Growing up, my parents—both realtors—worked incredibly hard, slowly improving homes to rent out for their retirement.

​

      As a young boy, I helped them when needed with general cleaning, cutting up and removing dirty carpet, landscaping, and light repair work. Unfortunately, while lifting a heavy roll of carpet, I severely injured my lower back. I could feel a deep strain—almost like a tearing of a disc. I was only 14 years old.

     

     Over the next few days, my lower back pain did not improve.

I began experiencing shooting pain down my leg, and it continued to worsen. I could barely stand up straight, sitting was painful, and I couldn’t find any position that gave me relief. My condition kept deteriorating as the disc bulged and swelled, sending pain down the back of my thighs into my calf. The pain was a mixture of intense back pain, leg pain, and numbness in the back of my thigh. I was told it was sciatica and that it would go away.

 

      However, the damaged, bulging disc worsened to the point that it severely compressed the nerve, leading to mild bladder control issues—which was alarming at 14 years old.

​

      I remember trying to urinate and having to push just to get started. Even after finishing, I would walk away and continue to dribble uncontrollably. Not good.

     

      Finally, I was taken to my family’s medical doctor, and X-rays were taken of my lower back. He told my mom that my back looked like that of a 60-year-old—and that I might need surgery. Thankfully, my mom’s friend suggested seeing a chiropractor.

     

      I still remember my first visit—being stretched and adjusted. It was painful at first. But after about eight visits, I began to feel some relief and move a little better. With continued chiropractic care and time, the sciatic nerve pain gradually improved. Within a few weeks, I was feeling mostly normal again.

 

      That experience—and how chiropractic helped me manage future flare-ups—inspired me to become a chiropractor.

​

      I went on to attend Arizona State University and later earned my chiropractic degree from the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1988.

 

      From early on, I developed a strong interest in wellness. My focus has been on identifying the biomechanical causes of lower back and neck pain and addressing the underlying factors that contribute to them. In my practice, I emphasize treating both muscular and structural issues that lead to discomfort—helping people get back on their feet.