RISA POTTERS, D.C.
What It Means to be a Chiropractor.
When I began chiropractic college in 1990, I was forty years old and had already had intensive training in Structural Integration bodywork and yoga therapy. The education I received in chiropractic college filled in my knowledge of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and biomechanics, so that I could combine what I already knew into a complete package. The school that I went to—Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in Whittier, California—was considered the "Harvard" of chiropractic colleges, and there were students from all over the world who took the information back to their native countries. In addition to international students, my class had Olympic athletes and world-class body builders, physical therapists and medical doctors, so the environment was extremely competitive and challenging. Our program, which was designed after the Harvard Medical School program, provided clinical cases and encouraged work in small groups to solve and diagnose each case. It was a stimulating and interesting four years, and I am grateful today and every day for the experience and knowledge I received during those years.
Because of the education and experience I had already achieved before entering chiropractic college, touching people and working with patients was not new to me. My skills were already honed, far above most of the students in my class. We did learn chiropractic adjusting techniques—the kind of "high-velocity" adjustment that moves the joints beyond their normal ranges—along with the other intense medical courses, but it was never my intention to use them in practice, even though that is what chiropractors are known for. I have always felt that by working deeply with muscles, tendons and ligaments, slowly and with care, using sensitive palpation skills, joint mobilization and deep connective tissue release through bodywork and yoga, I could achieve deeper, more lasting results . . . and that is how I have always practiced.
Just as there is a wide range of medical doctors, chiropractors also practice in many different ways. I am trained and skilled in the McKenzie Technique and Cranial Sacral Therapy in addition to the other skills that I bring to the table. The work I do is deep and intense, and I schedule an hour and a half per session so that patients leave the office with a complete experience. This is not "quick" adjusting, but deep and lasting.
True healing and change takes time, and in my practice, you are allowed to take the time you need.
Because of the education and experience I had already achieved before entering chiropractic college, touching people and working with patients was not new to me. My skills were already honed, far above most of the students in my class. We did learn chiropractic adjusting techniques—the kind of "high-velocity" adjustment that moves the joints beyond their normal ranges—along with the other intense medical courses, but it was never my intention to use them in practice, even though that is what chiropractors are known for. I have always felt that by working deeply with muscles, tendons and ligaments, slowly and with care, using sensitive palpation skills, joint mobilization and deep connective tissue release through bodywork and yoga, I could achieve deeper, more lasting results . . . and that is how I have always practiced.
Just as there is a wide range of medical doctors, chiropractors also practice in many different ways. I am trained and skilled in the McKenzie Technique and Cranial Sacral Therapy in addition to the other skills that I bring to the table. The work I do is deep and intense, and I schedule an hour and a half per session so that patients leave the office with a complete experience. This is not "quick" adjusting, but deep and lasting.
True healing and change takes time, and in my practice, you are allowed to take the time you need.
