From Novice to Pro: Elevate Your Chiropractic Practice with Dr. Todd McDougle

Join Dr. Brant Hulsebus, board member of the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council, as he welcomes back his friend and colleague, Dr. Todd McDougle — “The Strongman Doc.” Together they dive into what makes the McDougle Chiropractic Method so unique and how it’s changing the way chiropractors approach athletic performance and patient care.

Discover how this hands-on training experience—held live at the Official Strongman Games (Nov 20–23, 2025) in Arlington, Texas—helps chiropractors of all levels learn to protect their bodies while delivering faster, more powerful results for patients and athletes alike.

🔥 In this episode:

• What to expect during the 3-day live-fire Strongman training
• Why “sports chiropractic” is more than a table and a TheraGun
• Real-world results—from elite athletes to 78-year-old patients
• How female chiropractors can thrive using these methods safely
• Why this course can accelerate your skillset by 10+ years

🎯 Limited to 20 chiropractors ready to level up their confidence, technique, and results.
Learn more or register through the ICA Sports & Fitness Science Council website.

#SportsChiropractic #ICAChirocast #StrongmanDoc #ChiropracticEducation #SportsPerformance #ChiropracticTraining #McDougleChiropracticMethod #ICASportsCouncil

Transcript

0:05

Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council, chiro Cast Podcast. Where me, Dr. Brant Hulsebus is a. Board member of the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council tries to bring you the newest thing in, its chiropractic and sports and fitness. And as I talk about new, I'm gonna introduce our old guest, Dr. Todd McDougle, our board member, our chairman of our group. And he's got something special coming up and I, we know as soon as we forget about our own circle of who we are and what we're up to. So I thought it was time to do a podcast with him. So welcome Dr. McDougle. Thank you so much. And you forgot to add in that we're friends also. Yes. Yes we are. So we got a upcoming event coming up here in November that the ICA Sports and Fitness Science Council is helping to organize, prepare, and operate. You want to tell us a little bit what's going on down in Texas? You know what? I am so excited. On November 20th, we're gonna have eight hours, up to eight hours of con of education that we're gonna put together. It'll go towards the MCM, which is the McDougle Chiropractic Methods. Which is me, the strongman doc's own version of chiropractic. And my goal is to, you know, try and get people shipped shaped so that they can go ahead and take care of any kind of athlete that, that, that may come in and across their table, if you will. But also at the same time, it's great because this is something as you well are aware you can use in your clinic on some of the worst cases and you can have some of the best outcomes. So we're gonna be doing that in conjunction with official strong men in games. that will occur between the 20th and the 23rd which is going to be amazing because we've got 400 athletes from 50 different countries and it's a great opportunity for up to 20 chiropractors 'cause we have 20 seats to go ahead and participate and learn something just a little different. If you are a elder chiropractor that's looking for something new that may change your practice just a little bit, make it a little bit safer on you. The whole goal is to protect yourself from the patient sometimes. You know what I mean? And a lot of the techniques that we're taught in chiropractic college actually kind of aren't great for, you know, maybe our shoulders, for example, right? Brand. But you've got also people who are you know, wanting to get into the sports arena. And this is a great opportunity to actually experience a true international event. I mean, 50 different countries. And you know, Brent, you were there with me last year. Tell me that it isn't an amazing experience. It was absolutely incredible. I it's hard to describe in words, that's why we're gonna try to do it together. Yeah. But tell me a little bit about what I should expect on day one, day two, day three, and day four. Okay. Yeah. Well, day one is gonna be the, the, the heavy, the heavy impact. This is where you're gonna learn a lot. You're gonna learn about how to avoid. with the stretch receptors, which is going to cause there to be a significant weakness. In other words, neuromuscular recruitment is necessary to go ahead and maximize your strength and performance in this kind of arena. You do not wanna screw that up. And there are certain things that a lot of us are doing that we don't realize are negatively impacting our patient's performance. And so I want to go ahead and make sure that we're clear on that so that you guys could go ahead and make sure that you're given the best care. safest