We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ivan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ivan below.
Hi Ivan, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
The defining moment that set me on this career path wasn’t just a single event but a series of experiences that shaped my understanding of injury, recovery, and the impact they have on a person’s life. It all started with my mother
She was a single working parent who suffered a severe knee injury in an accident while using public transportation. The injury forced her to give up the activities she loved—running, dancing, traveling, or even simple things like walking comfortably without fear of re-injury. Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, including arthroscopic procedures and joint replacements, she struggled to find relief.
The traditional physical therapy and orthopedic systems failed her, leaving her feeling unsupported and stuck, and over time she experienced weight gain, depressive episodes, and a steep decline in her quality of life. Witnessing this firsthand made me deeply aware of how injuries don’t just affect the body—they can steal a person’s sense of independence, identity, and quality of life.
I grew up in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was always physically active. As a kid, I spent most of my time outside, mostly riding my bike with friends, exploring, and playing whatever sport we could come up with. I loved the freedom of movement, the competition, and the sense of community that sports brought. As I got older, I became more involved in organized sports and eventually discovered American football, which fascinated me. I pursued it at an elite level in Sweden, competing against top athletes both on the national and international levels, and that passion led me to the U.S., where I played collegiate football as an offensive lineman. Football not only shaped me physically but also gave me a deep appreciation for training, movement mechanics, and injury prevention—things that would later become the foundation of my professional career.
After high school, I pursued a degree at the University of Gothenburg, studying health promotion with an emphasis on physical activity. This program exposed me to the scientific process, psychology, and the idea that health isn’t simply a dichotomy of “sick” or “healthy” but a fluid continuum with a myriad of influencing factors. While I greatly valued what I learned, I found myself at a crossroads. The career paths it led to—such as corporate wellness or public health initiatives—didn’t align with how I wanted to make an impact. I wasn’t interested in implementing minor ergonomic improvements or healthier snack alternatives in large offices—I wanted to make a profound impact on individuals to reclaim their lives in a meaningful way.
Faced with this realization, I took a sabbatical year to explore my options and moved to Santa Barbara, California and later to Woodland Hills, CA. I pursued degrees in Exercise Science and Kinesiology while playing collegiate football as an offensive lineman. I knew I wanted to work in related fields to health, rehab, and performance, but I was torn between medicine, personal training, athletic training, and physical therapy. Chiropractic wasn’t even on my radar at this point. But after graduating, I found a job at a well-established multidisciplinary sports medicine clinic that changed everything for me.
This clinic had physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, athletic trainers, acupuncturists, and personal trainers, all working together to help people recover—ranging from youth to professional athletes and general population clients needing post-operative rehabilitation and injury care. My role involved exercise prescription and therapeutic movement, working under two highly skilled clinicians—one a physical therapist, the other a chiropractor. It was here that I realized something critical: the scopes of these professions overlapped significantly and both offered an avenue for autonomy and a patient-centered, movement-based approach that aligned with my values.
This led me to enroll in the Doctor of Chiropractic program at Southern California University of Health Sciences, which brought me to another crossroads. The profession had a reputation—part historical, part current—of being associated with quackery, gimmicks, and unethical sales-driven practices. The version of chiropractic that I had seen in the sports medicine clinic, however, was entirely different. It was grounded in education, science, rehabilitation, confidence and tolerance in movement and physical activity—not quick-fix adjustments or fear-based care models.
I knew there was a better way to do this. Rather than conforming to outdated or questionable industry practices, I committed myself to evidence-based, patient-first chiropractic care—one that prioritizes movement, strength, education, and long-term solutions. My journey, from my mother’s struggle to my academic and professional experiences, shaped the foundation of my approach: helping people not just recover from pain, but regain control of their lives.
Thinking back to the long period of time since my mother’s injury was eye-opening for me. I saw firsthand how an injury isn’t just about pain—it can reshape a person’s entire world. It made me realize that true rehabilitation isn’t just about fixing a joint or prescribing exercises; it’s about restoring confidence, function, and quality of life.
