Sports Chiropractic Clinical Experience at Sherman College
Students interested in sports chiropractic need more than an understanding of athletic performance. They need opportunities to work with athletes, communicate with coaches and athletic staff, manage cases, and apply chiropractic care in a competitive environment.
Sherman College gives interns that opportunity through sports chiropractic coursework, a focused clinical practicum, and partnerships with local colleges. Under faculty supervision, interns provide chiropractic care to collegiate athletes and learn how chiropractic fits within a broader performance team.
For prospective students, this creates a direct path from classroom study to real-world experience. Students do not only learn about sports chiropractic; they have the opportunity to practice it before graduation.
How Does Sherman Prepare Interns for Sports Chiropractic?
Sherman’s sports chiropractic pathway includes an introductory course, clinical practicum, and outreach experience.
The introductory course gives students a foundation in the role of chiropractic within athletic performance. It addresses the relationship between subluxation, neuromuscular function, injury prevention, recovery, and performance. Students also study how chiropractors collaborate with athletic trainers, physical therapists, physicians, and coaches.
The Sports Chiropractic Practicum allows eligible interns to take the next step. Available as an elective clinical option for 14th-quarter interns, the practicum places students in a sports-focused patient care environment. Interns give chiropractic care under sports chiropractors, work with athletes, prepare a case report presentation, and develop a marketing plan related to sports chiropractic practice.
This combination gives students both clinical exposure and a better understanding of how to build a sports-focused practice after graduation.
What Do Interns Learn Through the Sports Chiropractic Practicum?
The practicum gives interns experience with the full process of caring for athletes.
They learn how to evaluate athletic patients, communicate findings, explain chiropractic care, document cases, and provide adjustments under supervision. They also learn how to work within the expectations of a sports environment, where timing, performance goals, and communication with other professionals can influence the patient experience.
Athletes may be preparing for competition, managing the demands of a season, returning after an injury, or working to maintain consistency. Interns must learn how to understand those goals and communicate with clarity.
The practicum also introduces students to the business side of sports chiropractic. Preparing a marketing plan helps interns think about how they would connect with teams, coaches, athletic departments, and performance professionals in future practice.
How Do Sherman’s College Partnerships Expand Clinical Experience?
Sherman’s sports chiropractic outreach program brings interns directly to local college campuses. The program began in 2013 through a partnership with Spartanburg Methodist College. In 2025, Sherman expanded the program to include the University of South Carolina Upstate. The college continues to explore additional partnerships with local schools and athletic programs.
Through these partnerships, Sherman interns visit participating campuses regularly to provide chiropractic care to student-athletes under the supervision of Michael Tomasello, B.S., M.S., D.C., Coordinator for Sports Outreach and a Chiropractic Center case doctor. The outreach model allows interns to work in the environment where athletes train, compete, and recover. That setting gives students a clearer understanding of how chiropractic care can support an active collegiate athletics program.
What Does a Sports Chiropractic Outreach Visit Look Like?
Sherman’s outreach teams typically visit each participating school once a week for a three-hour session.
A group of four to six interns may care for as many as 30 athletes during a visit. That pace gives interns repeated opportunities to improve their communication, organization, clinical judgment, and adjusting skills.
The experience is different from working in a traditional office setting. Interns must learn to manage patient flow, work efficiently, maintain professional documentation, and communicate with athletes whose schedules are shaped by practices, travel, classes, and competition.
They also gain experience interacting with athletic trainers, coaches, and other members of the athlete’s support team.
Why Is Working With Collegiate Athletes Valuable?
Collegiate athletes operate in a demanding environment. Their schedules may include daily training, strength work, travel, competition, academic responsibilities, and limited recovery time.
For interns, this creates a setting where they can see how athletes respond to repeated physical demands. They learn to evaluate changes in movement, coordination, mobility, and performance while considering the athlete’s schedule and goals.
Collegiate athletes also tend to be highly aware of their bodies. They may notice small changes in balance, movement, or function that affect performance even when they are still able to compete.
Working with this population helps interns become more observant, more efficient, and more comfortable communicating with performance-driven patients.
How Do Interns Work With the Athletic Care Team?
