At about the same time OhioChiro was searching for a Director of Human Performance, Nic Bronkall was looking for a place to bring his unique skill set that includes a background as a strength and conditioning coach and massage therapist, Dr. Sean Caine was seeking to expand OhioChiro’s team.
Now Bronkall, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Health Performance at Cleveland State University, and OhioChiro are the perfect fit.
“I saw a great opportunity,” Bronkall said of his role at OhioChiro. “I have something that not many have to offer. I was shopping around and Dr. Caine saw value in my experience.”
Bronkall worked as an independent strength and conditioning coach before joining Caine, but while he had success on his own, he knew there could be more out there for him to explore.
“I have proof of concept, having worked for myself,” he said. “But I was ready to level it up and play on a bigger playing field. OhioChiro is that bigger playing field.”
Caine sees Bronkall as a piece in a puzzle that once put together can offer patients the best from multiple avenues of treatment.
“The idea to add a Director of Human Performance to the OhioChiro team came directly from our patients. They asked for a team and space to bridge the gap between pain and fitness. Nic’s passion for movement, strength and conditioning experience, and massage therapy training separate him from his peers, making him the perfect addition to our patient’s wellness team.”
Having worked as a paramedic before becoming a strength and conditioning coach and adding massage therapy to his resume, Bronkall now has an entrée into a world beyond workout facilities and gyms.
“This gives me access,” he said. “I have a physician who qualifies my work. It allows me to practice my skills with clients unfamiliar with movement practice or personal training. Prior to OhioChiro, I was working with athletes, including cross fitters, powerlifters, and Olympic lifters, who already had a pretty good idea of how to train, lift and take care of themselves.”
While Bronkall might still find himself training an athlete who is, say, preparing for the NFL Combine in preparation for being drafted, he is just as likely to work with a grandmother who has a sewing business and develops aches and pains during prom and wedding season.
Attaching himself to OhioChiro means Bronkall can be that next step in the work Caine does with patients.
If Caine feels one of his patients might benefit from learning a more precise way to do a specific exercise or to learn how to do the exercise in the first place, he will refer the patient down the hall to Bronkall.
“Dr. Caine and I work very well because our appreciation and use of movement are similar,” he said. “There are enough differences to make what each of us do necessary, but they mesh well. Because what most people do is they get to feeling better and go back to their normal lifestyle and the pain or problem comes back. My role is to build some strength and resilience to decrease the odds of the problem returning.”
Bronkall also brings an ability to motivate a client when needed. Once he gets someone accustomed to training, he can go that extra mile as a lifestyle coach to push when needed and ease up when warranted.
“I can be very straight to the point,” he explained. “I do have a bedside manner, but I also believe in tough love. The medical system can coddle people and sometimes they need someone to lean into them and show them what they can accomplish.”
In the end, Bronkall, as well as Caine and the entire OhioChiro staff, have the goal of treating patients to the point where they can resume their lives pain-free and be educated about how to avoid the issue in the future.
