Meet Dr. Metcalf

My personal Chiropractic journey began when I was a child. At a very young age I had horrible, debilitating migraine headaches. The headaches were so intense with feeling sick that it seemed there was nothing I could do but lay in a dark room and throw up.

I would never know when the headaches would hit - at school, playing at a friend’s house or riding in the car. Dealing with these headaches appeared to be something my family was going to have to get used to without any hope in sight. After considering treatment with several different drugs (that was the only option, according to our medical Dr.) my parents decided against it.

Finally, a friend of my mom’s told her about this new doctor in our town and convinced her to give him a try.  This new doctor did an exam, took some films, and then ‘adjusted’ my spine.  The adjustments didn’t hurt, they actually felt good. The headaches went away, and I could act like a little kid again. Oh, did I mention that this doctor was a chiropractor?  It worked so well for me, and I was so impressed with the other ‘miracles’ I saw in his office, that I eventually went to chiropractic school myself.  But, tell me, what if I just took the medicine?  You see, my parents were not content with what traditional medicine had to offer treatment wise with drugs revolving around symptoms of sickness rather than care empowering our family to be healthier.

The results with the headaches at the beginning of my care were great, but truth be told the time in my life where Chiropractic had the biggest impact on me was when I was a teenager.  This was a time in my life where I got off track a bit and lost a certain level of HEALTH. Growing up through the teenage years can be a very difficult time in life, and for me this was no exception.

Running track and cross country was a very big part of my life at that time and was a large part of who I was. I had lofty goals set for myself and saw my running as my ticket for success.  Injury problems and other related mishaps got things off track and limited my ability to perform and do what I truly loved.  As things got off course accompanied with some less than great decision making, girl troubles, friend troubles, boredom - all these things coming together spiraling the wrong direction made life seem pretty difficult.

Thankfully, I had people in my life lined up I knew I could trust, that believed in me (probably more than I did at this time) like my Chiropractor and coaches I had.  I always knew they had my best interests at heart even at times it was hard to see it that way.  With that trust I was able to keep the faith that things would work out and could embrace the idea that by keeping up with the hard work it would pay off. 

When opportunities did arise I was able to make the most of them - the running turned into a full scholarship to run track and cross country at West Virginia University where I was fortunate enough to be the Big East Conference champion in the steeplechase and finish my career as the WVU school record holder in that event.

Thinking back to this time the impact Chiropractic had on me health wise, was the ability to stay healthy mentally and emotionally, much more so than it was physically as an athlete most of the time.  I realize now these lessons my parents were constantly trying to teach me, but at that time in my life I could only see and hear from somebody else. Today, I am so thankful that I continue to have healthy people around me to keep me on track. 

Seeing first-hand the impact getting adjusted had on my life, my entire family started under care, including my older brother Greg.  At that time Greg appeared to be a very healthy super active kid.  He had always, however, been very pigeon toed and had ongoing pains in his legs and hips.  Prior treatment recommendations of braces, orthopedic shoes to force his legs straight, and such were of no help and would not be worn by an active little boy.  If the problem did not resolve the recommendation had been made to surgically reset his hips to straighten him out.  Needless to say this was not the path my parents wanted to travel down.

As Greg progressed with his Chiropractic care he became healthier and his legs actually started to balance out.  This increased level health impacted him in so many ways giving him the confidence to take anything on.  Physically the impact was obvious to all as nothing slowed him down now.  The path these events set in motion continue today.  Following a High School running career where he was State Champion multiple times, to an All American runner at the University of Washington to now being the head Track and Cross Country coach at UW.  Now he gets adjusted every week to keep up with family, friends, and the athletes he coaches.

Now for our son Gage, he is the cute little guy in the photo on the home page.  At just over 2-years-old now, he is growing and developing so fast every day.  Since he was a day old he has been getting adjusted to keep him as healthy as possible and to give him the best chance to take on life.  This may seem like a small thing, but it will make a huge difference to him as it does with all the kids we see every day in our office.  We feel so strongly that every child deserves to be healthy and that chiropractic care, to ensure the nervous system is functioning at it’s optimal, is a vital part of the process.  

You know, everyday, I’m so thankful to help families be as healthy as possible.  What we know about health is what we have been shown and I am grateful for the direction and courage my parents showed me.   Patients come to our office with varying levels of health from infants to great grandparents with conditions such as: attention deficit/ hyperactivity syndromes, autism, cerebral palsy, colic, cancer, stomach and bowel problems, fatigue, depression, menstrual problems, chronic pain, ear infections, asthma, allergies, numbness in limbs, athletic injuries, just to name a few. I often see people who’ve come to me as a “last resort”.  “Healthy” families also come in to ensure they can be at their very best and get even healthier. 

As a chiropractor, and I do things differently.  I’m not going to give you medications to cover up symptoms.  My job is to get to the root cause of health problems and work with that innate power inside each and every one of us to express life and health at the highest possible level- physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially.

That’s the responsibility we feel we have to all of our practice members, our community and to this world around us.  You can trust we are here for you and your family, and others you refer into this office, we won’t let you down.