Rodeo is a lifestyle that guarantees competitors are accustomed to breaks, bruises, swelling, scares, and pain... lots of pain. Cowboys offer such interesting case studies, for all types of doctors, about the amount of abuse a body can endure. To a chiropractor, cowboys are a dream come true, and a occasionally, a nightmare.
I often tell people that I was competing before I was born. This is quite literally true as my mother was still barrel racing at 6 months pregnant with me. I grew up on the rodeo circuit. Mom was a barrel racer and dad was a steer wrestler. As I grew up, I had the chance to work with livestock while working with a rodeo company. They are close family friends and own J-Bar-J out of Clare, MI. Eventually, I followed in Dad's footsteps and become a steer wrestler.
When I was 12, I was at a rodeo and having trouble turning my head to the right. As luck would have it, there happened to be a chiropractor at that rodeo donating his services to the contestants. The doctor examined my spine, found several misaligned areas, and then gave me my first adjustment. I was not sure why, but I walked away with the knowledge that one day I would become a chiropractor.
In school I focused heavily on science knowing this would help prepare me, but I also began to research what exactly chiropractors do. I soon learned that chiropractic is about so much more than pain relief. It's about helping the body to perform at it's highest potential level. The fact that it alleviates pain is just a byproduct of higher functioning.
It has been a long journey since that dusty summer afternoon, but now I understand why I was so drawn to chiropractic. I now have the amazing opportunity to help my patients realize a quality of living that most people do not know is possible. I have also been able to use my profession to give back to the sport that got me here by volunteering my services at local rodeos.
Happy Trails,
Dr. Dave Sharp
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