Fishers Doctor Serves as Indy Eleven Team Chiropractor

Writer  /  Jon Shoulders
Photographer  /  Brian Brosmer

For Nathan Ziegler, a career in chiropractics and sports rehab was, in many ways, in the cards from an early age.

Ziegler, an Arkansas native, grew up observing the fulfillment his father and two uncles received as chiropractors, and as an avid sports fan, he contemplated a similar professional path before graduating from high school.

“I’ve always been interested in health and wellness,” Ziegler says. “My dad was the team chiropractor for my high school, and he would adjust the players on the sidelines and before games. “

After finishing his undergraduate studies at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, Ziegler obtained his Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree and a master’s degree in sports science and rehabilitation from Logan University in Chesterfield, Missouri, where he met Caitlin Wolf, who grew up in Carmel and was also pursuing her D.C. and sports rehab degrees. Prior to completing their coursework in April of 2016, Wolf broached the idea of eventually opening a practice in her native Hamilton County. Less than four months after graduating, Wolf and Ziegler had opened the doors to Alliance Chiropractic in Fishers.

“Dr. Wolf knew that Fishers is a growing area and would be a good place to practice,” Ziegler says, adding that he and Wolf are engaged and spend their downtime hiking, running local trails and exploring the Fishers restaurant scene. “We do a lot of rehab in the office — a lot of muscle therapy and adjustments. Dr. Wolf works a lot with children and the older population. I’ll work with athletes and anybody in general, in any phase of their health.”

Ziegler’s childhood involvement in sports, including soccer, and his observations of his father on the sidelines of his high school sports teams in a chiropractic capacity, both foreshadowed what is currently a major component of Ziegler’s own professional practice. Since March, he has served as a team chiropractor for the Indy Eleven men’s professional soccer team and treats players before, during and after each home game on Saturday evenings.

“I had always been interested in athletes and sports, and once I got my masters and got my D.C., wherever I moved to I wanted to try to get involved with a local team, either high school, college or pro,” Ziegler says. “After opening, I started looking around at some of the teams here. I emailed the Indy Eleven team manager and got in communication with their head athletic trainer, and it went from there.”

Every Tuesday Ziegler arrives for Indy Eleven practices alongside the team’s massage therapist, physical therapists, athletic trainers and medical doctors and applies spinal adjustments and muscle therapy to any players in need.

“Dr. Ziegler has really been invaluable for us in stretching and doing adjustments for the players and educating them on posture and movement,” says Brian Gerlach, who has served as head athletic trainer for Indy Eleven since the team’s North American Soccer League debut in 2014. “It’s a little bit more of a holistic approach. If a player is complaining of a neck problem, he might not treat the neck and will treat something else that ties into that problem.”   

Ziegler says pro soccer players tend to have predominantly lower extremity issues, and he treats each player according to their specific ailment.

“I bring all my equipment and notes to the locker room and set up, and we start working with the athletes and ask them what their complaints are that day,” he says. “I’ll be on the sidelines for games keeping an eye on them, and I’m there for halftime and post-game adjustments.”

Ziegler adds that getting to know the players on the Indy Eleven roster has been the most enjoyable part of his involvement with the team so far.

“They’re wonderful individuals, as well as the trainers and medical staff,” he says. “Being pros, they have a huge amount of drive and want to be the best, and you can see that in the practices and when you’re communicating one on one. They want to be in the best shape they can be, so if I can offer chiropractic and provide that so they can better themselves, they’re very grateful.”

For more information on Alliance Chiropractic, call 317-482-7780 or visit alliancechiroindy.com.

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