The field of sports chiropractic has evolved rapidly as more professional and amateur athletes seek chiropractors for injury prevention, rehabilitation and performance optimization. Chiropractors are now an integral part of professional sports medicine teams, working alongside sports physicians, physical therapists and athletic trainers to keep athletes healthy. According to the Professional Football Chiropractic Society, every National Football League team has a chiropractor on staff, and many other professional sports teams utilize chiropractic care.
While licensed chiropractors don’t need specific credentials to work with athletes, organizations such as the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (ACBSP) and the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS) provide educational pathways for practitioners looking to gain experience and knowledge.
The ACBSP offers two levels of credentials: the Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) and the Diplomate of the American College of Sports Physicians (DACBSP). To sit for the written exam, the CCSP requires a master’s degree, an active athletic training (ATC) license or completion of a minimum of 100 hours of postgraduate education in the CCSP program at an accredited chiropractic college. The DACBSP requires additional experience and research components and a written and practical exam.
FICS offers online and in-person credentialling for sports chiropractors looking to achieve the International Certificate in Sports Chiropractic (ICSC) and to be eligible to participate in international sporting events that are exclusive to FICS providers. Both pathways provide opportunities to distinguish yourself as a sports chiropractor.
The reality of working in sports—outside of the professional level—is that much of your tune spent will be on a volunteer basis. Whether you’re working on the sidelines for a local high school football team’s Friday night game or spending your Thursday afternoon seeing a local college’s athlete before they head out of town, this tune can be inconvenient and come at a cost (time away from the clinic or your personal life).
The field of sports chiropractic has evolved rapidly as more professional and amateur athletes seek chiropractors for injury prevention, rehabilitation and performance optimization.
Why commit to something that might cost you money? Here are five strategies that can help you recoup and even profit from donating your time working in amateur sports.
In-Kind Advertising
The easiest way to create value is to request advertising from the team or school in exchange for your time. Examples include a patch on a uniform with the clinic name, signage on the field or in the gymnasium, or sponsorship at team fundraising activities.
Sport Physicals
If your home state allows chiropractors to perfonn pre-participation physicals, this is an excellent way to bring patients into your clinic. In addition to making money for perfonning physicals, you can convert the visits into future chiropractic care appointments by discussing all the ways you can help the athlete with performance gains, injury prevention and more.
Social Media
Social media can be a powerful tool to drive patients to your clinic. Leveraging the school’s or team’s social media account to direct viewers to your own pages is a great way to bring awareness to your clinic and treatment approach. For example, have the sports team repost or share a tagged or collaborated post demonstrating a set of exercises on one of their athletes. These posts provide an opportunity to showcase your clinic’s services and expertise.
Concussion Baseline Testing
Similar to providing sport physicals to athletes, baseline concussion testing is an excellent way to build volume. Parents and athletes are increasingly concerned about the potential long-tenn effects of concussions. As the source of baseline testing, you’ll be the practitioner they turn to if a suspected concussion occurs, and if your state allows, you’ll be the physician who will clear the athlete for return to play. Not only are you likely to be involved in the care and management of these athletes, but the rapport and trust you’ll build with their parents can go a long way. In my experience, completing postgraduate training in concussion management from organizations such as the ACBSP or FICS is integral in providing quality care. Technology like imPACT concussion testing offers computer-based baseline and post injury assessments that can be stored and recalled easily to help guide return to play decisions.
Providing Tips Through Email Database
Lastly, an excellent way to generate awareness of your clinic is to market through the sports team’s email database. A weekly preventative health tip or monthly blog post circulated to the organization can also include your clinic name, phone number and website. This keeps your involvement top of mind to those who follow organizational updates.
Providing medical coverage for an organization can seem overwhelming, and perhaps on the surface, a waste of time. However, aligning yourself with a sports organization gives you legitimacy and trustworthiness within the community. You’re more likely to be referred by family and friends because of your involvement. In my experience, it’s important to carefully select which organization to align with to maximize your clinical return. Some things to consider when choosing who to volunteer your time with include:
Proximity to your clinic. Your patient catchment area should be convenient for potential patients to get to while also being reasonably located for you to visit them.
Personal connection. Consider selecting an organization you’ve been a part of or have a connection to, such as your own child(ren) or nephews and nieces.
The organization’s success. As a sports chiropractor, it’s enjoyable to be part of a winning team. Winning organizations also tend to produce athletes who move on to the next level. Being a chiropractor for a college or professional athlete can be a great source of marketing.
Have you played the sport before? Speaking the same language as the athlete, coach or family member can help drive patients to your clinic.
Sports season. Is there a time of year your clinic is slower or you have more time? This might help you choose which sport to volunteer with.
Being a sports chiropractor for a team or organization can be a large commitment but can also be a validating career choice. Most who excel in this reahn have a passion for sports chiropractic.
Dr. Devon Ackroyd is an assistant professor at Logan University and maintains a private practice in Ladue, Missouri. He is a diplomate from the American Chiropractic Board of Chiropractic Sports Physicians and team chiropractor for the XFL St. Louis Battlehawks andU.S. Women’s National Hockey Team. Dr. Ackroyd can be contacted at [email protected] or 636-230-1948.
