Dr. Sarah Nelson, DC, knew she wanted to help people when she chose to become an HMO doctor. What she wasn’t expecting was how little of her time would be spent connecting with patients and getting to know them. Sure, every job has its downsides, but Sarah wanted to actually touch the lives or her patients—with their permission, of course.
“I was grateful to find my niche early on. In fact, when I went to chiropractic school, I’d only been to a chiropractor a couple of times, but I liked the concept of hands-on healing. It was back when super bugs were first making their come out. I knew I wanted to be a physician, but I didn’t want to do anything that was related to prescribing meds all day.
“At first, I thought I wanted to be an orthodontist. I did a mentoring program, which I recommend everyone do, even if they’re an adult. So I followed this orthodontist around, and about 30 seconds in, I realized this isn’t what I wanted to do because there’s no interaction with your patient. And I realized that’s something I crave.”
Of all the layers to chiropractic care, I don’t think there’s one that hasn’t sparked some curiosity in Sarah. Just learning about the similarities and differences between every body has provided Sarah a better picture of why treatments work for one person with a particular issue and not another with the same. It’s like having three ’97 Honda Civics that all have similar steering issues, but one is a daily driver, another is used for autocross, and the third has sat around in the corner of someone’s yard for the better part of 27 years. Each car can be fixed, but not in exactly the same way.
What she really urges each of her patients do is to learn about their own bodies so they can better understand what it’s telling them. “There’s a disconnect. I think that’s one of the reasons I like yoga so much. It’s a check-in. Then you’re not letting your body get out of control. I see that in my office all the time where you get back pain, and then you’re not moving as much; when you don’t move as much, you gain weight; when you gain weight, your back hurts more. It’s this positive feedback loop that just spirals downward. … Listen to your body when it’s speaking to you before it’s screaming at you.”
When a person knows their body, they’re also able to stop seeing each instance of pain as a personal attack. It becomes easier to connect the dots and take accountability for what they’re going through. “Even when I got sick recently, I think, ‘Well, I pulled some all-nighters. I haven’t been sleeping well. I’m eating gluten and doing all these things I don’t normally do. No wonder my body was in a state of being receptive to a virus. There’s accountability there.”
That personal accountability translates strongly to the athletes she sees. With a greater demand of their bodies, athletes typically have a high respect for the work it takes to return and keep their bodies in optimal condition. Sarah points out that a lot of patients misattribute their alleviated pain as an indication they can return to using their body as normal even when she warns them not to, and athletes have a lot to lose if they go into remission. Amusingly, Sarah points out that the size of the athlete is no indication of what techniques will work on their body.
“I see a lot of the UW guys, like linemen. They’re 315, 330, 350, so you’re thinking I’m going to have to throw them around, which for the most part I usually do. But some of them, there are different areas I have to be super gentle on. It’s a better approach for whatever they have, and you only learn that through communication with the patient.”
Obviously, a grunt, wince, or just being tense in a veil of sweat informs Sarah that what she’s doing is probably making the patient uncomfortable. Not so obvious to every patient is that it’s really important to speak up when something hurts or is too rough. It seems we’re trained to believe that the doctor always knows what’s best, so we fight through a procedure if there’s pain, believing we’ll come out the other end better for it. But in the world of biomechanical problems, that’s not usually the case.
Overall health often equates to comfort, both mental and physical. Being able to move confidently and having that confidence validated is something Sarah strives for everyone who sees her to achieve. Having worked with so many other health professionals, including those who utilize her services, means when she can’t help a patient, she can refer them to another professional who can.
The end goal is simple: everyone deserves to enjoy life to the fullest and be present in life’s most spontaneous and endearing moments. Sarah certainly practices what she preaches, and has amassed a broad collection of memories, many involving her late mom, a professional vocalist. For example, when Sarah took up learning the drums on a whim, she actually kept the drum set at her clinic. One of her more stoic patients, who she’d known forever, saw the drum set and lit up. “He starts playing, and it was warm out. So I opened the door, and all these people start coming in. … I said, ‘One of these nights, if you want to stop by and be the last patient, I’ll call my mom in, and she can sing with you.” They sat out and played her mom’s favorite songs all night, including Johnny Cash’s “Jackson” and Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee.”
Sarah’s beliefs might not jive with everyone, and she’s okay with that. She suggests patients take the time to find a chiropractor whose philosophies best line up with their own. That said, Sarah is always going to do what it takes to make her patients feel welcome. “I might be too hippy for some people, but I can meet them where they need me to be.” So if you see her truck outside, whether you’re a new patient or a regular, pop your head in and say hey. She might be closed, but she’s always ready to make time.
Kyle Jacobson is a writer who puts his pants on just like everyone else—as rarely as possible.
Photographs by Eric Tadsen.
Quick Fix After Hours Chiropractic
5124 Farwell Street
McFarland, WI 53558
(608) 279-7560
quickfixchiro.com