Gordon Ainsleigh, DC, runs a 100-mile race every year

Gordon Ainsleigh, DC, arrives at an aid station, 38.5 miles into this year’s race.

Not every chiropractor emphasizes fitness like Gordon Ainsleigh. The Meadow Vista, Calif-based DC has postgraduate certification in nutrition. His wife, who is what he calls “a very accomplished exercise professional,” manages much of his rehab work. Of course, not every chiropractor runs a 100-mile race every year for fun, either. But Ainsleigh does that, too. In fact, he calls it “possibly the best and most extraordinary experience that this life has to offer.”

An Extreme Challenge
He got involved about 30 years ago with the Western States 100 Mile Ride, an equestrian event from California’s Squaw Valley to the Sacramento Valley. A lame horse would have kept him out of the 1974 event, he recalls, but ride executives told him they wanted him to run the whole 100 miles on foot.

He did, even though the temperature that day was 107°F. He received salt tablets, water, and massage from friends at the halfway point. He finished the race in just under 24 hours. The race is now called the Western States Endurance Run.

Nobody, of course, runs a 100-mile race without incident. And Ainsleigh relies largely on chiropractic colleagues in the Auburn, Calif, area to take care of him. “I’ve had spinal injuries from falls and missteps,” he says. “But I’ve been able to get them to heal by avoiding surgery, going to my chiropractor friends for treatment, and applying what I have been taught in chiropractic education.” The night before each race, Ainsleigh and other area DCs provide free chiropractic services to racers.

When he’s not loping across California, the 58-year-old, 22-year practice veteran—a graduate of Western States Chiropractic College, Portland, Ore—operates a practice from his home. He’s able to do that under special licensing from the county government. Because of injuries from rock climbing and other activities, he usually sees fewer than a dozen patients per day.

“Almost everyone gets heat and electricity to loosen them up, and ultrasound afterward to decrease the risk that spasms and inflammation will interfere with my work. I also have a strong aversion to all the bureaucratic paperwork involved in having employees, so I don’t have any. I do all of the work myself.”

Home, Sweet Home
The advantages of a home office, he adds, are especially enticing when that home is in a rural setting. “I love the commute,” Ainsleigh quips. “I just walk down the stairs of our country home beside the creek.” And, he adds, his one-man show allows him to practice when it’s convenient for him and his patients. “I can make appointments anytime between 7 am and 8 pm, and even on weekends without inconveniencing myself too much,” he says. “I cluster my patients so I’m time-efficient. I work mornings and evenings and take afternoons off to run, sunbathe, and swim, and go into town for things I need.”

He doesn’t see many HMO and PPO patients in that setting, he notes, “because those sources pretend I don’t exist. I won’t take any big discounts in my fees.” And “Medicare won’t cooperate with me. They just made it so difficult that I gave up on them.” Ainsleigh generally treats spine problems with standard, but very specific, adjustments.

His patients, he emphasizes, don’t come in just for adjustments. He tells everyone that optimal health is achievable only by eating a whole-foods diet, taking a comprehensive multivitamin-mineral formula, and doing vigorous exercise for at least 3 hours per week. Indeed, he stresses, “Exercise rehab is just as necessary as chiropractic for the difficult patients. Some just need a few adjustments and they’re fine. But the ones who have to come in for a while do much better with exercise rehab added.”

Russell A. Jackson is a contributing writer for Chiropractic Products.