Dustin Glass, D.C. (West ’03), maintains a
practice at Competitive Edge Chiropractic
in his southern California hometown of
Lake Forrest, where for the past two years
he has also served as team chiropractor
for USA Volleyball, including the women’s
squad that earned a silver medal at this
year’s Summer Olympics in London.
His interest in sports chiropractic began
as a West Campus student, when he
volunteered as an intern for the San Jose
Sabercats of the Arena Football League
(AFL). He spent many long, lonely and notso-
glamorous evenings picking up sweaty
towels, cleaning up blood-soaked gauze, folding laundry and
mixing the occasional tub of Gatorade.
However, Dr. Glass acknowledges the hours of “grunt work” provided
an invaluable learning experience, which served as an integral
step in achieving his goal of working with an Olympic team.
Following graduation, he returned to establish his practice in
southern California. Within a few months, he earned his first
major sports team appointment as chiropractor for the AFL Los
Angeles Avengers—thanks in large part to a recommendation from
the Sabercats’ trainer.
Dr. Glass (third from left) with the USA Volleyball women’s squad that won a silver
medal at this year’s London Olympics. |
Dr. Glass’ work with the Avengers caught the attention of the
sports care staff for the pro hockey Anaheim Ducks, who named
him as their chiropractic consultant. This prompted Dr. Glass to
open an additional office in Orange County to provide more
convenient accessibility for the players. His association with the
Avengers and the Ducks, coupled with the conveniently located
Orange County-based office, proved helpful in garnering his
appointment to provide care for the men’s and women’s national
volleyball teams, as the USA Volleyball organization also is
based in Anaheim.
“I am fortunate to be a part of USA Volleyball,” says Dr. Glass.
“I am proud to help the players perform their best on the court,
and I am proud of what both teams have achieved.” In the weeks
leading up to the London games, he treated players in his office
and at practice. Dr. Glass says the most frequent musculoskeletal
injuries he sees among volleyball players of all levels—especially
younger players—are lower-back facet issues, which have to be
monitored for pars defects or spondy issues. Other common
volleyball-related conditions include knee and shoulder repetitive
sprain/strain issues.
“I’m thankful for the education that I received at Palmer for
helping me achieve my lifelong goal,” he says. “And as a
Palmer graduate, I’m proud to see so many other West alumni
achieving similar appointments and achieving their goals in
the field of sports chiropractic.”