FISHERS — At age 16, Kyle Peacock refused to believe it when a doctor told him he had arthritis.
Peacock, who had been injured while playing for the Mt. Vernon High School football team, sought care from a local chiropractor instead. After a week of treatment, he was fully recovered, free of all symptoms.
That was more than a decade ago, and the experience stirred his interest in medicine, eventually leading him to pursue a career as a chiropractor and open his own practice, offering care to patients in the community and also volunteering his time for Mt. Vernon athletes.
And next week, the Hancock County native will head to Rio to support a higher caliber of athletes — those competing for the U.S. wrestling team in the Olympic games, which run Aug. 5 to 21.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Peacock was tapped as one of about 60 chiropractors chosen to travel to Brazil as part of the Maximized Living Sports Council, a health care group made up of chiropractors and other doctors across the nation. The group will spend nine days in Rio.
Maximized Living doctors have provided care at national and international sporting events since 2005; Peacock, who now lives in Fishers, will travel to several wrestling events with the group and work alongside doctors offering care to the Olympians.
The group provides a whole-body approach to ensuring athlete health, incorporating “chiropractic, advanced nutrition, mental preparedness and metabolic fitness programs designed to build strength, endurance, speed up recovery and radically reduce the risk of injury,” a press release states.
Peacock and his fellow doctors are certified in and can offer athletes spinal correction and extremity care as well as information on nutrition, detoxification, exercise and mental preparedness.
In a sport that regularly requires athletes to contort limbs and twist spines, such care can go a long way, Peacock said.
Local athletes know first-hand the benefits of Peacock’s work.
Peacock, who graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 2005 after competing for the track and football teams, began volunteering his services with the athletic department last year.
He came in for a couple hours each Friday during both wrestling and track seasons, offering free chiropractic care to athletes before they competed over the weekend, which can make all the difference for athletes with aching bodies, said Chad Masters, head coach of the wrestling team.
At first, some of the athletes seemed intimidated by the process of having pressure placed on their spines to relieve pain, Masters said.
But once a few had Peacock perform a so-called adjustment — a relatively simple process in which a chiropractor applies force to joints along the spine to properly align the vertebrae — they came to understand the value, he said.
“It’s a huge benefit,” Masters said. “It got them ready to wrestle over the weekend.”
The care Peacock delivers prevents injuries from arising in the first place – an important quality in a sport in which many athletes treat pain and discomfort with ibuprofen or aspirin, Masters said.
In Peacock’s office, patients are buzzing about their doctor’s upcoming trip to Rio.
Tammy White of Fortville, who has been a patient since April, said the staff in Peacock’s office is like a family, so word of the trip quickly spread.
The opportunity to travel abroad to such a prestigious event couldn’t be offered to a better person or more caring member of the medical profession, she said.
“It is real exciting,” she said. “He is just a wonderful person, a wonderful doctor. He’s so deserving.”
Staff members have already started planning a welcome back reception for Peacock, who will be invited to share his experiences at the Olympics with patients, friends and supporters, for late August after the games conclude.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Inside” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
See our special insert today for an Olympics schedule, athlete profiles, event information and more.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Rio return” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Peacock Family Chiropractic, 1773 Commercial Dr. in Fishers, will host a welcome-home party 8-10 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. Aug. 25 for Dr. Kyle Peacock, who is traveling to Rio to support athletes competing in the Olympics.
The celebration will include family-friendly games, snacks, vendors and photos from Peacock’s trip abroad.
For more information, visit peacockfamilychiropractic.com.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