care for yourself, and it allows you to participate in something as grandiose as a world competition. That's day one. So day one, if I remember right, we were in the room. We were learning about different techniques. You were showing us things that you saw on athletes, and we were even able to wrestle a couple athletes to come in the room with a. Us and you did some live demonstration with us right there, and that was really hands on. Yeah, and you go ahead and you look at it, you know, you get to see it being done on day one. and, and we're gonna have several athletes that are gonna sneak in. You know, that, that always happens. They're in need. They come, you know, from Scotland or someplace and, and they've traveled and they're feeling a little bit beat up or, you know, Canada or wherever. And then we go ahead and I show you, you know, exactly how to do it. And then we start getting into the weeds, I guess a little bit as we go through the lecture. Make sure that you understand the why. I think, you know there's so many things that are. Inferred, I guess, if you will, in chiropractic and in chiropractic technique. So we want to try and get rid of the inferences and we want to go ahead and hit you with some science. And I think, you know, as you know, the, the ICA, you know council on. Sports and you know, fitness and sports, health science. I, you know, I really take the science aspect pretty seriously. And then you go ahead and you get to work on each other a little bit. You get to learn, you get the hands on, you get the feel for it. You get to feel the impact of the adjustment. So you know that, you know, when you go ahead and you touch that patient, they feel your confidence. And I think that's a big thing. I mean, you know, you've been working with the hockey team for a long time. Tell me that confidence is isn't important. You know, obviously it is, right? So, so the next, you know, we'll go through eight hours and, and that eight hours goes pretty quick. It, it's so funny because I forget to, to do, you know, click the clicker and I'm not looking at any notes. Did you notice that? It's all I did. head? And so, you know, trying to, in fact, I've had some people say, well, you know what, that is a lot of information to pack into eight hours. And my head was spinning. I've had doctors tell me that because there is the science, there is the touch, there is, you know, that building of confidence, but you know what? We get through it. And then day two. It, you know, I'm gonna be bringing tables. I'm driving all the way from Indiana to Arlington, Texas, so it's gonna be like a 15 hour drive. And then I'm gonna stand in front of you guys and Bloviate for, you know, eight hours and try and make sure that you're, you're ready for day two. Day two, you, you kind of get warmed up. The athletes are watching, seeing what's happening. They're kind of seeing, okay, is Dr. Todd there? And you know, I mean, listen, a lot of these athletes I've taken care of for many, many years from the start of their career, you'll see some of the masters have been taking care of them for like 20 years. So people know who I am. So the, the big thing is, is, is Dr. Todd gonna be working? Yes. But more importantly, are you going to be working, are you gonna get your hands on? And Brent, you can kind of testify to that just a little bit. When the guys start working, it gets crazy, doesn't it? Yeah it's the people are coming left and right. Everyone can't wait to get their adjustment before they go on compete, and they're not coming because some of 'em come because they get left and they hurt themselves, but 90% of'em are coming because they wanna. Reach their maximum potential before they go out. It's more about if I get my adjustment and I'm tuned up, I'm gonna perform at my highest level, which is what we try to both up and down about sports chiropractic. And you will get hands on. If I can tell my story real quick, Yeah. I was a little nervous, right?'cause I just learned this technique and this is their business, this is their livelihood and I didn't wanna jump in and, do something wrong.'cause this is what they do for a living. But I was And you, so you were right there. I The hands were there. But I believe it was my friend Georgie looked at me and goes you're not gonna hurt him. You're a licensed chiropractor. You know what you're doing. And I found out when a seven foot tall man that weighs 427 pounds walks over and tells you to adjust him, you just shut up and do it. And you just dive in. And once I saw him, then I start seeing more and more, and then. My, I've been practicing since 2002. It's not like I'm scared to adjust somebody. I was just, it was a new technique to me. It was a new approach to me, and it just, it was really powerful. How easy was it to learn, though? I mean, it, it, it's a teachable product, don't you think? Yeah, I watched you the first day