Dr. Nate Porcher recently graduated from National University’s DC program this April. While he was a DC student, Nate wrote a research article which will soon be published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. Titled “A Narrative Review of Sports-Related Concussion and Return-to-Play Testing with Asymptomatic Athletes,”  Nate co-authored his paper with Dr. Thomas Solecki under the research mentorship of Dr. Barbara Sullivan.

The article reviews literature on athletes who have sustained concussions and have been returned to play after being cleared by medical professionals. These athletes are then tested for subclinical signs that may show lingering neurological effects as compared to non-concussed teammates.  It explores the possibility that these athletes are returning to competition too soon, risking the complications of additional concussive injuries or significant long-term health consequences.

Nate began his research in an elective course on concussions, and completed it during another elective course for independent research while in his DC program at National. Last year, Nate gave a poster presentation on this same research at the 2012 Chiropractic Sports Symposium.

“There’s so much research that we as a profession should be doing,” says Nate. “We see so much trauma in cervical cases where it’s very possible that someone might have a concussion. That’s why I’m very proud to be able to provide more information in this area. Preparing an actual research article for publication makes me appreciate what we learned at National Universty in our evidence based practice curriculum.”

During his undergraduate studies, Nate originally planned to pursue a career in dentistry. Nate credits a college football injury for changing his choice to a degree in chiropractic medicine.  “I was unsure about seeing a chiropractic physician, but my DC was able to fix my problem in just two visits.”   Now that he’s graduated, Dr. Porcher will be practicing in the northwest suburbs of Chicago where he hopes to specialize in treating sports injuries.