Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Suzie Heller and Dr. Michelle Clark.
Dr. Suzie and Dr. Michelle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The ART Doctors is what happens when two boss ladies meet, become fast friends, then wake up one day and say “Hey, let’s start a business together!” Like Romi and Michelle’s Highschool Reunion, except the business is real, and it’s chiropractic, not Post-Its. That dream became a reality when we set up shop in the Highlands/Berkeley neighborhood in June of 2018.
We opened our practice as the antidote to the “cookie cutter” chiropractic offices where patients are just a number and you spend 10 minutes with doctors who more-or-less prescribe the same treatment for everyone. We LOVE our patients but our goal is always to get you out of our office and back doing the things your love as efficiently as possible. Our main wheelhouse is Active Release Technique (ART), a patented, movement-based soft tissue technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. Because no two people are the same, we use ART, chiropractic, dry needling, and physiotherapy in whatever combination is best for your specific issues, to first get you out pain and then to identify the root cause of your problems and prevent them from recurring.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We are INCREDIBLY lucky that we vibe together on the same wavelength so well, our journey has generally been pretty smooth. We often joke that we are basically the same person and share a brain. Because of this, we tend to anticipate each other or the businesses’ needs before they even become needs, and are able to support each other really well. That being said, our differences also compliment each other – for example, Michelle hates doing the billing for our auto accident patients, but Suzie doesn’t mind it and has amassed a weird amount of knowledge on the topic. Taxes and all things accounting basically give Suzie a panic attack, but Michelle likes them (she’s weird like that… actually we’re both weird, but our mutual weirdness works together in the best way).
While this is the first practice Dr. Suzie has owned, Dr. Michelle has also been doing this whole owning your own business, being a boss lady thing in different iterations for a number of years, which has resulted in an invaluable vault of experience and lessons learned.
I (Dr. Suzie) have been asked the whole “If you have any advice for other chiropractors on starting a practice, what would it be?” question a number of times. My immediate answer is always “find yourself a bad-ass business partner, you don’t want to do this alone” and I think that applies beyond just doctoring. As a small business owner, it’s so necessary to have another person to lean on, bounce ideas off, etc. Even if that person isn’t a business partner, having a mentor or a coach or some sort of solid support system is the best advice I can give. Also, don’t take yourself too seriously, we spend at least 50% of our time laughing, if you aren’t having fun with it, then what’s the point right?
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The ART Doctors story. Tell us more about it.
The main thing that makes us different from other chiropractors is our focus on soft tissue. Adjusting the spine is what most people think of when they think of chiropractors – the part where we move your joints and it sounds like popping your knuckles. We do that part too, but we usually spend the majority of our time with patients working on soft tissue i.e. muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. All your joints are connected to muscles and all the muscles are connected to joints, so if you are only treating the joints that are missing at least half the picture. Our focus on soft tissue is what makes us unique — besides the doctor, our unofficial title is Soft Tissue Ninjas.
Active Release Technique (ART) is the number one tool we use. ART is a patented, movement-based technique that works to break up scar tissue and adhesions within and between tissues. Even in the absence of acute injury, your body builds up tiny bits of scar tissue due to repetitive stress over time – think running 100’s of miles while training for a marathon, or sitting in the same position for hours at your desk all day. When there’s scar tissue around, muscles can’t function properly which results in changes in movement patterns and compensations, that present as a varied myriad of conditions. In the simplest terms, the general concept of ART is shortening the tissue and then lengthening it under tension to release scar tissue and adhesions. The secret sauce is working on tissues through your functional range of motion — when you get a message you are mostly treating muscles in one static position, unfortunately you don’t get to lay down on a table all day in your real life, with ART we treat through that dynamic range of motion where you actually use your muscles and joints.
In addition to ART Dr. Suzie also does Functional Dry Needling (Dr. Michelle is needle squeamish). Dry needling is the use of really tiny needles to address trigger points – those little muscles knots that just keep coming back no matter how much you foam roll or massage them. We approach each patient as an individual and use whatever combination of ART, adjustments, dry needling, and/or corrective exercise are best for you and your specific condition. Your level of comfort and recovery is out #1 priority—don’t like hearing those joint popping sounds? No problem! Scared of needles? We won’t use ‘em – we have lots of “tools” in our “toolbox” so we can pick what is best for you and your body.
Because we do Active Release Technique and Dry needling, we do see a lot of athletes and various sports-related injuries (both these techniques tend to be better known in athlete circles). That being said, what we do works equally well for the less athletically inclined. In fact, many of our patients end up scheduling an appointment when their pain or discomfort begins to affect their sport or hobby, but often times the root cause of the issue is related more to their day job than their athletic endeavors. Maybe you gathered it already, but because this is a super common misconception – we don’t just treat neck and back pain— hands, feet, knees, shoulders, ankles, and everything in between, you got a problem? We have an answer. And if we don’t have an answer we’ll get you to the right doctor who will.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Because our work is so hands-on, books and podcasts aren’t always the most useful resource. That being said, we’re both constantly doing continuing education and attending seminars where we learn new techniques and/or hone our skills. We’re both huge science nerds so we love learning new things.
For patients, we often recommend this app called “Better Claims” (https://getbetter.co/), which does all the work for you in terms of getting reimbursed by your insurance for out-of-network claims. It’s free up until you get paid back, in which case they keep 10%, but they do all of the work for you in terms of submitting paperwork and following up with insurance companies. For others in health care, there is a really great app called “Up To Date” that gives you the most up to date information and research on various medical conditions.
In terms of life in general, we’re both huge Brene Brown fans. She’s a pure genius, listen to her TED talks, read her books, watch her Netflix special. All her books are worth reading, but “Daring Greatly” is Dr. Suzie’s personal favorite.
Contact Info:
- Address: The ART Doctors
3535 W. 44th Ave.
Denver, Co 80211 - Website: http://www.theartdoctors.com
- Phone: 720-495-0054 Call or TEXT!
- Email: info@theARTdoctors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartdoctors
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theARTdoctors
Image Credit:
Erin Witt Photography
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