Northeast College prepares students for sports chiropractic careers

Athletes increasingly rely on teams of healthcare professionals, including doctors of chiropractic and nutrition experts, to maintain optimal health, and achieve peak performance and recover from injuries. Northeast College of Health Sciences prepares students to take on these trusted sports chiropractic roles.

Northeast College Sports Chiropractic’s whole-body approach attracts future sports DCs

Jose Balseca, a Northeast College graduate, chose the institution for its chiropractic education because he always intended to work with athletes. The college’s emphasis on a whole-person approach to healthcare has propelled many alumni into successful careers in sports chiropractic and healthcare.

Students earning a doctor of chiropractic degree at Northeast, which always emphasizes a whole-person approach to healthcare, learn movement screening, assessment, evaluation and rehabilitation, all critical to working with athletes. Graduates of the college’s Master of Science in Applied Clinical Nutrition program are also prepared to play a critical role in training teams by creating customized nutrition plans for athletes to enhance their performance and recovery.

Balseca, a sports chiropractic specialist, said working in athletics is a “natural fit for practitioners interested in biomechanics, bioenergetics, and whole-body fundamentals, all of which are aspects of the chiropractic curriculum at Northeast College.” He is the only Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP) in western New York and is internationally certified in sports chiropractic.

DCs integral to elite sports

According to the Professional Football Chiropractic Society, every National Football League team has at least one DC on staff. These professionals provide between 30 and 50 treatments per week during the season, totaling an estimated 28,800 adjustments over the course of 18 weeks.

Most National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and National Hockey League teams also employ DCs. Northeast College alumni work with athletes at major sporting events, including the Olympics and World Games. Balseca has provided chiropractic care to inline hockey players, artistic roller skaters, swimmers, wheelchair rugby players, and the Singapore Women’s Canoe Polo team during the 2022 World Games.

“DCs provide a whole-body, proactive approach to healthcare. We evaluate, diagnose, and assess an athlete’s capabilities, then recommend and administer treatments,” Balseca said. “The healthcare paradigm is shifting as people recognize the importance of maintaining functional health, and the role of a DC is expanding. Athletes are realizing that DCs can be a central part of their care.”

Northeast College professor brings real-world sports experience

Balseca, an assistant professor at Northeast College, has served as team DC for the Rochester Lancers soccer team and the Rochester RazorSharks basketball team. He has also treated international athletes at a USA Women’s Ice Hockey championship and extreme sports events, including the World Kickboxing Championship in Italy and Nitro Circus motocross events, where he served as medical manager.

Balseca introduced Northeast students to the world of elite athletic care by leading a private tour of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York. Students shadowed the Sports Medicine Clinic with director John Faltus and met Ambrose Serrano, a strength and conditioning coach.

“It helped students see how basic chiropractic skills integrate with elite athletic care and general patient care,” Balseca said. “This clinical thinking is emphasized at Northeast College, and students do an excellent job applying it.”

Northeast alumni excel in sports chiropractic and nutrition

Many Northeast College alumni work with professional athletes. Buffalo Bills team DC Zachary Musial earned national recognition in 2023 as part of the training staff credited with saving player Damar Hamlin’s life when he suffered cardiac arrest on the field. Alumni Joshua Kollman and Nevin Markel are DCs for the Carolina Panthers.

Brad Klueber collaborates with the head trainer for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the assistant athletic director for the Pitt Panthers and the head trainer for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Neuromuscular therapist Curtis Bell earned his master’s degree in applied clinical nutrition at Northeast College, supporting his work with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers. He now serves as athletic director for the Vancouver Canucks.

Balseca has treated athletes from more than 30 countries, including Argentina, Iran, Guatemala, India and Poland. As a professor at Northeast College, he continues to educate and inspire future healthcare leaders.

For more information, visit northeastcollege.edu.

About Northeast College of Health Sciences

For more than a century, Northeast College of Health Sciences has been dedicated to training healthcare’s future leaders. At Northeast, health and wellness are our central focus, driving everything we do. The College’s graduate and undergraduate academic programs in areas such as chiropractic, nutrition, human anatomy instruction, massage therapy, and the imaging sciences are rooted in Northeast’s mission and commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and professional best practices. From our 286-acre main campus in New York’s Finger Lakes and our state-of-the-art branch campus on Long Island to our renowned faculty of expert practitioners, Northeast College provides a transformative educational experience 100% dedicated to health sciences.