and the second day I dove in and started doing it. I just, and for me, different people process stuff differently. Some people wanna see it dive right in. I need to have it all come together up here between my ears first before I can just do something. And then when it clicks and it clicked on day two, and I got in there and got doing it. Well, and that's the thing, you know, I mean, I, I'm looking at, you know, also trying to get as many female chiropractors involved in this as well. And a lot of them are, are, are concerned about getting hurt themselves going through that process. And why don't you, would you share some of the safety factors that Yeah. Yeah. It's, you're not gonna get hurt at all. It's it's your high velocity though, throughout, with the thrust, with the drop tables. It's aggressive, it's fast, it's more fast, and it's strong. It's more targeted than it is. Just a global gross manipulation and it's it's, I could, when I got back, I'm not gonna lie, I bought a new table so I could do more of this technique. And I'm, I, when I was at Palmer, I knew the tables my father had and I never bothered to learn a different technique. Hmm.'cause I knew whatever dad did, the grandpapa did was the best. I came back about some new stuff, started doing new things in my office, and everybody in my clinic was quite amazed that I would do something like that. Well, and you had a great story that, that pertains to the fact that you can learn it on, you know, on the, on the weekend and you apply it on the weekend, and then you're able to use it with confidence Monday morning and, and you had a story that go ahead and share it. Would you please, I mean, it Sure. So I have a couple associates in my office and we have a lady that's been coming to the clinic for years and she's a retired nurse and she's. Elderly now, and her husband's on hospice. He's not gonna be with us much longer, and she just wants to value the time they have alone that she doesn't want strangers in the house, so she's gonna take care of him. The problem is, every time she tries to lift them and move them, she's having issues. So my associates in here adjusting her the same way. They've always adjusted her and trying to get her to feel better, but it wasn't happening. And so I said, you know what's going on? And I figured out that her. She was having Billy with stability. She wasn't strong. She wasn't able to hold the adjustment. And so I looked at her, I said, we got nothing to lose here. Let me try this new strongman technique on a 78-year-old woman. Yeah. And I laid on the table, I did the drop pieces, I did the lift of leg, don't do this. I thinner this and that. And she came back the next day, tears in her eyes because she went home that night and she was able to help her husband and she was totally pain-free. And this is a patient that's been coming. To our clinic since the late seventies, early eighties, and she's told me she's never had that kind of relief that quickly, that she needed that badly from a chiropractic adjustment. Before that we'd use this technique. So if I could use on a 78 year retired nurse it is not just a strong man technique. Well, and I think that's the thing, you know, it, it is one of those situations that so often people will go ahead and look and see, you know, like I, I've got YouTube channels and whatnot. And people will see me working on somebody who's 6 9, 407 5 pounds. And you know what? I'm getting after it. Why? Because I, like you said, it's a short lever, high velocity burst application using the drop table mechanism. I have to do it quick, fast, and accurate. And so as big as those guys are, I mean each legs a hundred pounds. So I, you know, I, I have had to come up with ideas and means to go ahead and stabilize that patient so I can do a direct impact. But the thing is, is that you can do the same algorithm on children. it, it doesn't matter from, from little children all the way up. The, the problem that I think that we have sometimes within our profession is that we think that one size fits all well, one technique can, and we've, we figured out how to do that, but it's titrated. So just like you experienced, you put it on, you know, you, you, you had to lighten it up. You had to ease it, draw it back. That's okay. know, but that's, that's you being the, the seasoned doctor that you are and understanding that it's the concepts and the concepts work, and that's what I'm trying to share. And, and you know, sometimes I come off, you know, really, I don't know, aggressive. Because it's like, you know what, listen, it's a live fire technique. There's no safe spaces. You are, you are there in the middle of the fire. It is sports triage. There is nothing like it in chiropractic. else is a safe space, isn't it? You know the other thing too, you talk about strong men, I take care of a hockey team and hockey players have a T hey, call hockey