In this month’s interview, I’d like to introduce you to a regular member of Spring Hill Fitness who has some special skills that could most likely help you with your health and fitness goals, Dr. Cory Davis.
Cory has been a member of our gym for over two years now and could easily be mistaken for an average gym rat or physique competitor, albeit one with excellent lifting technique! He knows his way around the gym and shares our passion for muscle and fitness. He also happens to be a Doctor of Chiropractic with unique skills that could benefit you if you have an ache or pain or want to prevent them. Several of our members have gone to see Cory at In Motion Spine and Joint Center with great success, including my better half Amber Suter! Cory has also lead some informative free seminars at our gym and will be doing a clinic on proper squat technique in the near future – you won’t want to miss it! So without further ado, let’s jump into the interview.
SHF: Hi Cory, hope you’re doing great! Can you start off by telling us a little bit about your background like where you grew up, where you studied chiropractic, and what brought you to the Spring Hill area?
CD: Hey Pierre, first of all, thanks for having me! I was born and raised in a small town in west Tennessee called Martin. I attended the University of TN-Martin where I received my bachelors degree before heading off to Logan University in St. Louis, MO to obtain my doctorate along with a masters degree. After leaving a job in Memphis, TN, I knew I wanted to move towards Middle TN because of family, the opportunities, and just the overall appeal of Middle TN.
SHF: What made you want to be a chiropractor and how are you enjoying it?
CD: Growing up I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field in some way. Throughout grade school science always seemed to come easy and was very interesting to me. I was a very active kid that was eager to sign-up for any and every sport that included a ball, but like most athletes I ended up with injuries along the way. During these injuries, I typically sought the care of a manual therapist (whether it be physical therapist, chiropractor, massage therapist, etc) and always found great results that got me back on the field, usually faster. With my mechanical oriented mind and inquisitive nature, becoming a chiropractor was a natural fit. So far I do not think I could have made a better career choice and I’m loving it and love helping people on a daily basis. I take each case as a personal challenge.
SHF: For those who don’t know much about chiropractic, can you describe what types of conditions a good chiropractor can help with and how they go about doing that?
CD: Now THIS Is a great question. When most people think of chiropractic, they typically only think of neck and back pain. This couldn’t be further from the truth. At In Motion Spine and Joint Center, aside from neck and back pain, we treat a wide variety of issues ranging from headaches, shoulder pain, foot and ankle issues, knee pain, sprains and strains, tendinitis, plantar fasciitis just to name a few. We also focus on sports injuries and performance enhancement. In most musculoskeletal issues, we have a way to treat it. How we go about providing this type of care is by first of all starting with a thorough examination to find the true root cause of the patient’s complaint (not just their pain generator). Secondly, we employ a combination of treatments usually consisting of some sort of manual therapy, rehabilitation exercises/stretches, and specific chiropractic manipulation to achieve not only better results but also faster results. We continue to stay up to date on the latest research findings and treatment methods.
SHF: I know you have some special skills and techniques that go beyond that of a normal chiropractor. Can you describe those a little bit for us?
CD: While attending chiropractic school, I was involved in a dual enrollment program that allowed me to obtain a Masters in Sports Science and Rehabilitation along with the Doctorate of Chiropractic. This laid the essential foundation for the type of skilled manual therapist I wanted to be. While still in school, I continued developing my skill set with a technique called Active Release Technique (ART) that allows me to address myofascial issues involving muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia. Since then, I have done numerous continuing education seminars to become proficient in functional movement screens, extremity adjusting, weightlifting and Olympic lifting seminars, exercise and rehab classes, class IV laser therapy and dry needling. For additional information about these services and techniques feel free to check out our clinic website.
SHF: Are there certain joints or parts of the body that you specialize in, or do you cover basically everything?
CD: I basically cover everything. It is not uncommon in a typical day at IMSJC to see a patient with neck pain, low back pain, shoulder discomfort, knee pain, and ankle sprains along with wellness/performance care. If it involves the musculoskeletal system, we try to have a tool to treat it. For many of our athletes and lifters, we also recommend wellness care due to the physical demands and stress placed upon their bodies. Most individuals will not wait for their engine to blow up before taking their car in for maintenance and servicing so why would you wait to be in pain or injured before taking care of your body?
SHF: I bet you’ve observed a range of exercise form quality at Spring Hill Fitness, from excellent to atrocious! Are there any exercises in particular that you see a lot of people doing incorrectly, and do you have any quick tips for them?
CD: The ones that come to mind first are the squat and deadlift. Mainly because these are full body lifts that require the entire system to be at work and working properly. The biggest issue I typically see during these lifts are individuals trying to do too much weight so form becomes compromised. I would suggest to first OWN the movement. What I mean by this is first be able to do the exercise correctly and effortlessly with bodyweight before ever loading the exercise. Once this occurs, then slowly and gradually add weight. Focus more on the quality of your movements then the quantity (aka how much weight you’re doing). Be consistent and the strength will come. As you can tell I’m very passionate about this subject and could blabber on for days but I believe that’s one of the biggest issues I notice in athletes.
SHF: Are there any exercises commonly performed in the gym that shouldn’t be done at all for health/safety reasons? For example, I’ve heard some people advise against upright rows or behind the neck presses for the shoulders, while others say they’re fine.
CD: One exercise/machine that I encourage people to approach with caution is the weighted ab curl machine. The reasoning behind my caution is due to the loaded lumbar flexion, which can increase risk of sustaining a disc injury, especially if performed wrong or with improper core bracing. As far as the behind neck presses, I tend to avoid them simply because it is difficult for one to maintain proper cervical (neck) posture while doing the presses. A majority of individuals will jut their head forward placing extreme strains in their neck. However with most lifts, it is individualized due to different lifts requiring different mobility and stability demands. This is where being assessed and screened is vital.
SHF: Do you have any quick injury prevention tips for those who weight train or would that be better left for a consultation?
CD: A few quick tips I would give is to first upon entering the gym, take your time and warm up. We all know this should be done but for some reason it rarely gets done. Do a dynamic warm-up and get your musculoskeletal system prepared along with raising overall body temperature. Secondly, I would just suggest or recommend to emphasize form. The strength will come with consistency but to decrease risk of injury always ensure that your form is up to par. Lastly, recover. Take the time to stretch, foam roll, drink water, and get proper sleep. All of these things help an individual recover better, which leads to better workouts! The other 22-23hrs in a day are just as important for your health as the 1-2hrs in the gym.
SHF: Great advice! How can our members best reach you for help?
CD: Members can reach me at our office number of (615)-302-4747, email at info@IMSJC.com (Attn: Dr. Davis), or by stopping by the office located at 5242 Main St. in Spring Hill. We also have a clinic website page with more information about the clinic (www.imsjc.com) and we are also on Facebook and Instagram. I also encourage people to not hesitate and introduce themselves or ask any questions they may have if they see me in the gym. Lastly, for members of SHF, I will offer a free ten-minute consultation to help answer any questions they may have about what I do or if they think chiropractic/manual therapy can help them. Just mention this interview.
SHF: Thank you for taking the time for the interview, Cory, and for the support you and your fiancée Anna have provided us. We’re grateful you’re available to help the local community, especially our fitness family at Spring Hill Fitness. Looking forward to the squat clinic!
CD: Thank you for having me! We can’t thank you and Amber enough for all you have done for the gym and providing us such a great facility!
