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Get Back in the Game Tensegrity Chiropractic uses non-traditional treatment options to eliminate pain, reduce injury Article Denise Mason | Photography Chris Barnes
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pend just a few minutes with Dr. Chris Barnes, D.C., and you’ll quickly come to understand the fuel that drives him: Compassion. Barnes, who also is a professional sports photographer, prides himself on helping his patients get back in the game as soon as possible. “I want my patients to know that somebody really cares,” he says. “And that even if they’ve lived with pain for 30 or 40 years, we can probably fix it.” Barnes knows first-hand what it’s like to be in pain, and to come up empty after seeking help from a host of medical professionals. He also knows there’s another way – evident in the treatment he provides through his clinic, Tensegrity Chiropractic, which is unlike anything you might think you know about traditional chiropractic care.
His Own Story
“I was a defensive end in high school and college and was always getting hurt. But nobody could tell me why,” he says. “For years, trainers and medical professionals just shook their heads – almost as if my injuries and pain weren’t real.” But they were. In fact, by the time Barnes met his wife, Ali, he was in constant pain, had difficulty moving and couldn’t lift his arms above his head. Fortunately, he had experienced some relief at the hands of another Tulsa chiropractor, Dr. Michael Peterson. But it wasn’t by way of traditional manipulation. Barnes had sustained a severe groin injury and had already 20 Tulsa Lifestyle | August 2014
Above: Dr. Chris Barnes, D.C., and his wife, Ali, who serves as the clinic’s office manager, opened Tensegrity Chiropractic in June 2011, after Dr. Barnes had worked three years for his mentor, Dr. Michael Peterson.
missed two weeks of practice when Peterson approached him with an offer to help. Suspicious, Barnes didn’t hold out much hope. Yet through Active Release Technique – specialized treatment that focuses on the soft tissue –Peterson restored Barnes range of motion and eliminated his pain in a matter of minutes. Although he endured other injuries and pain, it was his experience with Peterson that led Barnes to Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City after first earning his undergraduate degree in exercise and sports science from the University of Tulsa. At Cleveland Chiropractic, he focused on sports related soft tissue biomechanics and took as many continuing education courses as he could – all in search of answers for himself and others he knew were in constant pain. “I had to find a way to fix myself, because nobody else seemed to know how,” he says. Popping The Hood To Find The Fix
Barnes explained that no one had ever taken a holistic look at him or, as he explains, “popped the hood” to find out what was really wrong. Instead, they made broad assumptions and
Tensegrity Chiropractic
5533 E 41 Street, Tulsa 918.280.4280 TulsaSportsDoctor.com