back. They have a high shoulder on one side from holding the stick, and they have the opposite high hip on the other side. So a lot of our hockey players have this hip issue with their hip flexors and the piriformis area from the hockey And what we've learned is that. They were going out, they were complaining of how they felt loose. They felt loose and they fell under control. So what I told 'em is I said, I'm gonna do a deal with you. I know you like me to put you on your side and open your hip up, and I'm gonna do that for you after the game. Mm-hmm. Before the game, let me try this new sports technique that I've been learning. And these guys, for the first time, they went out there and they just, as you said before, they felt stronger. They felt more packed and tight and ready to skate. But afterwards okay, now loosen me up. I'm done playing. And so then I went back to doing the Gonstead side posture and now I'm seeing more players and I've seen in years because they're just excited for this. Isn't that exciting? I mean, it's so good. I mean, we've got a, a, a friend, you know, Eric Blum, who learned this technique after I was hired by UCLA to go do some work with their gymnastics team several years ago. Eric took that technique and later became the chiropractor for the LA Dodgers. And so, you know, you're looking at baseball, you're looking at hockey, you know, track and field gymnastics, you know, swimming, any kind. The interesting thing about this is that truly this technique crosses all sports, all of them. And you know, when you have to, know, seriously be very, very cautious about some of the standardized. I, I'm gonna call generic chiropractic approaches and you know, like, like I was gonna go, you know, towards, you know, just a little while ago, you know, it's, it's, I'm really aggressive about this 'cause I'm very passionate about making a big difference. And so, you know, in a few weeks we're gonna have a a podcast that I participated with, with Dave Tate and the lead FTS and I am super critical of what's happening within our profession. I'm super aggressive, I guess if you will. In, in my opinions in regards to what we see in chiropractic. And, you know, listen, it, there's a lot of, a lot of young doctors that are getting their master's degree and I, and I applaud them for, for doing so. But, but sports chiropractic doesn't mean that you get a tent, a flat table, and a thera gun and you are ready to go. just doesn't. And so, you know, people like me, people like you, Brent. And then of course, you know, we've got Dr. Kevin Jackson who's doing, you know, his sub-concussive work and which is excellent work. You know, our, our goal is to create certificates for the doctors that attend, but give you the confidence and the skill sets so that you can maximize the athlete's performance with the lowest risk to injury to yourself. And to me, that is super valuable and I, and. How can you be, you know too aggressive when you're trying to get that out to people? And it, it's like, do, do we think we really know everything after just graduating? And listen, I know it's $300,000 to be a chiropractor these days, and that, and that doesn't include your. Your your, your undergraduate stuff, you know, maybe you got a master's degree also. Maybe you're at $400,000 by the time you graduate and before you buy your first chiropractic table. How about this? How about we take what, you know, capitalize on that stack some, you know, 30 years of, of strong man doc technique that has been, you know, tried and tested and reevaluated. Try it. Let's do it. Let's get this done. Let me make you a better chiropractor. I, you might think you have all the answers, but I'm gonna tell you and I, and I think you can, you can agree with me, Brent. We know the basics when we graduate. Doesn't matter how much we pay for it. We know the basics and some of us don't know that. But let me capitalize on what you do know, and you being a seasoned doctor, you still learn something. Could you imagine how we can. a young doctor's career. If they just came to this class and they came to maybe a couple of them and then they got to experience this over and over again. The level of confidence and the skill sets that they're gonna be able to acquire, I mean, you're looking at a 10, 15 year hopscotch into another level. If you take my course. The thing I echo about your course all the time is, I grew up, I always say a chiropractic royalty lifestyle. My. Grandfather and my dad were chiropractors, uncles, and I grew up having to sleep on the couch 'cause Dr. Barge had come to our town and had too much to drink and he had my bedroom. I got, I grew up, I was Dr. Reikiman's. I used to mow his yard and help watch his house when he travel. And I was a student. I've been around a lot of cool stuff in chiropractic in my life's time. But one of the top 10 chiropractic memories I have is watching