Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Corinne Alexander, DC, CCSP®, ICSC, EMT. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Corinne , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?
I want to preface that my answer involves the discussion of suicidal ideation and depression. I have been involved in patient care since 2018 and I have had the opportunity to work with a multitude of people from all walks of life. I had a very unique opportunity to spend the last six months of chiropractic school doing my internship at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, CA and the community outreach clinic in San Jose, CA. The time that I spent in the VA fundamentally changed the way that I approach patient care and gave me the practical and clinical competency needed to be successful in practice.
I spent the first three months of my internship in Palo Alto. For those that might be unfamiliar, the VA hospital in Palo Alto is robust in both size and scope of services. My clinician frequently, but fondly, referred to the hospital as, “The Mothership.” I vividly remember how nervous I was to step foot inside of the building where I would be working alongside my clinician to tackle some of the most complex cases I have seen in my career thus far. I quickly ate my slice of humble pie and geared up for the most difficult task of my academic career.
Three weeks. 12 business days of experience in the VA. My clinician and I were scheduled to have our afternoon new patient examination just after lunch. My clinician and I spent a few minutes together researching our patient, studying his imaging, and reading the vast amount of provider notes attached to his patient profile. We were shocked at the amount of injuries he had sustained from his military service and we were nervous to see several notes regarding the significant decline in his mental health due to his severe chronic pain. We studied and prepared to the best of our abilities, or when it comes to patient care, you just have to do it live.
I will never forget the image of this patient hobbling into the exam room. He had a cane and large knee braces on both knees. He would grunt and wince with each step that he took and I watched him use seemingly every muscle fiber in his body to try and lower himself down into the chair next to my desk. He was quiet, nervous, and visibly uncomfortable with making eye contact. I introduced myself and reached out to shake his hand, which was clammy and trembling. I thanked him for his service and asked him how we could be of service to him. He went to speak, but paused. His head was down, and his eyes were still glued to the floor. He finally looked up at me, his eyes welling up with tears and he said, “I don’t know what to do anymore. My wife wants to leave me. I’m in chronic and debilitating 10/10 pain every second of every day and nothing I’ve tried has worked. You and Dr. Schielke (my clinician) are my last hope. If you can’t help me, then I’m going to help myself by ending it.” As I handed him a tissue to wipe away the tears that had been cascading down his face, he slowly pulled out a folded up piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Scribbled on the front fold was, “For my wife. I’m sorry.”
My heart broke. The mental, emotional, and physical pain that he had endured for so many years had completely broken his spirit. He was exhausted, defeated, and at a loss for what to do next. We were able to calm him down enough to get through a physical exam, but the movements and tests that we performed were visibly agonizing for him. We used two outcome assessment tool which scored his low back disability index at 98% and his neck disability index at 96%, both of which were the highest percentages of disability that I had ever seen. His PHQ-9 score for depression was 26 and the most severe score is 27. My clinician and I stepped outside to talk about how we wanted to handle the situation. We both walked back into the room and offered him a six-visit trial of conservative chiropractic care combined with acupuncture specific for pain management. As part of our care plan, he agreed to receive emergency mental health treatment for his suicidal ideation right after his appointment with us. He knew that this was going to be a long road, but for the first time in the 55 minutes that I had known him, I saw glimmer of hope in his eyes. As he approached the door to the exam room, he looked back, paused, and gave a tiny nod of his head before disappearing down the hallway.
He returned for his first treatment the following week, which was certainly a sigh of relief. He maintained his appointments every Wednesday at 10:30 AM and never faltered. He did everything that we asked and he always valued our honesty and transparency. On my last week at the Palo Alto hospital, he came in on Wednesday for his review an update after completing his trial of conservative care. He sat down in the chair and I asked him how he was feeling about everything that we had done so far. He said, “For the first time in 10 years, I feel like I have my life back.” We reevaluated his outcomes scores and his low back disability index dropped from 98% to 54%, his neck disability index dropped from 96% to 42%, and his PHQ-9 score dropped from 26 to 19. Six treatments were all that it took to give him the relief that he had been craving for so many years. After we finished our final treatment together, he got up and started walking towards the door. He looked back at me, paused, and said, “You saved my life. Thank you.”
Corinne , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to give you a glimpse of who I am. I will try to keep it simple, but with all humans, we each come with our own complexities. From the time I was a small child, I knew that I was a natural healer and fixer. I dreamed of multiple career paths- paramedic, firefighter, police officer, orthopedic surgeon, cardiothoracic surgeon, dermatologist, etc. Yes, certainly an odd combination of choices, but they all have one thing in common- they help people in need. As the years passed, this passion never wavered.
