01-32 Backspace Oct20-FINAL-WEB

People
a professional footballer, when
being part of a team meant that
every day you pushed each other
towards more and better, while
building friendships and having
so much fun together. Above all,
there was a sense of team spirit
to achieve that common goal,
which is why I believe in the need
for solidarity and the necessity of
unifying the profession.”
Ambition and vision for
the profession
Since 1994, when they began
their chiropractic journey, there
have been many changes in the
way chiropractic is viewed and
accepted, but it is still far from
reaching its full potential as an
effective musculoskeletal health
care profession addressing the
leading global cause of disability.
For Vas, the way forward is to
take some very brave decisions:
“We need to become more relevant
by endeavouring to provide what
society needs. We are in a position
to help with major issues, and we
need to be brave enough that if we
discover that if we need to reinvent
ourselves, we must do it.”
The ultimate aim for Rishi is
that all European chiropractors
get the cultural authority of a
dentist or an optician, becoming
the first call for back and spine
problems: “Countries’ health care
systems would then buy into that,
including our use of imaging.
To achieve that, we need more
educational establishments, and
more research – and of course the
ECU has a big part to play.”
Jan Geert agrees with both of
them: “Law and policymakers are
not interested in just a good story
and the wonders of our profession.
We need to make them realise
that back pain remains the leading
global cause of disability overall,
putting great pressure on society
and reducing economic potential.
It’s up to us, the chiropractic
politicians, to present the research
and show them how chiropractic
can play a positive role.”
The class of ‘99
What was it about that class of ’99
that brought this Executive team
back together after 20 years to work
for chiropractic advancement?
First – commitment. Self-funding
a five-year education, whether that
involved help from parents, weekend
and holiday working or both, was
(and remains) a huge commitment,
and requires total dedication to
success, and to chiropractic. Rishi
points out that for British students
like him, at that time, medical
school was free, so stepping ‘out
of the system’ and studying a
profession few knew about required
courage! The dedication all three
demonstrated then has clearly
continued through their careers.
Second – making change in
‘the real world’. Vas and Jan
Geert have learned through their
sporting careers the way that
chiropractors can affect people’s
everyday performance, and the
way that sports can ‘shine a light’
on chiropractic. Rishi is still
amazed today at what a difference
chiropractic can make to so many
different conditions, and how
powerful and life-changing the
profession can be.
And third – trust. Vas has the
final word on that: “AECC in the
1990s was very multicultural, very
colourful, a fun place to be (the
parties were epic!) and it was a
one-degree school where everybody
knew everyone and it was a very
enjoyable experience. So, when
Rishi, Jan Geert and I came back
together from our different cultures
and backgrounds, it helped that we
knew each other way back then,
before we had confidence in what
we could become. This creates a
different kind of trust – we grew
and matured together, and became
chiropractors together, and we
don’t forget how we all were on
day one, which perhaps helps us to
work together now.
“The ‘99 class, looking back,
includes a lot of successful people
around the world. It was a good
batch!”
60-second
interview
BACKspace interviews figures from the world
of chiropractic
Jesper Hjertstrand
WIOC/ECU Graduate of the Year 2020
What is your career history?
Previously I worked as a swimming coach
in my native Sweden as well as in Australia
and Lebanon. I was in Lebanon on and
off for five years during which I got
increasingly more and more responsibility
to the point where I eventually helped run
a large sports academy together with its founder.
What attracted you to chiropractic?
While I was studying Exercise and Movement Science in Australia,
a professor pulled me aside and told me that I seemed to have a
real knack for anatomy and physiology. He advised me to look into
suitable studies to become a medical doctor, a physiotherapist or
a chiropractor as he thought this would suit me well. Chiropractic
attracted me the most, both professionally and personally.
What is your most memorable professional moment?
I haven’t been in clinical practice that long but one story that
stands out to me thus far is a young man who came into the
university clinic with multiple previous fractures of his lower back
and one lower leg. At the start of my enquiry and examination
he wasn’t very talkative but later on he opened up and shared
with me that his injuries were the result of a failed suicide
attempt. As health care professionals I feel we have such a
privilege to be able to share patients’ stories and be part of
their life, and with that hopefully bring them something good.
On the other hand, we also have a huge responsibility which we
should not take lightly and that requires appropriate levels of
professionalism. In this case, I was able to help the patient get
back to a more active lifestyle with less pain while co-managing
with other appropriate health care providers. This encounter was
such a valuable lesson to me as a young clinician and is one that
I will cherish for the rest of my life.
What are your ambitions?
At the moment, Iben Axén, Andreas Eklund, Per Palmgren
and I are finishing up a manuscript that should be published
shortly as part of the Nordic Maintenance care programme.
This opportunity, to be part of research at Karolinska Institutet
in Stockholm, has been a true honour. Inspired by this, I
will soon be starting my second Master’s degree, this time
in Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine. With deeper
knowledge within this field I aim to conduct research in a not
too distant future, hopefully combining my love for sports with
my profession as a chiropractor.
During day-to-day clinical work I strive to provide the best
possible evidence-based care for every patient’s individual
needs under the construct of the biopsychosocial model of
health care. I have the great fortune to work in a multidisciplinary
environment where I’m sure I will continue to learn from my
colleagues and thereby advance further as a clinician.
Contact
jesper.hjertstrand@gmail.com
30BACKspace www.chiropractic-ecu.org October 2020
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