Since I began my clinical training, I have done everything I can to help my mother, who still lives in Sweden. I’ve guided her in navigating the healthcare system, helping her find a physical therapist who, for the first time, has provided care that is actually making a difference. Now, after more than two decades of struggles, doubts, and setbacks, she is reclaiming her health and physical freedom. She recently started taking tango lessons, goes on several-hour-long walks through the city, and just completed her first 5K run—something she never thought she’d be able to do again. Seeing her regain confidence in her body after all these years is a full-circle moment for me. It reinforces why I do what I do: movement is medicine, and no one should have to accept pain and limitation as their permanent reality.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I worked at a multidisciplinary sports medicine clinic, where I was primarily involved in the exercise prescription and movement-based rehabilitation for patients under the care of a physical therapist and a chiropractor after surgeries and injuries. This experience opened my eyes to the power of combining movement, hands-on therapy, and patient education. It also led me to chiropractic—not the traditional, outdated version, but an evidence-based, educational, and empowering approach that prioritizes long-term solutions over quick fixes.
I chose not to pursue traditional medicine because I saw firsthand how the sick-care model often fails people. Medicine is incredible at saving lives in emergencies, but it’s not designed to empower people to move, feel strong, and take control of their health. Too many people get caught in a cycle of symptom management rather than true recovery—whether that’s being prescribed painkillers, receiving short-term treatments, or being told surgery is their only option. I wanted to bridge the gap between rehab and performance, helping people not just get out of pain, but regain confidence in their bodies so they can return to the activities they love. This is why I founded Reform Spine & Sport in Agoura Hills, California.
I’m a chiropractor specializing in rehab and performance, but my approach goes beyond the traditional image of chiropractic care. I don’t just focus on quick adjustments or temporary relief—I work to identify the root cause of pain and dysfunction so my patients can move better, feel better, and regain confidence in their bodies.
At Reform Spine & Sport, we offer a complimentary consultation that allows us to better understand the situations of our potential patients, and for them to ask us questions to ensure that our clinic is the right fit for them.
Many of the people who come to Reform Spine & Sport feel stuck. They’ve consulted with orthopedists or other specialists, tried approaches like traditional chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, and even DIY solutions like stretches and exercises found on social media, but nothing has provided lasting relief. Some have been dealing with nagging injuries for years, sometimes decades, and they’ve resigned themselves to the idea that pain is just a part of life now. My goal is to challenge that mindset.
Our approach starts with addressing acute pain. When someone comes in with severe pain, our priority is to reduce their suffering quickly. Pain is overwhelming—it affects not only movement but also confidence, energy, and mental well-being. Before we can start any real rehab work, we have to get that pain under control. This isn’t just about symptom relief; it’s about creating a window of opportunity where we can rebuild movement, function, and resilience.
Once pain is reduced or gone, that’s when the real work begins—and that’s often where other approaches stop. The challenge at this stage is keeping patients engaged and committed to addressing the underlying issues that led them to this point. It’s easy to stop once the pain fades, but without strengthening the body, improving movement patterns, and creating a long-term strategy, the problem will return. That’s why we don’t just treat pain—we build resilience. We help patients develop strategies to manage flare-ups, promote adaptability in their bodies, and break the cycle of recurring injuries. The goal is to equip them with the tools to stay healthy and strong on their own, rather than relying on passive treatments for the rest of their lives.
What makes Reform Spine & Sport different is that we prioritize education, empowerment, and optimism. Too often, healthcare—especially in the rehab world—is filled with fear-based messaging. We hear things like “Don’t do this,” “That’s bad form,” “Don’t bend your spine,” “Don’t slouch,” “Don’t lift heavy,” or “Don’t move through pain.” People are bombarded with messages that make them fearful of movement and skeptical of their body’s ability to heal. Instead of teaching confidence and adaptability, they are told to avoid and restrict. Many treatment approaches also encourage passivity, where pain relief is something that’s “done to” the patient—through adjustments, massages, gadgets, or gimmicks—rather than something they have control over.
The human body is incredibly adaptable and resilient—but people need the right guidance and mindset to tap into that potential. I want my patients to feel capable, strong, and in control of their health. I want them to leave my care with a deep understanding of how to take care of their bodies, how to move without fear, and how to trust that they are not broken.
