Santa Cruz Chiropractor,
Dr. Ken Cassorla

I Discovered Chiropractic by Accident

I discovered chiropractic by accident, to be honest. I was clueless about what chiropractic was all about.

From the age of 14, I had a job mowing lawns for my neighbors. I continued with this line of work even after I entered college, working summers. While working on a customer's property, I sustained a bad neck injury. The pain was severe and made it impossible to continue working. As luck would have it, one of my lawn customers, Dr. Grecco, was a chiropractor. I knew virtually nothing about chiropractic, but had heard that they could fix a neck injury. So, I asked Dr. Grecco if he could help me. He graciously consented to treat me at his home office.

First, he examined my neck. He explained that certain vertebrae in my neck were misaligned and moving poorly, pinching a nerve between them. Furthermore, the muscles in my neck had tightened into a protective spasm, limiting my movement and aggravating the pain. He recommended stretching my neck and upper back muscles followed by a chiropractic adjustment, which would unlock the tension between my vertebrae.

Chiropractic Made Sense

It seemed like a good idea and made good sense. Whatever it took because I was hurting. He began by rhythmically stretching and releasing my neck. He explained that this was a form of traction. He did this in various directions until he felt the tension beginning to diminish. Then, with a quick, skillful maneuver, he released the tension deep within my neck. I heard a soft "pop" as the vertebrae "unstuck". That was my very first adjustment. It was quite a surprise and didn't hurt. Next thing I knew, I had much better movement, and less pain, in my neck. He treated me a few more times over the following months.

I was amazed at what had just happened to me. I didn't realize it at the time, but those adjustments changed the course of my life. I decided to change my career path from medicine to chiropractic. The rest is history.

My Chiropractic Education

After high school, a good friend and I traveled in Europe and Israel for six months. While overseas, I realized that I needed to get serious about my education. The next year, I studied biology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton. I worked summers as a landscaper. It was in the last summer before I graduated from SUNY that I had that experience with Dr. Grecco. By the next fall, I was enrolled at the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC). This was four years of relentless classes, laboratories, and developing the diagnostic and manual skills I would need in my new profession. I had many great teachers at LACC, but the standout would probably be Dr. Tran. He was an incredible anatomy professor who shared with his students the wonder of the human body.

Dr. Cassorla, Personally

I met my wife Jeanette over twenty years ago. Ironically, I was her patient when she was a student dental hygienist at Cabrillo College. There was some kind of unspoken rule about not dating your patients. So it took two sessions with her before she agreed to go out with me. Isn't it funny how things work out sometimes? I'm glad I persisted. We now are blessed with two wonderful sons, Nate, 20 and Tommy, 15. Nate is working as a state and county lifeguard. You’ll find him watching over swimmers at our local beaches and the Simpkins Swim Center.. He attends Cabrillo College where he’s earned his EMT (emergency medical technician) certificate. He’s working hard to become a firefighter in the future. Tommy delights us with his uncanny comedy and growing musical talent on the guitar and keyboard, not to mention his unique style for writing amazing short stories and poetry.

For me, I enjoy the great outdoors. I spend as much time as I can camping, biking and hiking. On the other hand, I have been a serious student of the economic markets, trying my hand at trading stocks and commodities. This is a challenging and hugely different experience from the intimate, hands on world of my chiropractic practice.

In terms of my personal health habits, I try to practice what I preach. Eat right. Shying away from heavily processed and sweetened foods. I've always been a lover of fresh vegetables and fruit and can be found munching on a carrot or apple most every day.

I receive chiropractic care at least once a week. At 57 years of age, I consider myself to have excellent movement and minimal pain. I attribute this to my regular chiropractic care. I think that modern medicine has much to offer but always seek natural options first. It has not been lost on me how often "medical miracles", like Vioxx and Advil, have ultimately been tied to serious side effects.

Enough about me! How can we help you with today’s safe and natural chiropractic care? Give us a call so we can help you take your first step towards better health.