Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Back (pain) to work

Demand for chiropractors and massage therapists is on the rise

Everyone it seems has had a bad back at some point in their lives. Athletes limp off the field, dancers fall off the stage, and office workers sit on their butts all day.

Bad backs and spine injuries are in, so you might as well make some money off of pained Americans.

More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain at a cost of around $600 billion a year in medical treatments and lost productivity, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine

Many people in pain seek out medical docs, but others prefer the ‘natural’ approach and reach out to chiropractors, massage therapists and others who prefer non-surgical remedies.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The Department of Labor has predicted that, “employment of chiropractors is projected to grow 15 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. People across all age groups are increasingly becoming interested in chiropractic care, because chiropractors use nonsurgical methods of treatment and do not prescribe drugs.’

You might think you see a chiropractor office on every street corner, but there were only about 27,740 employed chiropractors in the United States as of 2012. The lower 10% of the population of chiropractors earn $14.92 per hour, equivalent to $31,030 per year, while 90% of the population earns $68.73 per hour or $142,950 per year. California chiropractors earn on average, $78,800 per year.

Marc Norwich of Alpine is looking to open his own chiropractic office after graduating from Palmer School of Chiropractic in San Jose.

“The thing about having a degree in chiropractic is that you can’t just put out a sign and have a line of patients out the door,” Norwich said. ‘It takes time and you have to pay your dues. I hope to have my own practice within four years. But for now, I’ll work for someone else and learn as much as I can so I can have a long-lasting career working for my patients and myself.”

The average tuition cost for chiropractic learning is between $50,000 – $130,000, depending on the type of program you apply for, and the college you chose. It will also take an average of six to eight years before you can train for chiropractic and then apply for licensure exams. You won’t become a medical doctor but after the bill for your education, it might seem like you are a doctor

Massage therapy is always an option if you still want to touch people and you don’t want to spend eight years learning how to do it.

The median annual wage for massage therapists was $35,970 in May 2012, but for many massage therapists, healing people is more important than paying the rent.

“I got into massage because I am a very empathetic person,” said Carly Fox of Cardiff. “I have a small roster of faithful clients who need me both for their muscles and their spirit. I suppose I could work for one of those corporate massage places, but it would be like selling my soul.”

San Diego has an abundance of massage schools to choose from, including Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, School of Healing Arts, and IPSB College of Massage & Integrative Health.

If the idea of putting your hands on people isn’t really your thing, there are other jobs that help those with aching bones without actually touching them.

Stores in San Diego such as Healthy Back, and the Back Store hire sales associates and there are mattress stores practically on every corner.

“So many medical doctors send me clients these days because they understand that people don’t want to take a pill for every ache and pain,” Fox said. “There is a place for all of us in this profession. You can make a ton of money or you can make enough to get by. What matters most is that we all want to help others.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Pie pleasure at Queenstown Public House

A taste of New Zealand brings back happy memories
Next Article

Pie pleasure at Queenstown Public House

A taste of New Zealand brings back happy memories

Everyone it seems has had a bad back at some point in their lives. Athletes limp off the field, dancers fall off the stage, and office workers sit on their butts all day.

Bad backs and spine injuries are in, so you might as well make some money off of pained Americans.

More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain at a cost of around $600 billion a year in medical treatments and lost productivity, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine

Many people in pain seek out medical docs, but others prefer the ‘natural’ approach and reach out to chiropractors, massage therapists and others who prefer non-surgical remedies.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The Department of Labor has predicted that, “employment of chiropractors is projected to grow 15 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. People across all age groups are increasingly becoming interested in chiropractic care, because chiropractors use nonsurgical methods of treatment and do not prescribe drugs.’

You might think you see a chiropractor office on every street corner, but there were only about 27,740 employed chiropractors in the United States as of 2012. The lower 10% of the population of chiropractors earn $14.92 per hour, equivalent to $31,030 per year, while 90% of the population earns $68.73 per hour or $142,950 per year. California chiropractors earn on average, $78,800 per year.

Marc Norwich of Alpine is looking to open his own chiropractic office after graduating from Palmer School of Chiropractic in San Jose.

“The thing about having a degree in chiropractic is that you can’t just put out a sign and have a line of patients out the door,” Norwich said. ‘It takes time and you have to pay your dues. I hope to have my own practice within four years. But for now, I’ll work for someone else and learn as much as I can so I can have a long-lasting career working for my patients and myself.”

The average tuition cost for chiropractic learning is between $50,000 – $130,000, depending on the type of program you apply for, and the college you chose. It will also take an average of six to eight years before you can train for chiropractic and then apply for licensure exams. You won’t become a medical doctor but after the bill for your education, it might seem like you are a doctor

Massage therapy is always an option if you still want to touch people and you don’t want to spend eight years learning how to do it.

The median annual wage for massage therapists was $35,970 in May 2012, but for many massage therapists, healing people is more important than paying the rent.

“I got into massage because I am a very empathetic person,” said Carly Fox of Cardiff. “I have a small roster of faithful clients who need me both for their muscles and their spirit. I suppose I could work for one of those corporate massage places, but it would be like selling my soul.”

San Diego has an abundance of massage schools to choose from, including Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, School of Healing Arts, and IPSB College of Massage & Integrative Health.

If the idea of putting your hands on people isn’t really your thing, there are other jobs that help those with aching bones without actually touching them.

Stores in San Diego such as Healthy Back, and the Back Store hire sales associates and there are mattress stores practically on every corner.

“So many medical doctors send me clients these days because they understand that people don’t want to take a pill for every ache and pain,” Fox said. “There is a place for all of us in this profession. You can make a ton of money or you can make enough to get by. What matters most is that we all want to help others.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Pie pleasure at Queenstown Public House

A taste of New Zealand brings back happy memories
Next Article

Undocumented workers break for Trump in 2024

Illegals Vote for Felon
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader