Injury changes Ethen’s calling

By Greg Gulas | January 4, 2011 at 12:01a.m.

BOARDMAN

During his two seasons as a player under former YSU basketball coach Dan Peters, Dr. Joe Ethen felt his calling upon graduation after was to become a physical therapist, working with all athletes from a variety of different sports.

But when he injured his back during his senior season, and doctors suggested surgery, he balked, opting for the more immediate resolution — a visit to an area chiropractor.

The St. Cloud, Minn., native called that appointment a career-altering visit and now the 1997 YSU graduate is a doctor of chiropractic medicine with a practice based in Canfield.

Speaking to the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s weekly luncheon at the Blue Wolf Banquet Center, Ethen saidwhile many of his patients are athletes, his clientele includes those with a myriad of injuries from all walks of life.

“While physical therapists work basically with hip and knee replacements, I didn’t want to work with just sports injuries and felt the need to be a family practitioner as well,” he said. “A chiropractor doesn’t just adjust the spine; they rehab the spine and work together on the rehabilitation of the injury.

“A chiropractor must be able to work with the muscular part of the body. Not just the joints and spine.”

Ethen, who is also a Certified Athletic Trainer as well, earned his degree from Iowa’s Palmer Chiropractic College in 2005.

He said different sports produce different injuries.

“In football you see head and neck injuries, as well as stingers while in basketball and volleyball the lower back is a problem area,” he said. “We see rib injuries suffered by tennis players while I am currently working with a diver who has a bulging disc.”

Ethen, who volunteered his services at his alma mater for five years (1997-2002) prior to becoming a chiropractor, still volunteers at YSU and works closely with current head athletic trainer, John Doneyko and trainer emeritus, Dan Wathen.

Ethen also deals with non-sports injuries such as carpal tunnel, arthritis, migraines, back pain and whiplash.

“For anyone in an accident who hasn’t suffered a broken bone, their first stop after the emergency room should be to a chiropractic doctor,” he said. “Studies have shown that we are just as effective, if not more so than a doctor or surgical option.

“Plus, we are thousands of dollars cheaper.”

Next week, retired NBA official and Lowellville native, Joe DeRosa, will speak.