A Gridiron Chiropractor: When Skill Meets Opportunity, Success is Not Limited
FEATURE
Colleen Barry
At the Division I college level, winning is the top priority, and it takes a team of people, in addition to the athletes, to make that happen. Brittany Ramirez, DC, ATC, LAT, CCSP, is part of the team at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) as one of the official chiropractors for the Mizzou Athletics Department, where she works to keep all of Mizzou’s athletes healthy and ready to win.
While Dr. Ramirez works with all sports teams at Mizzou, she plays a unique role on the sports medicine staff because she is the sole female chiropractor working directly with a Southeastern Conference (SEC) football team.
“There is so much respect on the football staff from the top down that I honestly didn’t realize I was the only female DC working in SEC football until it was pointed out to me,” Dr. Ramirez said.
The way Dr. Ramirez sees it, whether she’s treating a 6-foot 3-inch, 350-pound lineman or a 5-foot 2-inch, 120-pound female tennis player, the goal is for Mizzou to win, and the athletes must be in top shape for that to happen. The same goes for her as a chiropractor. It isn’t her gender that matters when working in a maledominated sport such as football but rather her skills as a chiropractor.
“I’m a strong believer that gender isn’t a limiting factor,” said Dr. Ramirez, who also completed an internship in college with NASCAR, working as the only female on the sports medicine staff. “Your work ethic and skills are what keep you around.”
Dr. Ramirez is confident in her skills as a clinician due to her previous experiences and educational training. Prior to earning a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Logan University in St. Louis, Dr. Ramirez worked as a certified athletic trainer at Greensboro College (a Division III school). At Greensboro, she worked with the volleyball, swimming, and men’s lacrosse teams, providing her experience working with a male sport on a smaller scale. She took her experiences and expanded on them at Logan, preparing for her current role.
"Your work ethic and skills are what keep you around."
While Dr. Ramirez’s educational and clinical experiences are certainly the foundation of her success, she believes that success in any field is supplemented by building relationships. In her opinion, your skills may keep you in a position, but your relationships often get you in the door. This holds true for Dr. Ramirez since her relationship with Mizzou began while she was at Logan.
For the past decade, Logan has provided chiropractic care to Mizzou’s athletes. As a Logan student interested in sports medicine, Dr. Ramirez took advantage of this opportunity to learn and help treat high-level athletes while making connections with the athletic training staff at Mizzou. That, coupled with her drive and determination, led Dr. Ramirez to her current position.
“I believe Dr. Ramirez’s success within our program has not only been about her education and clinical experience, but more about her ability to form and cultivate relationships built upon a foundation of trust and mutual respect,” said Rex Sharp, associate athletic director of sports medicine at Mizzou.
In her role as a female chiropractor working with Mizzou’s football team, Dr. Ramirez appreciates the inclusive culture that Sharp has instilled. Dr. Ramirez has never felt as if she was treated differently because of her gender, or that she had to prove herself more than a male chiropractor.
“It speaks very highly of Mizzou’s athletics program,” Dr. Ramirez said. “Everyone from the athletic directors to the coaches to the football players I treat provide me with the utmost respect and vice versa.”
When she isn’t working with Mizzou athletes, Dr. Ramirez is busy running her own private clinic, Columbia Chiropractic Group. She specializes in sports chiropractic and focuses on improving mechanics for work-specific activities or everyday life functionality for her patients.
Recently, thanks to her professional relationships within the University of Missouri Health Care system, the Columbia Chiropractic Group office moved into a shared space with Mizzou Therapy Services. There, she works alongside Mizzou’s physical therapists, which makes it easier to comanage if her patients need physical therapy services.
“As a professional and as a chiropractor, Dr. Ramirez is a positive force that is always available to our athletes,” said Andy Hill, associate head coach and special teams coordinator for the Mizzou football team. “She fits in as a leader in our program, working hard every day to make sure our athletes are healthy and successful.”
Dr. Ramirez is grateful for the opportunity to work with some of the most talented athletes in the country. She says watching the athletes grow and overcome injuries and adversity is one of the most rewarding experiences.
“I love the diversity I get in working with both Mizzou’s athletes and my patients in my private practice,” Dr. Ramirez said. “No two days are the same.”
Brittany Overman Ramirez, DC, LAT, ATC, CCSP, is an Ach’anced Practice Clinician with MIZZOU Athletics Training Complex, aLogan University Health Center partner site in Columbia, Missouri. Dr. Ramirez is one of a handful of women chiropractors working at a D1 school and she is the only one in the SEC working directly with a D1 football team. Dr. Ramirez focuses on functional rehabilitation, improving mechanics for sports or work specific activities in her patients and is committed to bringing together multidisciplinary health care professionals to expand the referral networkfor co-managingpatients.
