ICA ChiroCast

What does it take to become a sports chiropractor and work with elite athletes?

In this episode of the ICA ChiroCast, host Dr. Brant Hulsebus welcomes Dr. Todd McDougle, Chairman of the ICA Council on Fitness & Sports Health Science, to explore the role of chiropractic adjusting in competitive athletics.

Dr. McDougle shares insights from nearly 30 years of developing McDougle Chiropractic Methods (MCM), including his approach to pre-competition adjustments, neuromuscular considerations, and working with international strength athletes.

Dr. Hulsebus discusses how learning these techniques influenced his work with professional hockey players and everyday chiropractic patients.

The conversation also previews two exciting educational opportunities:

2026 Official Strongman Games — Ocala, Florida

November 20–22, 2026

Learn about Dr. McDougle's associated hands-on chiropractic training experience, beginning November 19, and the opportunity for enrolled chiropractors to gain practical experience in an elite strength-sports environment.

2027 ICA Sports Chiropractic Symposium — Kansas City Area

July 31, 2027
Cleveland University–Kansas City

The symposium will bring together experienced sports chiropractic educators to address:

• Athlete-specific chiropractic adjustments
• Subconcussive forces and sideline care
• Extremity chiropractic techniques
• Building a career as a team chiropractor
• Practical skills and professional relationships in sports healthcare

Whether you're a chiropractic student, a practicing chiropractor interested in sports, or an experienced team doctor, this episode offers insights into sports chiropractic education and professional development.

Learn more:

ICA Council on Fitness & Sports Health Science:
https://www.icasportsscience.org/

Upcoming ICA Sports Council Events:
https://www.icasportsscience.org/events/

Official Strongman Games:
https://www.strongman.games/

Subscribe to the ICA ChiroCast for conversations with chiropractic leaders, researchers, and educators.

Hosted by Dr. Brant Hulsebus, DC
International Chiropractors Association

Get a preview of the upcoming ICA Pediatric Council live online seminar with featured presenter Dr. Michael Longyear!

In this episode of ICA ChiroCast, Dr. Brant Hulsebus talks with Dr. Longyear about his passion for neuroscience and the connections he explores between eye movements, spinal tone, and pediatric neurodevelopment.

Dr. Longyear shares how his experience with a spinal cord injury led him to chiropractic, discusses his work in chiropractic education, and previews practical assessment ideas and activities he plans to share at the seminar. His goal: give chiropractors information they can bring back to their offices the next day.

They also discuss why attending live matters. Participants can ask questions, interact with presenters, and explore topics beyond the prepared slides.

Join us live online! Learn from Dr. Longyear and fellow presenters from the comfort of your home or office. As discussed in this interview, no replay is currently scheduled, so plan to attend the live broadcast.

Register here: https://yourwholehealthhub.knowewell.com/networks/events/211949

Follow ICA ChiroCast for more presenter interviews, chiropractic conversations, and upcoming educational events.

What happens to the brain during pregnancy, and how can chiropractors better support patients as they prepare for conception, pregnancy, birth, and parenthood?

In this episode of ICA ChiroCast, Dr. Brant Hulsebus speaks with Dr. Laura Hanson, a chiropractor with 30 years of clinical experience and a longtime instructor in the ICA Pediatric Diplomate Program.

Dr. Hanson previews her upcoming presentation for the ICA Pediatric Council. She discusses the neurological changes associated with pregnancy and parenthood, the autonomic nervous system, the stress response, early childhood development, and the importance of assessing the whole person.

She also explains the practical tools attendees can take back to their offices and begin applying with pregnant patients and those preparing to conceive.

The ICA Pediatric Council Conference will be presented live online. Listen to the episode and then register to join us:

https://yourwholehealthhub.knowewell.com/topics/42246/events/211949

In this episode of the ICA ChiroCast, Dr. Brant Hulsebus sits down with professional Strongman competitor Trey Mitchell and Dr. Todd McDougle, chairman of the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council.

Trey shares how watching the World’s Strongest Man inspired him to enter his first Strongman competition at just 18 years old. He discusses the years of training required to reach the professional level, the importance of competing strategically, and the recovery habits that have helped him remain one of the world’s top strength athletes.

Trey also explains how early back injuries introduced him to chiropractic care and why chiropractic has remained an important part of his training, competition, and recovery routine. Dr. McDougle offers insight into the unique challenges of caring for Strongman athletes and why sport-specific experience matters when working with elite competitors.

