Graduation is this week and 13th quarter student Sena Griffith (West, ’22) is ready to care for patients at her own practice.
“I am in the process of opening up my own practice, Restore Chiropractic, in Petaluma, California. I will be working with three sports massage therapists and a pain management doctor. I’m really excited for the opportunity to work alongside other health care professionals, as I begin this next chapter of my life!”
Sena was led to chiropractic after suffering an injury in 2009. She fell 14 feet from the top of a cheerleading stunt.
“I landed on my head and suffered severe whiplash and was prescribed two months of opioids by my primary physician. I was never evaluated for a concussion or even offered any sort of rehabilitation for my injury. Once those two months passed, I still had a very limited range of motion in my neck and continued to experience muscle spasms daily. I thought I would never cheerlead again. Then, I found my chiropractor.”
After only a few months of chiropractic care, she started to build back her strength and confidence to return to an active lifestyle.
“I began swimming and after six months, I got back into cheerleading for six more years, which I did all the way through my sophomore year of college.”
When Sena saw the impact her chiropractor made on her life, she knew she wanted to help other people, too.
“I wanted to become a chiropractor to help more people feel confident that their bodies can handle an active lifestyle. I feel like so many people fall into an inactive lifestyle after a serious injury that is not well managed, and chiropractors have the ability to empower individuals to take back control over their bodies and get back to doing what they love.”
“I was drawn to Palmer West because of its Sports Council chapter and its evidence-based curriculum. I knew I wanted to gain experience treating athletes of all different levels and I felt that Palmer West would prepare me with the most up-to-date methods for patient care.”
During Sena’s time here at Palmer, she made sure she didn’t just bury herself in books, but also made sure to stay active in extracurricular activities.
She served on the Sports Council executive board for two years as a member of the education committee and then the vice president of student affairs. Sena has been a member of Campus Guides since her 2nd quarter and was vice president of Palmer Student Alumni Foundation (PSAF).
“I see chiropractic becoming more of a standard form of care for sports-related injuries. I feel that social media has really helped our profession show the world what we can do for both preventative and rehabilitative care.”
Congratulations on graduation!
