My experience with chiropractic began early in my junior season playing collegiate basketball for the Benedictine Lady Ravens. I developed severe low back pain that was keeping me from performing at my best. There came a point where I wasn’t even able to sprint the length of the court or jump for a rebound due to the severity of my pain. Ibuprofen was not working. I was taking 4-5 ibuprofen a day with no relief.
After a couple of weeks, my husband suggested I go see his chiropractor. At that point, all I knew about chiropractors was that they popped your neck and that made me nervous! Eventually, the pain became too much to bear and I decided to give his chiropractor a try. He used a technique called Activator, which is an instrument-assisted form of chiropractic with no pops or cracks! After three treatments with this doctor, I was pain free and on the court, I went on to have the best season of my career! I couldn’t believe this treatment had helped me become pain free without the use of medications or invasive techniques! It was all-natural and I had finally found a doctor who saw me as more than just a low back problem; he saw me as a whole person. Shortly thereafter, I decided to become a chiropractor, forever focused on wellness care rather than sickness care.
I attended Cleveland Chiropractic College – Kansas City and immediately became active in as many extracurricular activities I could handle given the intense load of schoolwork. In my time at Cleveland, I was the school’s chapter president of the Student American Black Chiropractic Association, a class representative, a Multi-cultural Student Advocate, a Campus Ambassador Student Recruiter, and an active member of several clubs on campus including Student American Chiropractic Association, Family Wellness / Pediatric Club, Activator Club, Acupuncture Club, and Motion Palpation Institute Club. I also had the privilege, two out of the three years that I attended school, to visit Washington, D.C. to meet with senators and legislators on capital hill for the progress of chiropractic in health care during the National Chiropractic Legislative Conference.
Since graduation, Dr. Melinda has participated in a number of continuing education based on acupuncture, non-invasive pain seminars and multidisciplinary health care approaches.