What does it take to get out of pain you've been told is just something you'll have to live with? That was the question Mark Anthony put to Dr. Christian Nelson of Keller Chiropractic in this conversation — aimed squarely at listeners who feel like they've "tried everything" and cycled through doctor after doctor without relief. Dr. Nelson's answer wasn't a single technique. It was a way of looking at the whole body rather than just the spot where it hurts.
Dr. Nelson described his own history with chronic pain as a teenager as part of what shapes how he practices today. He's a chiropractor by training, but he was clear that his care doesn't stop at adjustments — he also recommends at-home devices, supplements, and lifestyle and exercise coaching tailored to a patient's specific goals, with the stated aim of helping people rely on less medication over time. And when he doesn't think he's the right fit for someone, he said he tells them so directly and points them toward whoever he believes can help them more.
Key Takeaways
- Dr. Nelson evaluates the whole body rather than just the site of pain, because, in his words, the body is "all connected together."
- His care goes beyond in-office adjustments — at-home devices, supplement recommendations, and exercise coaching aimed at helping patients rely on less medication.
- His current caseload runs roughly 50 to 60 percent stubborn neck pain, with sacroiliac (SI) joint pain a close second.
- He described patients retiring a cane, a walker, and a wheelchair wheel — now displayed on his office wall — after a course of treatment.
- A practical tip from the episode: match pillow thickness to sleep position to help keep the spine neutral overnight.
A Whole-Body Approach to Pain, Not Just the Symptom
Asked what he'd say to people who feel stuck and stubborn in their pain, Dr. Nelson didn't lead with a sales pitch. "I admire you," he said. "You are finding the courage to pick yourself up — it might not be pretty, but you're carrying on every single day." His point throughout the episode was that treating a knee, a back, or a neck in isolation misses the bigger picture. If a patient comes in with back pain, he said, he's going to look at the whole entire body, not just the back, because the whole body is connected — pain in one area can trace back to something happening somewhere else entirely, like the knee or the leg.
Real Patient Stories: Retiring Canes, Walkers, and Wheelchairs
Dr. Nelson keeps what he calls a "Wall of Fame" in his office — a wheelchair wheel, a walker, a tennis ball once used on the bottom of that walker, and three canes, each left behind by a patient who no longer needed it. He told the story of a former Army service member who came in using a cane, limited to walking about 100 yards, unable to lift or carry his young children. After a few visits of adjustments and whole-body work on his neck, back, and hips, the patient walked into his third appointment without the cane. "He says, 'Doc, I believe I owe you a cane,'" Dr. Nelson recalled. "And it's still on the wall." He also described a patient who told him, "I never thought in my born days I would get my foot back again," after regaining function in a left foot she'd previously been unable to rely on to drive.
"I get to participate in miracles every single day — and it's not my power that flows through me."
— Dr. Christian Nelson, Keller ChiropracticWhat Fills the Waiting Room Now: Neck Pain and SI Joint Pain
Asked what he's seeing most right now, Dr. Nelson estimated that 50 to 60 percent of his current patients are dealing with stubborn neck pain. Close behind is SI joint pain — where the tailbone meets the pelvis — which he described as especially disruptive: patients bending forward get a sharp, stabbing pain, or find it slow and stiff just to stand up straight, making everyday tasks like holding a child or doing the dishes genuinely difficult. He also addressed the profession's public image directly, noting that viral "big crunch" adjustment videos can be sensationalized, but that the vast majority of chiropractors, in his experience, are skilled and humble — and that chiropractic care can document visible, in-the-moment results in a way few other treatments can.
A Practical Tip: Choosing the Right Pillow for a Neutral Spine
Toward the end of the conversation, Dr. Nelson offered a simple, actionable tip: pillow choice should match sleep position to keep the spine neutral overnight. Back sleepers don't have much space to fill, so a thin pillow works best — too much loft kinks the neck for hours at a time. Side sleepers need the opposite: a thicker pillow to fill the gap between the shoulder and the mattress. Because the right thickness depends on a person's mattress and shoulder width, he suggested testing a few inexpensive pillows of different firmness levels before investing in a higher-quality one built to that spec — and if a test pillow doesn't work out for sleeping, he added, it still makes a decent pillow for propping up a leg.
