A chiropractor for sports injuries? Whew! Finding this good holistic combo is much like trying to find a unicorn. My journey to find this rare breed of human has been long and arduous. And, sure enough, after a little over a decade of searching, I finally found what I was seeking…
Who am I speaking of? If you’re thinking of Dr. Chris Boyhan of Advanced Alignment, then you are correct (you win)!
A Little Backstory
As an athlete, I played softball from 10 years of age up until I was 17 and was also a cheerleader at that same time. As I got older, I always worked out, loved yoga, and at about 25 years of age, I got into running (even training and entering into a marathon in San Francisco of all places), and playing soccer. So, I’ve done a lot of activities over the years, and sadly, I had a run-in with a devastating herniation in my lower back about 11-12 years ago.
That herniation was devastating to me. I went to a top-notch sports injury clinic in Manhattan, NYC (as I’m a former New York City dweller turned recent Asheville resident), and that entire experience proved to be more expensive than helpful. Expensive and “fancy” doesn’t equate to VALUABLE nor holistic.
The sciatica pain was horrible, and I could barely walk. While going to that overpriced Manhattan “specialist” group (that kept treating my symptoms versus the root cause), I luckily found an excellent hidden spot in Chinatown in NYC. That little gem was how I regained feeling in my leg/foot as they utilized electro-acupuncture. As I slowly regained my ability to feel my left foot and move, I lost my ability to run. It was awful. Running was my way to release all things trapped inside me (emotions, etc.) and helped me feel free. After the injury, I had to seriously assess how I would be able to work out and what I could even do to ensure I didn’t re-injure myself, and how I was going to heal that pain.
Yoga, strength training, etc., are all good things, but I needed someone to help me get to the root cause of why this injury had even happened. I was fit, healthy, and knocked to my knees (more like to the ground). I’ve tried to find the right chiropractor to help me since that injury. It has been quite challenging to find someone who could understand the root cause of where this herniation came from and how I could regain total alignment (or tell me if it was even possible!).
The journey to find a genuine healer/chiropractor/sports injury person that I knew had to exist somewhere was beyond annoying. That is until moving to Asheville very recently and having the ability to work with Chris (aka Dr. Boyhan).
Finding a chiropractor for sports injuries is game-changing for those of us who have done a lot of activity and had nasty experiences with pain. On top of the herniation, I’ve also had some significant things come up in my health that threw me for a loop, so finding a person on your side that can take in ALL the aspects of what’s going on in the mind-body-spirit is crucial.
This past year alone, I’ve also had to deal with some horrid knee blowouts after workouts that didn’t seem so harsh, so it’s yet another layer in the healing journey and trying to figure out what’s going on. Chris has dropped some unbelievable wisdom into my lap that shed light on WHY I got the injury in the first place. And he was able to share why I’ve been experiencing knee issues (that happen to be on the same side as my disc herniation, which is the left side of my body).
Chris kindly shared with me that the entire left side of my body is misaligned because I have neck issues that should have been addressed a long time ago and that I also have Morton’s toe on my left foot! I always knew I had that, but I had no clue that it was detrimental to the alignment of my body/spine/knees, etc. If you don’t know what a “Morton’s toe” is, here’s some insight on that here. I’ve been walking and running on these feet for a long time (I’m in my mid-40s now), and this little oddity (the Morton’s toe on my left foot) was the culprit of a lot of trauma!
Chris also showed me how to fix the issue, which is as simple as placing a tiny piece of supportive leather under my big toe at a specific thickness and taping it there daily. This helps my foot line up, thereby adequately helping the entire left side of my body align the way it should, while he also treats the other areas (neck) that need some fixing as well.
The issues in my life brought on by this toe is crazy! From the herniation up to these recent knee blowouts, if I didn’t have someone to tell me what’s going on and how to fix these issues, I am not sure where I’d be right now. I felt like I was hitting rock bottom.
Let’s talk about those knees…
My knees have been pulled out of alignment two times this year, and each time I showed up at Chris’ door after texting with him the night before and each time he was able to fix the core issue. I’ve been feeling quite like Humpty Dumpty, but the good news is that he was able to put me back together again! So many people run to the doctor’s office with a knee issue (and sometimes that may be necessary), but often it is caused by a slight misalignment elsewhere that pulls the knee off-kilter and brings us quite literally to our knees. If you’d like more information on knees and why finding a chiropractor is imperative (or can be), please go here.
So, one may ask, how in the world would someone know that a tiny piece of leather put under that big toe would help? It takes another athlete to know these little things and someone that had to learn it the hard way too…
Athlete Turned Chiro
The best healers are ALWAYS those that had to heal themselves. Chris was just that person that I had been seeking for a very long time. If you don’t know about Chris’ background, he was a pretty hardcore athlete in professional wrestling and football; an athletic career cut short by issues he faced with his health as well. That Morton’s toe wisdom came from someone in his past who told him how to fix the problem because he also has a Morton’s toe and had suffered some significant pain because of it.
Someone that has gone through similar experiences can offer the answers to healing for others. As an athlete-turned-chiropractor, Chris KNOWS the ins and outs of the body. The little details like how massive misalignment in the spine can be caused by something so tiny. This insight is how we get to the ROOT CAUSE of why something happened versus just treating symptoms and never genuinely fixing anything.
These nuggets of wisdom are truly priceless. I’d like to advocate on Advanced Alignment’s behalf to say that if you’re a parent putting your kid into sports without doing a complete spinal/alignment analysis of your kid’s body, you are doing them a disservice! Sorry to sound harsh, but I often think about what my life would be like today if only I had known about these misalignments in my life at ten years old before I kicked off my athletic journey…
If you’d like to get your kiddos in to see Chris for this spinal/alignment analysis, you can click here for more details.
Summary
Finding a chiropractor for sports injuries can change the game for those who like to take our bodies to the brink of breaking (or beyond).
If you don’t live in Asheville, NC, and can’t come in to see Chris (aka Dr. Boyhan), look at this entire site and get familiar with the terminology. Then that can help you start your search in your local area for someone that just might have the same methodologies and philosophies in their work.
And, parents, bring those kids in to see Chris before they start to kick off their athletic journey, especially anything that has a heavy impact on those body parts (running, football, etc.). I promise you that it will be game-changing for them!
Guest Writer & Client of Advanced Alignment, Natalie Viglione
Natalie Viglione is an intuitive, healer and vessel for life and business guidance. She is activating what being a “Zen Warrior” means in her life at a time of great healing for her body, mind, and soul. Natalie operates a creative company called Team Gu and serves as a guide through her Disrupt Now Program and Podcast. As a vessel for life and business guidance, she’s here to initiate those ready to take their power back! See more at www.natalieviglione.com.