Chiropractic Care for Millennials: A Q&A with Dr. Holden Stanfil
Written by Melissa Schenkman, MPH, MSJ
Dr. Holden Stanfill is the founder of Stanfill Chiropractic Care and Rehabilitation in Ellisville, Missouri, with a background in cell and molecular biology and nearly five years of chiropractic practice. In this interview with the Why My Health podcast, he shares insights on how millennials can use chiropractic care to optimize their health.
What exactly is chiropractic care?
Dr. Stanfill: I think chiropractors at the core are muscle and joint experts. That's our bread and butter. If you have any type of muscle or joint condition, a chiropractor should be a fantastic starting point and can help you 99% of the time.
But we're also great holistic providers. I love talking to patients about diet, exercise, mental health, meditation, hydration - proactive healthcare. How can we limit the amount of drugs or surgeries you'll need in your lifetime? How can we keep you feeling optimal so you don't need these interventions down the road?
How does chiropractic care differ from massage therapy?
Dr. Stanfill: I would look at a chiropractor as a portal of entry - you don't need a referral to see me, but I can point you in the right direction as a medical expert to get proper diagnosis and treatment. Massage therapists are great, but they're like a tool on the tool belt. We have massage in our practice because when I'm treating a patient and feel they need specific muscle work, I send them to the massage therapist.
Our training prepares us to be medical experts and primary providers. We look at the patient as a whole and address any healthcare needs they have, whether I'm providing that treatment or referring them to another provider.
What are the most common issues you see in people ages 20-40?
Dr. Stanfill: We have two main groups: laborers and desk workers, dealing with very different issues. Desk workers have a lot of neck and upper back pain, chronic headaches, and sedentary lifestyle issues. Laborers work their joints hard and often injure their lower backs.
The three most common conditions in this age range are:
Lower back pain with disc herniation
Neck pain accompanied by headaches (often from desk work)
Upper back and shoulder tension
If you're sitting at a desk all day, I can guarantee you'll have neck, upper back pain, or tension headaches at some point.
What's the difference between reactive and preventive chiropractic care?
Dr. Stanfill: Most new patients come in when they're in pain - that's reactive care. We work on getting them out of pain first, but then the conversation changes to setting goals: What activities do you want to do? Are you a golfer or runner? What's preventing you from doing these activities?
The cons of reactive care are that you're in the highest level of pain, you'll be in treatment longer, and you can't do the things you love. You're always chasing pain instead of preventing it.
Preventive care looks like regular check-ins - maybe once a month. We address issues before they become severe problems. These patients don't get injured nearly as much and don't have those big lower back episodes where they can't walk.
How can chiropractic care help with age-related issues like arthritis?
Dr. Stanfill: Osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease are normal parts of aging that all of us will develop to some extent, like getting gray hair. Sometimes they cause problems, sometimes they don't.
The key is staying active and healthy to minimize degeneration. Professional athletes actually have healthier joints than couch potatoes, despite using their joints more. If your diet is good and you're exercising regularly with good blood flow to tissues, they won't degenerate as quickly.
Spinal adjustments help improve blood flow and keep joints mobile so you can use them more often and maintain a better range of motion.
What is "text neck" and how do you treat it?
Dr. Stanfill: Text neck describes the mechanism of injury from looking down at phones or computers. You're putting stress on the suboccipital muscles at the base of your skull. When these get overused, they develop tension headaches that start at the skull base and wrap to the forehead.
This progresses to upper trap tightness, pain between shoulder blades, and eventually jaw pain if left untreated. I call it upper crossed syndrome - a combination of tight, overused muscles and weak, underused muscles.
Treatment involves strengthening weak muscles, loosening tight ones, and most importantly, spending less time looking at screens and getting up to move around throughout the day.
What misconceptions about chiropractic care should people know about?
Dr. Stanfill: There are many misconceptions. People sometimes think chiropractors aren't real doctors or that we'll cause strokes. The truth is we receive extensive training - undergraduate plus 3.5 to 5 years of chiropractic school learning anatomy, diagnosis, and how to examine every system in the body.
Regarding strokes, there's no clear evidence that chiropractors cause strokes with neck adjustments. Sometimes patients having stroke symptoms visit chiropractors, and if we're negligent in not catching those symptoms, that's problematic. That's why proper history and examination are crucial.
As long as your chiropractor does a thorough evaluation, the risk is very minimal. You're usually better off starting with conservative care like chiropractic before moving to surgical or medicine routes.
What should people look for when choosing a chiropractor?
Dr. Stanfill: Avoid chiropractors who:
X-ray every single patient (unless there are red flags indicating need)
Try to sign you up for big treatment packages ($3,000-$5,000) on your first visit
Don't adjust you on the first day, but make you come back for a "treatment plan presentation"
Look for pay-per-visit practices, read Google reviews, check their website and education, and do your research just like you would for any healthcare provider.
How does chiropractic care fit into aging gracefully?
Dr. Stanfill: Movement is your best friend - movement is medicine. If you're not moving your body, you'll go downhill. Diet is equally important. I recommend a Mediterranean or anti-inflammatory diet: avoid things in boxes, cans, or bags, avoid added sugars, and eat whole foods.
You can still go out and have fun with friends, but your lifestyle needs to be based around a healthy core. If you can get your diet in check and get an hour of movement every day, you'll be 99% better off than anyone else in your age range.
Regular chiropractic care helps provide reminders and guidance on these lifestyle factors while addressing tightness and restrictions in your spine and musculature before they become major problems.
Want to hear more from Dr. Stanfill? Check out the YMyHealth podcast on YouTube and your favorite podcasting platforms!