The conversation also covers:

• Trey’s journey from high school football to the World’s Strongest Man
• The importance of patience when developing strength
• Why athletes should not compete too frequently
• Chiropractic care for strength athletes
• Recovery following intense training and competition
• The value of working with chiropractors who understand a specific sport
• Advice for young and upcoming Strongman competitors
• The relationship between Trey Mitchell and Dr. Todd McDougle

Whether you are a chiropractor, athlete, coach, or fan of Strongman competition, this episode offers an inside look at what it takes to train, recover, and compete at the highest level.

Subscribe to the ICA ChiroCast for more conversations with athletes, sports chiropractors, healthcare professionals, and leaders throughout the chiropractic profession.

How Functional Neurology Gives Athletes a Competitive Edge (with Dr. Kyle Hoeft)

How does an athlete's brain process a fast-paced game when millions of stimuli are firing all at once? Whether it is a hockey player tracking a puck through heavy traffic or a quarterback reading a defensive line downfield, top-tier performance relies on a highly tuned nervous system.

In this episode of ChiroCast, host Dr. Brant Hulsebus is joined by ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council board member Dr. Kyle Hoeft to review recent literature on the intersection of functional neurology, sports performance, and chiropractic manual therapy. Together, they break down how specific adjustments radically alter an athlete’s spatial awareness, baseline recovery speeds, and overall load tolerance.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Neuromuscular Control & Stimulus Tolerance: Why legendary players like Wayne Gretzky and Barry Sanders excelled at processing chaotic sensory information in real time, and how chiropractic care optimizes that exact pathway.
• Acute Recovery & Load Tolerance: How regular adjustments prevent the cumulative physical toll of intense tournament schedules, such as AAU basketball weekends or grueling Ironman events.
• The "Sixth Sense" (Proprioception): A deep dive into how the brain maps the body in space, why upper cervical (C1/C2) subluxations destroy coordination, and how adjustments restore optimal midbrain firing.
• The Pink Dumbbell Story: Dr. Hulsebus shares a hilarious personal rehab story involving professional hockey players, a 1-pound dumbbell, and an inverted BOSU ball that accidentally unlocked a powerful clinical training protocol.
• Wobble Board Integration: Creative methods to layer functional neurological exercises directly over an athlete’s sport-specific training post-adjustment.

Ready to level up your sports chiropractic skills? Keep your calendar clear for the last week of July 2027 for the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council's ultimate clinical symposium!

If you enjoyed this research breakdown, please hit Subscribe, leave us a 5-star review, and share this episode with a fellow practitioner. For more resources or to share a research paper with the council, visit chiropractic.org

What happens when an international-level athlete moving four times her body weight encounters a standard, "one-size-fits-all" chiropractic adjustment? Hint: It doesn't end well.

In this episode of ChiroCast, host Dr. Brant Hulsebus is joined by Dr. Todd McDougle, Chairman of the ICA Council on Fitness and Sports Health Science, and elite pro powerlifter Landri Peden. Together, they dive deep into the athlete’s perspective as a consumer to expose why generic, "churn and burn" clinical models fail high-performance competitors, and why specialized sports chiropractic training is absolutely vital.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Danger of Untrained "Tent" Providers: Why relying on "the whole kitchen sink" (tools, guns, and needling) often signals a lack of true clinical adjustment skills.
• Sport-Specific Biomechanics: Why a powerlifter moving in a single plane requires radically different care than a dynamic CrossFitter or hockey player.
• The 10% Performance Boost: How precise, tailored adjustments drastically improve mindset, confidence, and raw lifting power in real-time.
• The Flaws of Rigid Care Contracts: Landri shares a frustrating personal experience with a clinic that refused to treat her acute sports injuries because they weren't part of a pre-signed administrative plan.
• From Strongmen to Geriatrics: How mastering the extreme physical and emotional demands of elite athletes translates directly into elite care for everyday patients—like an 83-year-old retired nurse.

Looking to take your clinical skills to the next level? Keep your calendar clear for the last week of July 2027 for the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council's upcoming symposium!

If you enjoyed this episode, please hit Subscribe, leave us a 5-star review, and share this episode with a colleague!

Join us for this episode of the ICA ChiroCast as Dr. Brant Hulsebus sits down with members of the ICA Pediatric Council to discuss their upcoming virtual convention, “The Chiropractic Path to Unlocking Neurological Potential and Clinical Roadblocks.”

This year’s ICA Pediatric Council convention will take place November 6–8 and is designed for chiropractors and chiropractic students who want to better understand pregnancy, pediatric care, neurology, technique, clinical roadblocks, and practical tools that can be used in practice.

The conference is 100% virtual and offers up to 20 hours of continuing education, with topics covering pregnancy, pediatric development, fertility challenges, nutrition, SOT technique, documentation, ethics, neurology, and more.

