Dr. T.J. Hackler evaluates an Ironman competitor in Madison, Wisconsin. |
T.J. Hackler, DC, a newly-minted chiropractor currently in his first year of practice, entered Cleveland Chiropractic College–Kansas City intent on working with athletes. A former college football player who also excelled at track and field events, he followed a time-honored path in chiropractic—after experiencing the benefits of hands-on care as a patient, he was inspired to become a doctor so that he could help others.
From day one as a chiropractic student, Hackler sought out extra training so that, upon graduation, he could hit the ground running as a skilled sports specialist. The hard work has already begun to pay off—Dr. Hackler now works with the track and field team of a major university and has treated National Football League players at their summer training camp (his contracts with the university and the NFL team do not permit him to identify them), as well as offering chiropractic services at a recent national Ironman competition.
Dr. Hackler expresses a strong dedication to expanding and refining his expertise, recognizing that his field requires life-long learning.
Most chiropractors who become deeply involved in treating athletes are, or have been, athletes themselves. Is that true for you?
Yes, I played all kinds of sports as a kid: football, soccer, volleyball, track, basketball, just about every sport you can imagine. When I went to college, I played football at Ft. Scott Community College and then got a scholarship in track and field at the University of Kansas. They said if I could high jump 7 feet or higher, I could get a scholarship, and I did.
So sports have been a really important part of your life since way, way back.
Very important. Injuries were part of it, too. I had knee surgeries, broken bones, pulled muscles, and contusions. I’ve got a hole in my quad from getting hit by opponents’ knees as a defensive back playing football. I’ve had a lot of injuries and I’ve had to come back from a lot of injuries. I’ve seen how they’ve been treated and seen some of the right ways to be treated. I’ve also witnessed a lot of injuries to other athletes, and as I’ve learned to treat athletic injuries, I’ve spent a lot of time in the training rooms with athletes on different sports teams, seeing how they were rehabbed. In the process, I’ve learned a lot about sports injuries and what the mechanism of injury is.
For example, runners can have repetitive stress injuries of the hip where they go into the training room and receive electrical stimulation and ice, and that helps a little but that nagging injury is still constantly there. Unless you can really get in and actually break up the adhesions that develop there, the problem will persist. In high school and college I was treated with a method called Active Release Technique (ART), which helped me greatly. In my work as a sports chiropractor, I’ve found it very helpful with many of my patients.
When were you first introduced to chiropractic?
In my senior year of high school, I was playing football. I caught a pass over the middle of the field and I went to jump over the safety and he clipped my legs. There were three people behind me that jumped over him with me and landed on the back of my legs and thighs, and pushed my shoulder and head to the ground in a kind of corkscrew motion. I finished playing the game, but by the time I got to the lockers I couldn’t take my pads off. I drove home (which I shouldn’t have) and I couldn’t lie on the couch and move my leg without my back spasming out. I had to bring a mattress down to the living room. I couldn’t roll over in bed. It was terrible. |
