Ten Years of Cracking Backs

The day before Sycamore Chiropractic's 10th anniversary, three JSerra Catholic High School students sat in the waiting room, ready for check-ups.

In 2001, Craig Petersen opened his alternative-medicine business at their (before it was even a school), where the legendary Trysting Tree inspired the name of his business, the sycamore, as a symbol of fortitude.

Two years ago amid a tanking economy, Petersen moved to his . Although his business had outgrown the office at JSerra, he was not immune to the financial hardships that hit his patients' pocketbooks. "It was rough times," he said.

So he went old school, focusing on face-to-face interaction with potential clients and continued tapping a shifting paradigm in the health care industry that emphasizes preventive care, rather than "sick care." He engineered a quick turnaround that has kept him in business longer than most chiropractors in town.

His operations appear to reflect a national trend: Doctors of chiropractic added specialties and spent more money on advertising in reaction to the Great Recession, a recent survey by the American Chiropractic Association found. The survey indicates that the effects of the recent economic downtown on chiropractic care are abating.

In December, Petersen brought aboard a fellow chiropractor, with whom he now shares his practice, and has hired four new massage therapists. Last week, the office booked 220 appointments, he said.

"He's good at business, at the back end," said the new chiropractor, Jeff Martin. "He watches his budget very closely and is doing the right kind of community events. We're growing."

Martin on Saturday helped Petersen celebrate the 10-year anniversary with a party, for which they passed out invitations at the downtown farmers market earlier in the week. "When you stand out at an event and can answer someone's question about back pain, you can offer a glimmer of hope," Petersen said.

A referral is what brought Ates Baydu, of San Juan Capistrano, to Sycamore Chiropractic. On April 1, he was involved in a car crash that left him with a stiff neck. His 17-year-old son, Jon Jon, was in the car, too.

Together, on the advice of a friend, they began regular sessions with Petersen. Even though Jon Jon's injuries were limited to aches and pains, Petersen said the minor injuries could over time lead to spinal decay, similar to a tooth cavity.

Cynthia Vaughn, a spokeswoman for the American Chiropractors Association, said dentists have "brilliantly" communicated the need for preventive care in their industry. It's a message chiropractors are sending, but not as successfully.

"You don't go to the dentist because your teeth are hurting," she said. "If you waited, by the time you have a toothache, you'd have a full-blown root canal."

Such is not the case in the world of chiropractic. Vaughn said only about half of her patients come into her Austin-based clinic for routine care. But treatment from cradle to grave "really does make a lot of sense."

Petersen said he had a bad back when he was younger but was never treated. At that time, he said, he was made to believe that going to a chiropractor could paralyze him.

Later, while earning a communications degree at USC, he became immobilized by back pain during his senior year. Friends brought him to a chiropractor. Inspired by the results, in a passing moment he considered changing course to become a chiropractor.

He resurrected that dream after nearly 10 years with the Los Angeles Times as an account executive. "It was the best decision I ever made. ... I've never been happier."

Now, he's treating "everyone from 98-year-olds" to newborns, he said.