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Sports Chiropractor
Muscle Reset TechniqueMuscle work for runners, lifters, and golfers dealing with pain that only shows up under load. I find the muscle that stopped firing and reset it, so you keep training. No cracking.
By Dr. Ladd Carlston · Updated August 28, 2026
If this sounds like you
You're not trying to fix an injury. You're trying to keep training. The knee that barks after mile three or four, the shoulder that's fine until you get overhead, the hip that tightens up on the back nine: none of that shows up on an X-ray, and none of it is bad enough to make you stop. It's just there, every session, taking a little more than it should.
How I work with athletes
Here's what I've learned watching athletes for 23 years: when pain only shows up under load, the problem is almost never the joint that hurts. It's a muscle that stopped doing its job somewhere upstream, and something else took over the work. At rest, everything tests fine. Add the load your training actually puts on your body, and the compensation shows up exactly where you'd expect: the knee, the shoulder, the low back, the elbow.
So I don't test you standing still. I muscle test the pattern you're actually loading (the hip hinge, the single leg stance, the overhead reach, the golf swing) to find which muscle checks out under that specific demand. Once I know which one, I do the soft tissue and neuromuscular work to get it firing again. No generic strengthening program, no "just rest it," no adjustment before your next long run because your back "needs to be aligned."
This is why rest and stretching don't fix it either. Rest just takes the load off the compensation for a while. Stretching the tight muscle doesn't help because that muscle usually isn't the problem. It's covering for the one that quit.
What to expect
A visit is 30 minutes. I'll ask what you're training for and where it shows up (which mile, which rep, which part of the swing), then get to work. I'm not spending the appointment on paperwork or a lecture about form.
I muscle test the movement pattern that's giving you trouble, find the muscle that's not firing, and do the soft-tissue and neuromuscular re-education work to reset it. If we need to check it under load (a bodyweight squat, a step-up, a shoulder pattern) we will, right there in the room.
No high-velocity adjustments. No cracking. No twisting. If you've had a chiropractor crack your back before a big lift or a race, this isn't that. The goal is a muscle that fires correctly, not a joint that pops.
Cost is $100 cash for a 30-minute visit. FSA and HSA cards work. I'm out-of-network for insurance, but I'll provide a superbill on request so you can submit for reimbursement.
Patterns I see most in runners, lifters, and golfers
Here's what I see over and over, and it barely changes by sport.
- Runners: knee pain that shows up after mile three or four, or a stretch of plantar fasciitis that won't fully clear, both usually tracing back to a glute medius that's checked out, with the hip flexor or IT band picking up the slack it left behind.
- Lifters: a shoulder that's fine on push work and angry the second it goes overhead, usually a rotator cuff or lower trap that stopped firing while the upper trap and pec take over the job.
- Golfers: lead-side hip or low back tightness through the swing, or elbow pain (golfer's or tennis elbow) from a forearm compensating for a shoulder or core pattern that isn't loading the way it should.
If any of that sounds familiar, it overlaps with what I see in myofascial release patients and in the muscle testing work I use to find the pattern in the first place.
Why rest and a generic PT plan plateau for athletes
Most rehab programs strengthen the muscle near the pain. That's the thing nobody checks: the muscle near the pain is usually the one compensating, not the one that quit. You can do glute bridges and clamshells for months and still ache after long runs if the glute medius isn't getting a clean signal to begin with. The strengthening work isn't wrong, it's just aimed at the wrong muscle. Once the right one is back online, movement-based work like stretching and strengthening actually sticks instead of plateauing.
What a sports chiropractor in Overland Park does differently
I see runners training for KC-area races, lifters mid-program, and weekend golfers from all over the metro: Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park itself. Most of them didn't come here first. They came after a few months of rest, stretching, or a rehab plan that helped a little and then stalled. I've spent 23 years building an approach for exactly that plateau: find the muscle that stopped firing, reset it, and get out of the way so you can keep training.
How this fits into Muscle Reset Technique
Sports Chiropractor is one of the tools I use as part of my Muscle Reset approach. No single technique works in isolation — I combine multiple methods based on what your muscle testing reveals.
Conditions this helps
Common questions
Will you crack my back or neck?
No. No high-velocity adjustments, no twisting, no popping. A crack before a race or a heavy day gives you thirty minutes of feeling loose and does nothing about the muscle that quit, which is why it's back by the next session.
Do I need to stop training while we work on this?
Usually not. The goal is to find the muscle that's not firing and reset it fast enough that you can keep your training load, not to sideline you. If something needs to back off temporarily I'll tell you exactly what and for how long.
Can this help with golfer's elbow or tennis elbow?
Yes. In most cases the forearm is compensating for a shoulder or core pattern that isn't pulling its weight during the swing or the lift. Releasing the forearm helps short-term, but resetting the muscle it's covering for is what makes it stop coming back.
How is this different from a sports massage or physical therapy?
Massage and PT both have real value, but neither one starts by testing which specific muscle has stopped firing under the load you're actually training with. I muscle test the pattern first, then use soft-tissue and neuromuscular work to reset what's off, instead of treating the area that hurts or running a generic strengthening protocol.
Can I come in right before a race or a big lift day?
Yes, and a lot of people do. There's no cracking or twisting involved, so there's no downtime or soreness to plan around the way there can be after a deep tissue massage.
Do you take insurance?
I don't bill insurance directly, but I provide a superbill so you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement. FSA and HSA cards work. Cost is $100 for a 30-minute visit.
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