My empathic nature was noticeable at an early age, as was my knack for sports. My parent enrolled me in t-ball and soccer as soon as I was old enough to play. The passion ignited the first time I stepped out onto a playing field. Sports became an integral part of my life and my identity. I played soccer, water polo, golf, and basketball, but softball will always occupy the biggest pice of my heart. I was a damn good ball player and it afforded me the opportunity to earn a scholarship to play at the collegiate level. I played on the inaugural team at Simpson University in Redding, CA and there I was a four-time All Conference and All California State athlete, a second team All American, and an academic All American.
I received my BS in biology with an emphasis in pre-medicine with every intention to go to medical school. Unfortunately, that fell through and led me on a detour in warehousing and operations management for almost five years after I graduated. One day after a really tough shift at work, I had an epiphany. I hated my career path and needed a change. I gave myself three options- physical therapy, physicians, assistant, or chiropractic. I chose chiropractic and I enrolled at Palmer College of Chiropractic West in San Jose, CA just a mere three weeks after I put in my notice. Palmer West was very well known for their emphasis on the importance of sports chiropractic. It was a perfect match.
As an athlete, I did not treat my body with care. I was never taught the importance of self-care and always heard, “Just rub some dirt and spit in it so it’ll make a good scar.” In my younger years, I was convinced that I was invincible, and that as long as I stayed in shape, nothing could touch me. When my softball career ended after college, I quickly realized the amount of cumulative damage that I had inflicted upon my body. Everything hurt. My range of motion deteriorated, my muscles and joints ached, and the most common phrase out of my mouth while performing any sort of physical activity was, “Back in my day, I used to be able to do (insert activity) without any issue.” This was certainly problematic.
From the moment I started chiropractic school, I knew that I wanted to open my own practice. I specifically designed my practice with an emphasis on treating athletes and active people. I wanted to provide a place that emphasized the importance of education, recovery, rehabilitation, and injury prevention, all of which I never had. My practice is built upon three foundational principles: improving health, promoting wellness, and enhancing performance. I inspire people to achieve the healthiest version of themselves through the implementation of custom-tailored treatment, best evidence-based clinical practices, and performance-specific rehabilitation.
For the patients that have worked with me, they will probably tell you that I am tough, but always honest, transparent, optimistic, and a constant source of comedic relief. I spend a lot of time with my patients and I deeply value people over vast amounts of profit. I customize each aspect of a treatment plan based on the unique needs and goals of the patient. My attention to detail, clinical expertise, knowledge base, adjusting skills, and practical experience as an elite athlete gives me distinct advantages that provide notable results. I want to create a new and better patient experience that challenges several problematic chiropractic industry standards.
I am so proud of the work I have achieved. Optimal Spine & Sport Chiropractic just celebrated its second anniversary. In those two years, I have further solidified my skills by earning my Certified Clinical Sports Practitioner® certificate, my International Certificate in Sports Chiropractic, and I just recently became an EMT. My business partner and I were chosen to be the team doctors for the inaugural season of the Stockton Cargo Soccer Club, a pre-professional women’s soccer team in the USLW. I am over the moon with the progress that has been made and I’m excited to see what the future holds. Cheers to helping people reach their top of their game.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
If I went back, I would absolutely choose the same profession. As cliché as it sounds, treating patients doesn’t feel like work to me. My career path has given me the unique ability to combine two of my greatest passions in life, both of which are deeply rooted in my identity. Having a practical outlet for my empathy and love for sports has provided a level of fulfillment that I didn’t know I could achieve. For the first time in my professional career, I have found a sense of purpose and true happiness. I wouldn’t change that for the world.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My business partner is Dr. Bryanna Esquivel. We met in college nearly 15 years ago and played softball together. We quickly bonded over the close proximity of our birthdays, our mutual love for metal music, and the fact that we were both catchers. I was a year ahead of her in college and we lived together in the dorms my junior year. We both attended Palmer College of Chiropractic West and she graduated a year and a half ahead of me. Our mothers always believed that we should team up and we owe it to them for planting that seed.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.optimalspineandsport.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/optimalspinesportchiro
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/optimalspinesportchiro
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/optimal-spine-sport-chiropractic
- Other: Alignable https://www.alignable.com/stockton-ca/optimal-spine-sport
Image Credits
Soccer Cargo player action shots- photo credit to Paul Muyskens/ @thatsanerror (Instagram) Stockton Ports action shots of Splash- photo credit to Jordan Feneck/ @stocktonports (Instagram)