Chiropractors Tweak Patients for Food Donations to Needy

A team of Carlsbad chiropractors, set on filling a pickup truck with charitable food donations, sought help Friday from their clients, who got their limbs twisted, spines cracked and backs rubbed free.

Chiropractors J. J. Heaivilin and Mark DeCotis sponsored a day of free services including spinal exams, X-rays, physical therapy sessions and back adjustments for the public in exchange for donations to feed the hungry.

“There’s so many people out of jobs and so many people who don’t have enough money for a good Christmas dinner. The community has been so good to us that we figured it was time to give something back to it,” said Heaivilin, who plans to give the donations to a local food bank.

The event worked well for Jesse Garcia, who injured his arm and back while lifting trays as a waiter and is now unemployed.

“The food is going to other people, so they are benefiting. And I’m certainly benefiting, so I think it’s a neat idea,” said the 34-year-old Encinitas man, who said his left arm was plagued with sharp pains and numbness before receiving chiropractic care.

Like a navigator reading a map, Heaivilin skillfully maneuvered the palms of his hands as he applied pressure along Garcia’s back, a move that broke the room’s silence when his bones gently crackled as they fell back into place.

“I feel a lot better and a lot looser,” said Garcia, whose face was swept with an expression of relief as he sat up and stretched.

The back adjustment, which would normally bring Heaivilin $34, only cost Garcia a can of green peas.

Heaivilin said many of his clients request aid for back pains caused by auto accidents, sports injuries or from typing at computer terminals.