarding the health care aspect of this story, practicing as a sports chiropractor isn’t different because of what I think, it’s different because of how I think.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

If making an impact on a child’s life causes him to be inspired to want to help others as he was helped so be it- consider me not a real doctor.

Some things are just worth swimming upstream for.

Fish swimming against the current grow stronger….. and only dead fish swim downstream.

** Recent update to this story: Mom came in yesterday and said that her son’s hockey play has gone to another level. She told me the things we was now capable of doing on the ice were literally jaw dropping.

Hockey, golf, baseball, football- the story is always the same. If the body is bio-mechanically unsound, not only is it vulnerable and prone to injury but there will be a cap on the abilities of the athlete… it’s just pure physics.

Function is directly related to structure.

Here’s my secret recipe: (Shhh. Don’t tell anyone!) Love the patient, assess their needs, locate and detect problems regardless of symptoms, restore the structure,  develop strength in the new position, unleash the potential…drop the jaw.

Sports chiropractor from Littleton, CO Dr. Ron Spallone