Getting your patients up to par (pun intended!)

Some people go crazy every fall over football. Others follow baseball from preseason to playoffs.

Me? I’m a golf fan. I watch Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam, and envy how they make driving the ball 300 yards look easy.

I’m also a hacker. I used to golf a fair game — consistently in the low 90s — when I was younger and able to play more often than I do now. An arthritic knee, old(er) joints, and a lack of time have left me yearning for the glory days when I occasionally broke 90.

I may never be able to hit as I did when I was in my prime, but thanks to my chiropractor, I enjoy the game more today. Whenever I get an adjustment, my range of motion, golf posture, and flexibility seem to improve — and my scorecard shows it.

This observation makes me wonder why more chiropractors do not give chiropractic “golf clinics” — either at the golf course or in their offices — to help hackers avoid injury and improve scores.

I’ve lived in Florida (which has the greatest number of golf courses in the country) for almost 10 years, and have golfed on at least 25 courses around the state. But I have yet to see an announcement for a chiropractic golf clinic, which would almost certainly be an effective patient-recruitment tool. Perhaps, of course, I have not been in the right place at the right time to catch these presentations.

I don’t think you have to be a sports chiropractor to participate in the sports segment. It occurs to me that by collaborating with a coach or trainer, you could hold a clinic for any sport popular in your area of the country, even if you don’t participate in the sport yourself.

Another way you could become involved in sports chiropractic is to carry products — such as creams, supplements, herbs, and fitness tools — that appeal to patients who play sports.

This issue of Chiropractic Economics is focused on sports chiropractic. As you browse through the issue, I hope you come away inspired to participate in this growing market segment. It’s an opportunity just waiting for you.

Until next time,

Linda Segall, Editor-in-Chief