“Science-based, curated information for efficient goal attainment. No pushing products. No hidden agendas. That’s it.”
These are some of the first words written on the homepage of my website. I strongly believe in giving my athletes curated information, support to keep them on track, and a healthy dose of “get it done, no excuses” when necessary. What I don’t believe in is trying to push products and services on my clients so that I can make a little extra cash on the side (or for any other reason). This all being said, when I find a product or a service that I personally believe in and find valuable, I will always share that information in the hopes that my clients might find them useful as well. This is one of those times.
Meet Brian Watters.
Brian is a Chiropractic Physician and the owner of Indy Muscle & Joint Clinic. I ended up in Brian’s office due to chronic shoulder and back pain, hoping that I could find some relief, and perhaps even some new rehab exercises to add into my daily activation and mobility routine. Not only did I get what I had come for, but I got so much more.
To begin with, Brian did an assessment of my build, my posture, how I moved, and where I felt discomfort. In addition to giving me some adjustments and scraping my shoulders, Brian is a licensed Acupuncturist and was, therefore, able to give me some acupuncture and dry needling on my ever-in-pain left labrum and shoulder. The entire time Brian worked on me he gave me constant feedback and information on what he was doing, and why he was doing it. Once he was done working on me, he showed me some activation and stretching exercises to do on my own.
As I spoke with and learned from Brian, he told me this: “I am here to be a part of your team, along with every other professional, coach, trainer, doctor, and therapist. My job isn’t to do more than I can or should, and I won’t overstep my bounds and claim to know all. I don’t want to waste your time, or to try to tell you you need something that you don’t. Every person has individual needs, and my job is to create a plan that will fit those needs.” I loved hearing this from Brian because it is both what I want from a professional, and what I try to provide to my own athletes. I was so thrilled to work with someone who took just as much time to educate me as he did to adjust me so that one day I might be able to do most of what I need all on my own.
After I worked with Brian, he sent me to see one of his massage therapists. While I knew my shoulders were tight and needed work, the massage therapist quickly identified many of the contributing factors (ex. tight neck and jaw muscles due to the fact that I clench my jaw and tense my shoulders when I’m stressed). In addition to the massage, the therapist also did static cupping on my shoulders and slide cupping on my back (side note - slide cupping is. the. bomb.).
This was yet another thing I loved about Indy Muscle & Joint Clinic - they didn’t just work on my bones, they didn’t just work on my muscles, they didn’t just work on my joints, they didn’t just educate me on how to better take care of myself. They did it all. This is because of what Brian has identified as his Three Pillars. He explained them to me saying, “The first pillar is the joint. The bony articulation can often be adjusted, manipulated, or mobilized to temporarily feel better and send feedback to the brain. The second pillar is the muscle. This controls the joint and can often be improved by soft tissue work, needling, scraping, and rehab. The third pillar, and the most important pillar, is education. This is my main job, and without this, the others won’t work as well. We want to educate patients to be able to help themselves and maintain their own bodies. I’m here to help them along, but not to make them reliant on me. I am a teacher, which is literally what “doctor” means.”
So there you have it, team. Do you absolutely need a chiropractor? Probably not. Do you absolutely need a massage therapist? Again, probably not. I didn’t write this blog to make you think that you need to spend your time and money in places that are unnecessary to you, or that you don’t value. What I do want to say, however, is that I have been in this game - as an athlete and as a professional - for a long time. I have seen a lot of chiropractors, and I’ve had a lot of massages. But I really connected with the messages I heard, and the physical results I felt when I visited Indy Muscle & Joint. And if I can pass that message along to you and your loved ones and add value to your lives, then that’s what I’m here to do.