Chiropractor Sidney Coxworth, left, and Certified Nurse Practitioner Holly Stevermer, right, share office space on Winnebago’s Main Street.

When Sydney Coxworth was a young girl, she had an unfortunate accident which resulted in many trips to a chiropractor to help her recover from her injuries.

“I was running under the football bleachers,” Coxworth says. “I was running pretty fast and I hit one of the braces.”

The force of Coxworth’s head hitting the immovable metal brace resulted in a concussion and caused a couple of her vertebrae to be out of alignment.

Little did Coxworth know at the time, it would also lead her to make a decision on her future career path – a path that has led her to open her own chiropractic practice – Complete Wellness Chiropractic – in Winnebago.

The 2016 Blue Earth Area graduate continued her education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul where she was studying public health.

“I became very interested in preventative care,” Coxworth comments. “Although preventative care typically costs more up front, it is cheaper in the long run.”

She made the decision she wanted to be involved in preventative care – which led her to exploring the idea of being a chiropractor.

“I had been a patient of Dr. (Aaron) Kalis in Blue Earth for years, beginning with when I suffered my injury,” Coxworth remarks. “I wanted to take a more holistic approach to treating people and that led me to chiropractic care, but there is definitely a place for conventional medical care.”

She attended Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington to get her Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

“The next closest chiropractic school is the Palmer College of Chiropractic,” Coxworth notes. “And that’s in Davenport, Iowa.”

Coxworth shares as a chiropractor, she looks into the root causes of problems.

“Chiropractors treat a variety of musculoskeletal conditions or disorders,” she says. “The most common things I treat are headaches, back pain – especially lower back pain, and sciatica conditions.”

Coxworth mentions that scoliosis is something else she helps people with.

“Some people are born with scoliosis and my goal there is to help make people comfortable,” she comments. “Some people have functional scoliosis which is a condition people develop by having poor posture.”

During her internship, which she did during the last year as a student at Northwestern Health Sciences University, Coxworth had the chance to work for six months for a female chiropractor who had treated her while she was a student at St. Catherine University.

“It was nice to work for someone I was acquainted with and who was a female because she helped me improve my technique,” Coxworth says. “For the final six months of my internship, I worked at a spa-like place in the Chaska area. While there I learned more about muscle work.”

Coxworth feels that stress is a major cause of many problems.

“Stress can lead to misalignment in the body,” she states. “Whether it’s physical, chemical or emotional stress, they can all lead to problems.”

According to Coxworth, a person’s spine should have curves in the thoracic, cervical and lumbar areas of the spine.

“Those curves are what make your back strong,” she remarks. “When people lose the curvatures – that is when issues show up.”

Coxworth notes that many people don’t realize just how interconnected the body is.

“For instance, there are muscles that are interconnected from the base of your skull to the top of your pelvis,” she explains. “And that’s just one example.”

Coxworth’s practice is located in the same building as Heartland Healthcare which is operated by Heidi Stevermer, a certified nurse practitioner.

“Heidi had been in touch earlier about setting up in Winnebago but I wasn’t ready at the time,” Coxworth says. “Later, when I was ready, I got in touch with her to see if there was still a chance for me to come to Winnebago.”

There is an added benefit to being located in a town only 10 miles away from where she grew up.

“I get to be closer to my family. I am the oldest of three sisters. Gabby and Bella are my younger siblings and my dad, Jeremy, and mom, Tara, live in Blue Earth,” Coxworth notes. “Plus, I have two little nieces, Gabby’s girls, who I like to spend time with.”

And when she is not spending time with family, Coxworth shares she likes to get comfortable in her chair and read a good book.

“I like to learn about new things,” she says. “I want to be a life-long learner.”

Her chiropractic office is open Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. She is also open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Those are the hours I am going to start with,” Coxworth says. “I may alter them at a later date.”

Coxworth adds that she will soon have a laser machine to use as another tool to utilize when treating her patients.

“It can be very effective in increasing blood flow and nutrients to an injury which in turn aids the healing of the injury,” Coxworth explains.

Now, settled into her new office, Coxworth expresses her satisfaction with her decision.

“I am so happy to be home,” she says. “There was a calling and I decided to take the leap, even though it’s stressful starting your own business.”

And, she notes, the rewards of helping people make everything worth it.

“That is the best part,” she concludes. “When I am able to help a patient that thought they had to live with pain the rest of their life and give them relief – that is my favorite part of my job.”