The next time you’re in downtown Oxford, make sure to stop by Chiropractic USA and say hello to the new chiropractor in town, Dr. Matt Hennessy.
Hennessy, 27, is a 1996 graduate of Lake Orion High School and graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, IA this past October.
While finishing up his last semester of school, Hennessy had an internship with Chiropractic USA in July with docotrs Marc and Colleen VanHoogstraat and worked for Lifepointe Chiropractic Center in Clarkston at the same time.
Prior to that, he worked as a chiropractic technician at the Bristol Chiropractic Centre in Flint.
He officially became a member of the Chiropractic USA practice November 1.
‘I’m just excited to be here,? he said. ‘Love the location.?
Hennessy decided to go into the chiropractic field after his mother became bedridden from a hip problem when he was 13. He was amazed at how the chiropractor cured her pain.
‘After only a few visits, and seeing so many happy, healing people, I decided this is what I wanted to do the rest of my life,? he said.
While at Palmer, which Hennessy considers the ‘Harvard of chiropractic schools,? he took numerous science classes focusing on every possible physiology.
‘We had to know every single muscle and nerve and know every single nook and cranny of every single bone,? he said.
Hennessy even had to take business classes to learn how to run a small business.
‘If you can’t do that, who cares how good of a chiropractor you are?? he said.
Chiropractors diagnose and treat patients whose health problems are associated with the body’s muscular, nervous and skeletal systems, especially the spine.
Hennessy said interference with these systems impairs the body’s normal functions and lowers its resistance to disease.
‘What chiropractors do is we find that interference and free the body of it,? he said. ‘It’s not a miracle we do, it’s a miracle the body does.?
What drew Hennessy to Chiropractic USA is that they don’t claim to be a ‘quick fix? or an ‘aspirin? for your pain.
‘We see our role as getting your body stabilized so your (pain) doesn’t ever happen again,? he said. ‘We’re trying to be the wellness headquarters of the area and I just wanted to be a piece of that puzzle.?
But Hennessy’s compassion for his profession hasn’t only helped people in Michigan, but people around the world.
This past February, along with 20 of his classmates, Hennessy went on a chiropractic mission to Cochabamba, Bolivia for two weeks.
There, they offered free chiropractic care and also raised thousands of dollars and donated items to four orphanages.
‘It was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life,? he said.
When Hennessy isn’t freeing people of their pain, he likes to spend time with his wife, work out at the gym and read self-help and Christian books. He’s also an avid runner.
Hennessy is highly anticipating owning his own business one day. He hopes his time of learning at Chiropractic USA will help him grow even more.
‘To have an opportunity to come into a very successful office like I’m doing here gives me the chance to get my feet wet, learn the ropes and grow,? he said.
Hennessy said he and his wife of five years, Laura, are planning on starting his own practice sometime late next year in the warmer climate of North Carolina.
‘This is a temporary stop on the journey to the big goal of opening my own practice.?