Sports chiropractic is most effective when each professional understands their role.
Athletic trainers, physicians, physical therapists, coaches, and strength professionals may all contribute to an athlete’s care. The chiropractor brings specific training in the spine, nervous system, vertebral subluxation, and chiropractic adjustment.
Sherman interns learn how to communicate within that interprofessional setting. They may coordinate with athletic staff, discuss athlete needs, and understand when another professional’s expertise is required.
This experience helps students become stronger team members. It also teaches them how to maintain a clear chiropractic identity while respecting the responsibilities of other professionals.
How Do These Partnerships Benefit Student-Athletes?
Sherman’s partnerships give student-athletes access to regular chiropractic care on their own campuses.
At both Spartanburg Methodist College and USC Upstate, the goal is to support athlete function, mobility, recovery, and overall performance. The partnerships also reduce barriers by bringing care directly to the athletes rather than requiring them to travel off campus.
For the athletic programs, chiropractic becomes another resource available to student-athletes throughout the season.
For Sherman interns, the partnerships provide repeated patient care experience in a setting that reflects the pace and expectations of sports practice.
Why Is Faculty Supervision Important?
Interns provide care under the close supervision of licensed Sherman faculty.
Dr. Tomasello guides interns through patient evaluation, communication, case management, documentation, and adjusting. He also helps students understand how chiropractic care fits into an athletic program and how to work professionally with coaches and athletic staff.
Supervision gives interns room to develop while receiving immediate feedback. They can ask questions, refine their approach, and improve their decision-making before entering independent practice.
For students interested in sports chiropractic, this mentorship provides a strong transition from academic preparation to professional responsibility.
What Makes Sherman’s Sports Chiropractic Experience Distinct?
Sherman’s program connects education, clinical care, and community partnership.
Students begin by learning the philosophy and role of sports chiropractic. They then move into a practicum that develops patient care and practice-building skills. Through outreach partnerships, they apply those skills with collegiate athletes in real athletic environments.
This progression gives students more than a brief introduction to sports chiropractic. It gives them the opportunity to see how a sports-focused practice operates, how athletes respond to care, and how chiropractors contribute to a performance team.
For students who want to work with athletes after graduation, that experience can shape both their confidence and their career direction.
Could Sports Chiropractic Be Part of Your Career?
You may come to chiropractic college with a background in athletics, coaching, exercise science, strength and conditioning, or athletic training.
You may also discover an interest in sports chiropractic after working with athletes for the first time.
Sherman gives students the opportunity to explore both paths. Through coursework, practicum experience, and collegiate partnerships, interns can build the skills needed to care for athletes and contribute to optimal human performance.
Take the Next Step
Learn more about Sherman College and connect with our Admissions team.
Interested in receiving chiropractic care on campus? Learn more about becoming a patient at the Sherman College Chiropractic Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sports chiropractic clinical experience?
A sports chiropractic clinical experience gives interns supervised opportunities to evaluate and care for athletes while developing communication, adjusting, documentation, and case-management skills.
Does Sherman offer a sports chiropractic elective?
Yes. Sherman offers an introductory sports chiropractic course and a Sports Chiropractic Practicum for eligible interns.
Who supervises Sherman’s sports chiropractic outreach?
The program is supervised by Michael Tomasello, B.S., M.S., D.C., Coordinator for Sports Outreach and a Chiropractic Center case doctor.
Which colleges partner with Sherman for athlete care?
Sherman currently partners with Spartanburg Methodist College and the University of South Carolina Upstate.
How often do interns visit partner schools?
Outreach teams typically visit each school once a week for a three-hour session.
How many athletes may interns care for during a visit?
A team of four to six interns may see up to 30 patients during an outreach session.
Do interns work with athletic trainers and coaches?
Yes. The outreach experience helps interns learn how to communicate and collaborate within an athletic care team.
Is care supervised?
Yes. Sherman interns provide care under the guidance of licensed faculty doctors.
Can this experience prepare students for a sports-focused practice?
Yes. Interns develop patient-care skills, gain experience in athletic settings, and complete practice-development work that can support a future sports chiropractic career.