After 6 years of searching for the cause of my joint pain, I was officially diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) at age 16. My athletic background and history of RA caused me to deal with many doctors’ appointments.
After regularly seeing my rheumatologist, getting blood work, and going through physical therapy, I started to call myself a “professional patient”. Being a “professional patient” allowed me to gain a deeper appreciation for medical professionals because I truly relied on them to be well.
Mrs. Pratt was my senior year anatomy teacher in high school, and she taught anatomy in such a way that it sparked my hunger to know more and more about the human body and how it was designed. The combination of Mrs. Pratt’s teaching, my love for sports, and being a “professional patient” is what kicked off my journey of wanting to be in the medical field.
I bounced around from medical career to medical career, until my senior year at The University of Alabama. I was sitting in one of my Kinesiology courses when we had a presentation by a representative from a chiropractic college in the US. I never imagined myself as a chiropractor because I did not know the magnitude of the profession (also because I am not the tallest person out there...but I quickly learned that my height did not matter). Growing up, my family would see a chiropractor regularly, but I never took the time to ask him what he was taught in school. I also only saw him treat a specific population and never knew that chiropractors could go into different specialties.
I then dove into research about chiropractic care and realized that I could be the provider that I always dreamed of being! I could work with athletes by specializing in sports. I could work with patients with autoimmune conditions by providing in-depth services. I could also serve specific populations like pregnant and pediatric patients. Above all, I always wanted to own a business, but I did not know that I would be able to combine my love for entrepreneurship and serving patients as a career.
After realizing all that chiropractic had to offer, I knew that it was the profession for me! I fell more in love with the profession during my time at school, and I continue to love it more and more now that I am officially practicing in my clinic. I love that this profession embodies overall wellness to allow people to experience healthy years during their lifetime. I also love the holistic treatment options for patients that are wanting a natural approach or the opportunity to avoid unwanted surgery. It truly resonates with me that chiropractic’s approach is all about addressing the root cause and not about treating symptoms because I have always been a “why” type of person. If I could have become a chiropractor ten years ago, then I 100% would have!
- Dr. B. Likely, DC, ACSM-EP
Sports and Family Chiropractor
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