After suffering an ankle injury in high school, Saul Luengas, D.C., (West, ’94) sought chiropractic care and fell in love with how his doctor of chiropractic was able to help heal his injury. In high school, Saul knew he wanted to study sports medicine after being involved in a variety of sports growing up. When he received chiropractic care and experienced how effective it was, he changed his career goals and decided to be a chiropractor.
Growing up in Mexico, Saul had a rare opportunity present itself when he and two other students from Mexico were offered a special scholarship facilitated by distinguished Enrique Benet Canut, D.C. (Main, ’66) by attending a presentation, which led them to Palmer West. For Saul, his career has been the ultimate satisfaction in his life. He notes that during his time at Palmer he learned from “the best sports clinicians” at Palmer West including Thomas Souza, D.C.; Edward Feinberg, D.C.; and Palmer West Campus President William Meeker, D.C., M.P.H. (West, ’82).
For the past 26 years, Saul has practiced at his own multidisciplinary clinic in Queretaro, Mexico. His practice, Acri Alta Especialidad En Columna Y Rehabilitacion Integral, offers chiropractic, X-ray, physical therapy, and aquatic therapy. Dr. Luengas is most proud of “being able to help people.” He gets excited when his patients “appreciate my work and are happy with the work I’ve done to help them, especially the patients who struggle with walking.”
As a sports fan and former Palmer West Sports Council member, Dr. Luengas loves working with athletes and has provided care for Olympic athletes. He has served as director of chiropractic services during the International Sports events, including the 2011 Pan American Games, where he led 50 doctors of chiropractic from around the world, and the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico.
“It brings me joy when I’m helping athletes complete competitions and when they win medals,” says Dr. Luengas. “I get so happy because they tell me that I am the reason they won.”
If chiropractic is a career goal of yours, “Know it’s the best option for you. It’s the right career,” Dr. Luengas says. “Imagine helping patients naturally and avoiding surgery.”
For students studying the profession, “Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers questions, they have a lot of knowledge and experience. Be sure to go to seminars when you can, see the different ways that you can provide care to patients. Most importantly, I encourage students to study hard and don’t get frustrated if you feel like it’s too much information.”
Even after many years of practice, Dr. Luengas says “I wouldn’t change my career in a lifetime.”
