Many chiropractors enter the practice because someone in their family is a practitioner or because their lives changed significantly through chiropractic care. However, Dr. Randall B. Miers followed a different path.
“For me, I was a biology major and someone in class said, ’Randy, you would probably be a good chiropractor,’ and that’s what kind of started it for me,” says Miers. “In fact, I had never been to a chiropractor, but when I learned about the effects of the spinal column on your health and how you feel, it was like a whole new world opened to me.”
In 1978, Miers graduated from Montclair State College in New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. In 1986, he graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa. He began his practice in Farmville, Virginia in 1988, and in 1991, he relocated to Hampton. He practiced in Hampton until he merged with Spine Care of Tidewater, PC about 2½ years ago. There are two office locations, one in Hampton and this office in Newport News. Miers is the primary chiropractor in the Oyster Point office, and Dr. Kevin J. Westby is the primary doctor in the Hampton location.
Miers recognizes that many people remain unaware of what chiropractic really is and believes that misconceptions may affect its acceptance. “Only about 10 to 11 percent of people use chiropractic so what are the other 90 percent doing? And, why aren’t they checking us out because what we are doing is pretty amazing,” Miers says with a smile.
He continues, “One of the ways I describe the practice of chiropractic is that you have 24 vertebrae in your spine and one of the things the spine is meant to do—other than support and protect your spinal column—is to move. When you lose mobility at a level that causes joint dysfunction, that can start a chain of events that’s going to lead to symptoms. As chiropractors, we basically find which joint is not working properly and get it to work and move again. When we do that, the body with its own wonderful self-healing mechanism recognizes that we removed the block so it can get back to work.”
For people considering whether or not to seek chiropractic care, Miers encourages them to “give it a try because there’s so much chiropractic can do versus some of the other things that are out there.”
Miers knows because he’s helped many patients experience significant positive change and for those who don’t, he serves as a link in the chain to help connect them to the next viable option. He believes that letting patients know what to expect and explaining probable outcomes helps demystify chiropractic.
Reflecting over his 30 years in the field, Miers sees his journey as a marathon where you run in a certain way to finish the race and win the prize. “I would be remiss if I didn’t explain what drives me—it is my faith in God. And, hopefully, everything I do flows out of that in how I’m treating a patient, living with my family or behaving around my neighbors and friends.”
Miers has been married for 30 years and has three children and two grandchildren. He enjoys music and plays guitar, bass and mandolin. He plays with the worship team at Peninsula Community Chapel. He runs marathons and enjoys kayaking.
Miers’s outlook is bright and his optimism is infectious. “Whenever you can serve somebody, it has its own built-in reward,” Miers says.
With great appreciation, he acknowledges that chiropractic was the right path for him to follow. It may be more than a coincidence that chiropractic was founded on September 18, 1895, and years later, Miers was also born on September 18. Says Miers, “In retrospect, I think chiropractic was God’s direction for my life. It was the way He was directing my path.”
TO THE POINT:
Spine Care of Tidewater, PC
Contact: Gina Westby, practice manager
Phone: 757-873-8483
Address: 11872 Canon Blvd., Ste. D,
Newport News, VA 23606
Website: www.tidewaterchiro.com
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