Featured speakers include:

Dr. Laura Hanson
Dr. Tracy Barnes
Dr. Mackenzie McNamara
Dr. Patti Schumacher
Dr. Stephanie O’Neill
Carmel Dekel
Dr. Mario Fucinari
Dr. Michael Longyear

This episode also touches on the work of the ICA Pediatric Council, the pediatric diplomate program, and the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics.

Whether you are already caring for children in your practice or want to become more confident in pediatric and pregnancy-focused chiropractic care, this convention is an opportunity to learn from experienced doctors and bring new clinical insight back to your patients.

Learn more through the International Chiropractors Association website under the Pediatric Council and Events sections. https://icapediatrics.com/events/211949

In this episode of the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council podcast, Dr. Brant Hulsebus of Rockford, Illinois, welcomes Dr. Kyle Hoeft of Fishers, Indiana, for a discussion on NSAID use and athletic performance.

The episode reviews the research paper:

“Is Physical Performance Affected by Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Use? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”
The Physician & Sportsmedicine
June 2024; Vol. 52; No. 3; pp. 207–216.

NSAIDs are commonly used by athletes before and after games, training, and competition. But do they actually improve performance? According to the discussion in this episode, the research does not support NSAIDs as a performance enhancer. Dr. Hulsebus and Dr. Hoeft discuss how regular NSAID use may fail to improve strength or physical performance and may raise concerns for athletes trying to recover, adapt, and improve.

The conversation also explains how sports chiropractors look at the cause of an athlete’s pain instead of only covering symptoms. Dr. Hoeft discusses how ankle and foot mechanics can contribute to knee pain, while Dr. Hulsebus explains how spinal and extremity function, biomechanics, and nervous system communication all matter when caring for athletes.

This episode is for chiropractors, students, athletes, coaches, trainers, and anyone interested in sports chiropractic and performance-based care.

Topics include:

• NSAID use in sports
• Athletic performance and pain relief
• Strength and muscle recovery
• Sports chiropractic care
• Extremity adjusting
• Ankle, knee, and spine biomechanics
• Helping athletes stay mobile and perform naturally
• The role of the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council

Hosted by Dr. Brant Hulsebus, Rockford, Illinois
Guest: Dr. Kyle Hoeft, Fishers, Indiana

To learn more about the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council, visit the International Chiropractors Association at:
https://www.chiropractic.org/

In this episode of the ICA Sports & Fitness Science Council Podcast, host Dr. Brant Hulsebus, DC is joined by fellow council board member Dr. Kyle Hoeft, DC to review a PubMed-indexed article from The American Journal of Sports Medicine:

“Hip Muscle Strength Predicts Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Male and Female Athletes: A Prospective Study”

Article link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26646514/

Dr. Hulsebus and Dr. Hoeft discuss what this research may mean for young athletes, parents, coaches, and sports chiropractors. Non-contact ACL injuries are a growing concern, especially in sports that involve jumping, cutting, pivoting, landing, and lunging.

This episode looks beyond the knee and discusses the role of hip strength, pelvic balance, lumbar spine mechanics, repetitive stress, and the full kinetic chain in athlete care.

Topics include:

- Why non-contact ACL injuries happen without direct collision
- How hip strength may help predict ACL injury risk
- Why sports chiropractors evaluate the pelvis, hips, spine, and lower extremities together
- The role of pelvic rotation and muscle imbalance
- Repetitive stress in year-round youth sports
- Why parents should listen when young athletes report pain, soreness, or tightness
- How chiropractic care fits into sports performance and injury prevention

This discussion is part of the ICA Sports & Fitness Science Council’s mission to advance education, research awareness, and chiropractic leadership in sports and fitness care.

Hosted by:
Dr. Brant Hulsebus, DC

Guest:
Dr. Kyle Hoeft, DC

Presented by:
ICA Sports & Fitness Science Council
International Chiropractic Association

Learn more about the ICA:
https://www.chiropractic.org/

Learn more about the ICA Sports & Fitness Science Council:
https://icasportsscience.org/

On this episode of the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council podcast, Dr. Brant Hulsebus welcomes Dr. Ray Kociolek as a new board member and introduces listeners to his background, clinical approach, and passion for sports chiropractic. 

Dr. Ray discusses his transition from athletic training into chiropractic, his work with athletes in traditional sports and strength sports, and why chiropractors in performance settings must continue to keep chiropractic at the center of care. The episode also explores how athlete care may need to be adapted based on timing, competition demands, and performance goals. 

This conversation offers a clear look at Dr. Ray’s philosophy and why his addition to the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council Board is an important one for the future of sports chiropractic. 

To learn more about the International Chiropractic Association and the Sports and Fitness Science Council, visit:
https://www.chiropractic.org/