I was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a major in biomedical sciences and a minor in chemistry. Following undergrad I moved to the St. Louis area to attend Logan College of Chiropractic where I was able to pursue advanced studies in sports and injury rehabilitation and graduated with a masters in sports science & rehabilitation as well as a doctorate of chiropractic. I have one fur-baby. She’s a Lab/American Bulldog (Bullador) mix named Xena that has become our unofficial office mascot!
Staying active, healthy, and fit is an important part of my daily routine as I try to emulate the behaviors I like to see in my patients that may have pain or injuries holding them back. Practice what you preach. Out of the office you can usually find me golfing, working out, playing volleyball, tennis, biking, rock-climbing, enjoying local live music, or pretty much anything else active—wanna do stuff? Let’s do it. I try and retreat out of town to our family cabin (it’s a trailer, a really sweet trailer) at Prairie Du Chien on the Mississippi—where we can be found fishing, boating, or playing endless rounds of cards (euchre, 500, cribbage, the list goes on).
After graduation I practiced in the St. Louis metro area at Performance Health Care and worked with a ton of area baseball/softball players, as well as athletes from the University of Missouri, Missouri Baptist University, Fontbonne University and Jefferson College. I also completed a clinical internship through the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Hospital working in an interdisciplinary team of primary care providers (MD’s, RN’s, PT’s, psychologists) to better serve our country’s veterans.
After St. Louis, I spent a year in Fargo, ND teaching for the North Dakota State College of Science. I moved back to Cedar Rapids in 2011, but continue to teach at NDSCS, as well as Hawkeye Community College, Iowa Central Community College, and Marshalltown Community College.
I have certifications in almost more things than I can count/recall. I typically focus my post-grad education on sports injuries and soft tissue injury treatment and management; Active Release Techniques (A.R.T.) and Trigger Point Dry Needling have been great for me both personally and professionally in getting through injuries quickly and getting athletes back on the field. I also spend a solid amount of time focusing on rehab—principles of movement—how to get areas of the body moving better, to reduce stress on overused/injured areas.
For years through high-school, college, and even through and after chiropractic school I’ve struggled with low back pain, which has eventually progressed to full blown sciatica down my right leg as I’ve gotten older. Due to my own struggles with this condition, and the so-so results I was getting with traditional treatment models, I spent time focusing on low back/disc injury rehab & management and it has made a world of difference in my own life and how I’m able to better serve patients in getting them out of pain, often when all other “traditional” methods have failed them.
I tend to treat most patients and injuries like “athletes,” because, to be honest, most of us are “athletes” whether we are weekend warriors that like to (run, bike, swim, lift, play pickleball, chase after your kids in soccer, etc) or elite level athletes playing professional or collegiate sports, or competing nationally in triathlons and competitive sports. Life doesn’t care if you consider yourself an athlete. We all need basic athletic movements to age successfully (you squat/lunge/deadlift every time you sit down and stand up, pick up your golf ball/kids, or do household chores). The fundamentals of rehab for injuries applies universally. We can manipulate the tissues to reduce pain, but we have to impose a specific demand on injured tissues to allow them to adapt, heal and remodel stronger to prevent future injuries. To get better, faster, most patients need to think, “What am I doing wrong to cause the injury,” and “What should I do right/better to help it heal faster or prevent it from coming back.” By focusing on moving better and moving often, we can get you back on the field faster and lessen the likelihood of reinjury. Knowledge is power and teaching people how to keep themselves healthy will reduce the number of times we need to see them at Back In Line. That is our ultimate goal.