you guys and myself take care of these strong one athletes. And the first time in my life I'd ever seen this. There was over an hour and a half wait to get adjusted. People were standing there for over an hour and a half because they knew how important your adjustment was to them, and I've never seen anybody wait an hour. My patients get ticked off if they have to wait 10 minutes, and I'm sitting here watching people for over an hour, and it was a really powerful statement to what you're doing. What the chiropractic adjustment's doing in this sports world and the value of it. So I wanna thank you for that.'cause seeing that was really powerful to me, even though all the things I've already seen and been around. So I tell everybody, you gotta come check it out.'cause you'll never see so many people waiting. The adjustment was excuse me, excuse my French, but was so damn important to all these people that they were willing to wait that long to, to get adjusted by you or one of us. And that was just really cool. So why don't we wrap this up with you telling us how we can sign up and get more information. Yeah, I don't know if you can put a link down below it. It's gonna be on thrivecart. It will go ahead and give you the options. Obviously, you know, what we're trying to do is give a little bit of love to. Our ICA and our iic, you know, ICA sports council members if there's a sports council discount on there, please utilize that. If you're in Texas, you can also get a discount. If you are a student, you can also get a discount. You might be able to get even a better discount if you call me. Alright, so contact information is there you know, on the 15th, the 15th, I, I, I can't get t-shirts for you guys after the 15th because there's, there's processing and developing of those things. So. You've only got just a few days to, to get your application in, to go ahead and do the, the strongman doc shirts like I have here. I mean, these, these shirts wear like iron and they feel fun when you go ahead and you get to wear 'em, you know, at your office come Monday, right? So that's, that's a thing. If you are a pro hockey or pro baseball society member, you also get a discount. this year the major sponsors for me are web exercises with Dave Cruz also Kinesio Tape with Chris Roberts modus with Randy Anderson. And then those people that sign up and pay in full actually get a book from Jocko himself. Jocko Wilnick, who is really known for not just Jocko Fuel, but also the education classes in leadership. So it it, I'm gonna tell you, it. It's pretty impressive when you've got sponsors that are participating at that high level with, with tools and devices that are gonna be there. We're also looking at kinesio tape being there on site so that you can actually go ahead and be taped as an athlete, but we're gonna have kind of an offside. Taping class for you as well, using Kinesio tape, who also is the sponsor of the ICA Sports Council. So there, there's a lot going on. We've got a lot of opportunity. There's a potential for a lot of different kinds of discounts. And please, I mean, do, do take this opportunity if you're a female, I, I would love to have more females if I had have a solid class of females, you know, at that event, could you imagine they are gonna blow their, their home? D, they're doctors that may be the senior doctors. Those doctors have never seen anything like this, and these gals will be unstoppable, which I would just love. I think it would be awesome. So that, that's what I'm trying to do. I'm just trying to empower doctors. I come off sometimes, like I said, a little bit aggressive, a little bit, you know, cocky, negative, whatever. But you know, I do deal with strong man on a regular basis. And if, you know, if you don't go ahead and fight back a little bit, they will eat you. And I'm just talking about the girls. Awesome. If you do want more information wherever you're watching or listening, this podcast, there's obviously links back to our page, the ICA Sports and Fitness Council, and there's events listed there. You can look at all the information you need there. So check it out. Hurry up and sign up.'cause it's only limited 20 people. Yeah. you wanna make sure you get in that list as soon as you can. It's a great event. I've done it myself. I'm not just here, I'm actually I'm a live participant. I've done it myself and I got a lot out of it. A lot more than I ever thought I would. So thank you for doing this and thank you for watching, listening. And if you like what you're hearing, you're seeing, make sure you like and subscribe and come back for more. Thank you, Dr. McDougle, and we'll talk to you again soon. Thanks Brant. You are doing an amazing job on these podcasts. I cannot thank you enough for everything that you're doing for the ICA Sports Council. You are a true gem and I am glad to call you my friend. Thank you, sir. Thank.