Since graduating from National University in 2008, Travis Hulbert, DC, has been able to combine two of his biggest passions: chiropractic medicine and sports.

In addition to running a family practice, Quest Chiropractic Center in Bloomington, Indiana, Dr. Hulbert is part of the physician team for Indiana University sports teams. On a daily basis, Dr. Hulbert sees various injuries from muscular disc herniation to rib displacement across varsity players. He also treats common issues like headaches and low back pain.

With many athletes hopeful of playing professional sports one day, Dr. Hulbert takes pride in his ability to get them back out onto the field as soon as possible. “I try to reduce healing time so athletes can keep functioning at their best and achieve their goals,” he said.

Dr. Hulbert didn’t plan to work in sports medicine, at first. In order to grow his patient base at his practice, he sought referrals from the head trainer at Indiana University who previously worked with Dr. Hulbert while he played football at Buena Vista University as an undergraduate. Soon, Dr. Hulbert started treating the university’s football team before games to help improve the players’ range of motion and prevent injury. He also treated those with spinal injuries and other musculoskeletal issues. “My role within the university just continued to grow,” he said.

Today, Dr. Hulbert works with many varsity teams at the university including the field hockey, cross country, swimming and rowing teams. “I work very well with the head IU physicians to help prevent more invasive procedures like surgeries and steroid injections,” he said.

Through diagnostic training he received at National University, Dr. Hulbert said he is well-equipped to treat the wide variety of conditions he sees with every athlete. “National University gave me the confidence to treat most things but to also know when to refer a patient to another type of doctor,” he said.

Since treating athletes, Dr. Hulbert has worked integratively with medical doctors, orthopedists, neurosurgeons and podiatrists. The patient base at his practice has grown tremendously too. “I’ve been very fortunate, my practice has grown about as much as it can,” he said.

For prospective chiropractic physicians looking to achieve similar success, he recommends learning as many different techniques as possible. “Expose yourself to as much as you can so you can help everyone who walks into your practice,” he said.