Nagging pain should not be ignored. If you have persistent neck, shoulder, upper back, lower back, hip, knee or foot pain, chances are great that Darrell Johnson, D.C., and his chiropractic team can help.
In a candid interview, Dr. Johnson shared his experience of discovering chiropractic care, studying in New York, interning in Canada, and starting a practice and providing chiropractic care for his neighbors here in Union County.
Dr. Johnson’s introduction to chiropractic care was when as a senior in college, he injured his back and was greatly helped by a chiropractor. He already had aspirations to enter the medical field, as he was a pre-med major, but hadn’t decided yet which discipline he would practice.
Still unsure about his future, he applied to both medical and chiropractic schools and was accepted by both. His personal history tipped the scale toward chiropractic care, and within a couple of weeks of arriving at chiropractic school he was sure he had found his calling.
After graduating from the prestigious New York Chiropractic College, he spent a few years in his native Canada under the supervision of experienced chiropractors. When he was seeking opportunities to establish his own practice, he found an advertisement for a well-equipped chiropractic office on his alumni website and bought Union County Chiropractic Clinic in 2002.
Dr. Johnson, active in community organizations, has put down roots here, and expressed thorough appreciation for how our community has welcomed, accepted, supported and entrusted him with their care through the years.
He works in several ways to maintain a successful practice, such as advertising and newspaper articles, and—as most businesses in Union County would agree—patient testimonials and referrals add to the success of his practice. Chiropractic care is available at his Maynardville office, behind McDonald’s, five days a week.
Dr. Johnson stays informed about advancements and changes in healthcare by reading medical journals and continuing his education. One of the most exciting changes he expects to see within the next 20 years is the ability to regrow cartilage, making chronic arthritis a reversible condition in the future!
The advice he offers those considering a career in chiropractic care is a warm welcome! He says it is a great profession and is very rewarding, as everyone has a neck and back and will likely suffer from some sort of spinal pain at some point, so there is ample room in the field for quality practitioners. Acceptance into either medical or chiropractic college depends primarily on taking the appropriate pre-med courses, your test scores (including the MCAT-Medical College Admissions Test) and your interview process.
He has seen a big increase in medical doctors and chiropractors working together to find the best solutions for their patients. In fact, about three years ago, in response to the opioid crisis, the AMA guidelines for the treatment of back pain (the #2 reason that people visit a medical doctor) began to recommend chiropractic care or physical therapy first before prescribing pain medication.
Dr. Johnson clarified the difference in the roles of physical therapists and chiropractors, in that although there is a lot of overlap in the treatments that both provide, physical therapists are best suited for rehabilitation, especially post-surgical rehabilitation, but they are not trained or licensed to manipulate the spine.
Dr. Johnson considers himself a “mechanic for the body,” specializing in neck and back pain. He can’t imagine ever doing anything else or practicing anywhere else. He defines success as being content with what you are doing with your life, being happy with who you are, and living with an attitude of gratitude.
He says “We all have the opportunity to be successful every day by being positive, loving human beings. God has given me an opportunity here and I thank Him as I appreciate each day how unbelievably lucky I am!”
Dr. Johnson is a Chiropractic Physician, licensed by the State of Tennessee (License # 1881). You can find out more about chiropractic care and Dr. Johnson’s practice at www.UnionCountyChiropractic.com.