Dr. Robert Walcher’s chiropractic journey began with his own injury when he was only 20 years of age. After trying everything he could to heal his back, he finally received his first chiropractic adjustment. Not only did his spine change after that adjustment, that one event changed his life and chiropractic care became part of his life’s journey. Now one of Southern California’s most trusted chiropractors, Dr. Walcher has since helped set thousands of patients on the path to achieve optimal health.

In his 12 years in the business, Dr. Walcher has aided many people who suffered with migraines, allergies, neck pain, sciatica, and low back pain. He helped them to overcome these ailments using various methods to pinpoint undetected spinal subluxations, which are often the cause of many of these symptoms. He also examines the nervous system to find any abnormal stress that could be causing issues. Dr. Walcher feels that regular chiropractic care will reduce abnormal stress affecting nerve function, thus allowing bodies to heal and more importantly, work correctly.

“I have found that 90% of the time people do not know there is a problem with their spine. Various spinal problems lead to a host of painful symptoms,” says Dr. Walcher. ”My goal is to get the nervous system functioning at 100%, and in turn the pain can usually dissipate.”

Dr. Walcher points out that our bodies are under three types of stress at all times: emotional stress such as finances, kids and work, physical stress, which can be from a car accident or everyday things like how you carry your purse, lift something, or cross your legs, and chemical stress, and in environmental toxins, medications and anything in your diet. These stressors build up on the spine, and then affect how the nervous system communicates with our bodies thus creating symptoms. Many times problems with muscle tension, spasm, weakness, fatigue, and health concerns like digestion issues, asthma and allergies can be overcome with better spine care.

“Because these stressors are unavoidable, we as chiropractors address the spine and nervous system by giving regular chiropractic care. Chiropractic is really about performance. Allowing your body and nervous system to work to the best of its ability. That’s why you see all of these major athletes with chiropractors in their lives…it’s so they can perform better,” Dr. Walcher mentions.

“Fitness also prevents injuries and allows you to live your lifestyle and push yourself to the limit. In my practice, I help people not only prevent injuries,” he continues, “but the bigger thing is that I help prevent sickness and disease (out of alignment). That’s the big picture in chiropractic.”

Fitness Perfection

Dr. Walcher is truly living the life and doing the things that others admire and want to emulate. Having just turned 40, he competes in the Masters division in CrossFit, where he is currently ranked 339th in his division out of 12,000 competitors worldwide and 21st in Southern California.

“You’ve got to be consistent with everything. With eating, taking care of your body, taking care of your spine, working out… all that stuff. If you do it consistently day after day, year after year, then you really can see major changes in your life.”

A sworn advocate of the sport, Dr. Walcher walks us through a typical CrossFit workout.

Wall Balls

How it works: Pick a target on the wall and aim for it. Pick up the ball (20 lbs for men 14lbs for women) in proper form, squatted down with your back straight and then stand up, lift and thrust with your hips.

Burpees

From a standing position, go down to the ground and do a full push up. Stand back up and do a full jumping jack, and then repeat.

Olympic Bar

Dr. Walcher is demonstrating the thruster, which is a multi-jointed movement that should be executed carefully. He stresses that this exercise is about the technique and making sure that you are in proper alignment so that you avoid injury.

Step up and grab the bar, keeping your back straight. Inhale and slowly bring the bar up allowing your wrists to bend back at the end to reduce stress. Come down, and then from the hips thrust the bar upward, over your head, hold momentarily and then come back down again, and repeat.

Muscle Ups

Start from a hanging position. Get a nice swing with your legs and pull yourself up on the rings. Transition through so that you lift yourself above the rings, ending with a straight body and arms with the rings at your hips. Hold a few seconds and then release and repeat.

Pull-ups

A kipping pull-up starts with hanging from the bar and you swing your hips and legs to gain momentum, so you can pull yourself up and to the bar. As these become easier for you, transition into a regular pull-up (without the kicking motion) and eventually the chest-to-bar version.
Box Jumps
Start with a box 24” in height for men, 20” for women. Start with a simple step up to strengthen the knee and the quadriceps, and then once you’ve built up strength and confidence, spring up onto the box and then step back down again.

Kettlebells

Using a 53 lb kettlebell (for men), start with the correct position: back straight, squatting down, and get a good grip on the handle. Go for a nice swing with the weight and then explode into an upward motion, thrusting with the hips. Hold weight briefly over your head and then come back down into the original position.

About Dr. Robert Walcher
Dr. Robert Walcher is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic West, where he received his degree in 2000. He has since received the Palmer’s Clinical Excellence Award and founded Personalized Chiropractic and his new location, Chiro4life Center.

Chiro4Life Center