Restoring my passion for Chiropractic!
My brother and I at the US Open 2016
This blog is going to be raw emotion from me about how I ignited my passion for Chiropractic Care and Holistic Healing after I went through a little slump. I had been practicing a little over 10 years when I felt like I was in a funk. It's not just one thing that boiled over, but little things that had led to a slight decrease in my love for my profession. I still poured everything I had into my patients, but knew something was missing. I knew I had to get back on track, my patients deserved a chiropractor passionate not only about their health but passionate to learn and mold into a better doctor.
An opportunity arose seemingly out of nowhere. I was asked to travel with a professional tennis player and serve as his private chiropractor. Thankfully my wife agreed to this travel, and I had coverage at my office so I didn't feel like I was totally abandoning my patients. I was eager for this change, would this be the godsend that propelled me back into passion? I set off on my first trip, meeting the player in Paris, France for the French Open. Off I went with way too much luggage, I looked like a pack rat going into the airport!
When I arrived in Paris I was ready to get to work. We had a beautiful flat and my room had an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower.
Preparation for this athlete required warm up, practice, cool down, nightly chiropractic care, manual muscle techniques and serious pressure to keep him performing at the highest level possible. Keeping tight tabs on hydration levels was a must. Many people who don't follow tennis don't know a 5 set match can last over 4 hours. The athlete is pushing their body to physical limits and needs to be prepared.
I immediately was passionate again, this one on one care helped me reach deep to any and all techniques that I had learned. There was something about seeing the athlete perform, his body responding to my care that was just awesome.
It took me a while to get in the groove with the tour grind. Learning what the athlete needed before the match, after the match and what treatment techniques should be used for a short turn around time. Luckily we hit that groove, understanding what he needed to perform to his highest capabilities. It was rewarding. In general practice this is hard to see sometimes, you see the patient and then may not see them again for a few days, a week, and you don't get to see how much the treatment has helped.
The French Open went well. The next trip on the books was to Wimbledon. I savored the time home and back in private practice for a few weeks before I was to head over the pond again.
Wimbledon was as beautiful as you'd think, although the weather in London was a bit to be desired.
View of Wimbledon court from the players restaurant
Wimbledon was pretty amazing honestly, and if you are a tennis fan it is a must see venue. The player and I were doing great, he understood my treatment and was performing well. Things were going swimmingly!
The season and travel continued through the beginning of November. This adventure and change of venue had done for me what I thought it would. I was passionate for Chiropractic again. I was ready to tackle private practice and help as many patients as possible. With the travel in 2016 I had to concentrate my efforts to grow my practice again, and that I did. I focused on education and meaningful content. I really started to focus on nutritional aspects of health from GI health, adrenal insufficiency, hormone imbalance, and the importance of a high quality diet.
I am committed to providing the best Chiropractic and Holistic healthcare to my patients. I have surrounded myself with a great team, Heather McCoy is our new massage therapist and she is also an RN who will be performing our blood draws. I have partnered with Vibrant Wellness for laboratory testing. Adi Shamir has been a great asset, she is our in house Nutritionist who will give hands on meal preparation demos as well as custom meal planning.
Thanks to my family for understanding the need I had to re-ignite my passion for Chiropractic. Thanks to all my patients who have been supportive of my practice over the years. I look forward to helping you find YOUR PATH TO WELLNESS!
My kids were happy when I came home!
Yours in Health,
Kirk Johnson DC
also published on Naturally KC, http://naturallykc.com