At our core, we all want to stay independent and free to live life on our own terms. No one wants to feel like a burden on their loved ones, but when pain takes over, people often start relying on others for basic things—getting up from a chair, carrying groceries, or even just getting through the day. Over time, this can lead to frustration, helplessness, and isolation. The truth is, maintaining our freedom and independence starts and ends with keeping ourselves healthy. Our ability to move, lift, play, and engage with life is something we must invest in, protect, and prioritize—because when we take care of our bodies, we’re not just helping ourselves. We’re making sure we can show up for the people who depend on us, contribute to our communities, and continue living the lives we want for as long as possible.
The work we do at Reform Spine & Sport matters beyond just the individual. Because pain and suffering have a ripple effect. When someone is in pain, it affects everything—their mood, their relationships, their ability to engage with their family and community. When a father isn’t in pain, he can play with his kids. When a mother feels strong and capable in her body, she can care for her family with more energy, patience, and presence. When grandparents feel mobile and confident, they stay active in their families’ lives, creating lasting memories with their grandchildren instead of sitting on the sidelines. When people feel healthy, they help their neighbors, they contribute to their communities, and they set an example for younger generations. Health is not just personal—it impacts everyone around us.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that the body and mind are completely separate. Like many others, I used to view health in a very mechanical way—if something hurt, the problem was in that specific tissue, joint, or muscle, and fixing it was simply a matter of treating that part of the body. But during my education at the University of Gothenburg, this perspective was challenged.
I was introduced to the works of Aaron Antonovsky, Robert Sapolsky, and many others less publicly known academics who presented a much more multifactorial and global view of health—one that considered not just the physical body, but also the environment, past experiences, stress levels, values, attitudes, and beliefs of an individual. These perspectives revealed just how deeply interconnected our bodies and minds truly are.
Pain, for example, is not just a physical sensation—it’s an experience shaped by emotions, expectations, and context. Someone’s pain levels might change based on how stressed they are, how safe they feel, or even how they’ve been taught to interpret discomfort. A person’s beliefs about their body—whether they see it as strong and adaptable or fragile and broken—can impact their recovery just as much as any physical treatment. This understanding completely reshaped how I approach patient care.
At Reform Spine & Sport, we don’t just focus on fixing “bad backs” or “weak muscles” in isolation. We would never disregard physical findings and evidence of injury, nor would we ignore evidence of distorted views and beliefs about the situation.
Think back to the last holiday dinner with the family gathered. How many “bad backs,” “bad knees,” or “bad shoulders” can you recall from across the table at dinner? What we think and believe about our bodies affect how we live our lives.
We work to understand the full picture—what’s going on in our patients’ lives, how they perceive their pain, what fears or doubts they carry, and how we can help them rebuild confidence in their bodies. By addressing both the physical and mental aspects of recovery, we don’t just relieve pain—we help people break free from fear, limitation, and uncertainty.
Unlearning the idea of the body as separate from the mind has been one of the most important shifts in my career. It has allowed me to help patients in a more meaningful and lasting way, empowering them to see their health as something dynamic, adaptable, and within their control.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Beyond training and knowledge, I believe the most important factor for success in my field is genuine curiosity and the ability to truly listen to patients.
Many healthcare professionals have extensive training, but what often gets lost is the ability to see the individual behind the injury or pain. Every patient comes in with a unique story—how their pain started, what they’ve tried before, what they believe about their condition, and how it affects their daily life. If we don’t take the time to listen and understand, we’re just applying textbook solutions to real human experiences, and that rarely leads to meaningful results.
At Reform Spine & Sport, we take a different approach. We don’t just look at a person’s symptoms; we look at their lifestyle, habits, stress levels, fears, and goals. We ask the deeper questions: What have you stopped doing because of your pain? What do you believe about your body’s ability to heal? What would success look like for you? These conversations often reveal the true barriers to recovery—not just physical dysfunction, but also self-doubt, fear of movement, frustration with past treatments, or even a loss of identity due to their pain.
Another key factor is patience and persistence—both for the practitioner and the patient. Many people come to us after months or years of struggling with pain, often feeling discouraged and skeptical. Building trust and guiding them toward real, lasting change takes time. Quick fixes might provide temporary relief, but true recovery requires consistent effort, education, and a commitment to doing the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ReformSpineAndSport.com
- Instagram: ReformSpineAndSport
