Spine and Wine
INTERVIEW
An Interview with Dr. Chris Colloca
Chiropractic Innovator and Entrepreneur Focuses His Vision on Technology Development While Chasing His Passion for Wine.
The American Chiropractor
Christopher J. Colloca, DC, PhD, received his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Ithaca College (Ithaca, New York) in 1990 where he co-captained the football team, earned All-American honors, and won a Division III Football National Championship. He went on to graduate cum laude from Life College School of Chiropractic (Marietta, Georgia) in 1995 where he received his Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree. He received his PhD in Kinesiology from Arizona State University (Phoenix, Arizona) in 2015. His dissertation titled “Biomechanical evaluation of a cervical intervertebral disc model” is a culmination of his research in the field of spinal neuromechanics.
Dr. Colloca’s award-winning research has been presented at over numerous scientific conferences in the fields of chiropractic, orthopedics, biomechanics, and neuroscience resulting in more than 50 scientific journal publications in some of the world’s leading scientific journals. Dr. Colloca sits on the editorial advisory board for the European Spine Journal and the Chiropractic Journal of Australia, and he is a reviewer for more than a dozen other journals. He is a member of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and the North American Spine Society. He is also the chairman of the nonprofit 50 lc(3) International Spine Research (INSPIRE) Foundation.
^ ^My travels in training chiropractors took me to some very cool places around the world, and wine regions are everywhere. 55
As the CEO of the ISO 13485 certified medical device manufacturer and postgraduate education company, Neuromechanical Innovations, Dr. Colloca invented the Impulse and Impulse iQ, which aie used in more than 12,000 chiropractic offices throughout the world. He holds more 30 domestic and international patents and trademarks on its research-based technology.
The scene at Dr. Colloca’s Chandler, Arizona office bursts with technology. New robotic prototypes of his spinal stiffiiess assessment machines and chiropractic adjusting instruments line tlie entryway to the busy CEO’s office. At Neuromechanical Innovations (NMI), 26 new jobs have been created to deliver the (made in the USA) Impulse Adjusting Instruments to the world.
But you won’t find Dr. Colloca in the office during the summer. He leaves daily operations to his very capable COO and escapes with his family to Upstate New York, where the scenery is much different. Sprawling views across a laser-planted 12-acre vineyard set the scene on the 100-acre estate ensconced on Lake Ontario. It’s a one-of-a-kind property with 900 feet of waterfront where weddings and events aie also held seasonally. Colloca hangs up his suits and ties in favor of his blue jeans and a ball cap at his summer home where you will find him working in the vineyard or pouring his wines for guests in the tasting room. Colloca has made his passions his work—developing chiropractic technology and starting a winery.
You might say that he’s earned it. Colloca travels more than
200,000 miles each year providing invited lectures and keynote presentations for state and national conventions, as well as scientific conference presentations and clinical training in the Impulse Adjusting System at semináis throughout the US and international hubs. Over the past two decades, he has personally trained tens of thousands of chiropractors around the world on six continents in the use of the adjusting instruments he has developed and the clinical techniques that accompany then use.
About six years ago, Chris found balance in retreating to his roots in Upstate New York each summer to recharge with his wife Mindy and three children, Melia, Kai, and Nico. Along the way, he started a new wine company, developing Colloca Estate Winery, where thousands of guests visit each year to sample then awardwinning wines and breathtaking waterfront views on the estate. We ch opped in on Dr. Colloca to get a firsthand look at the entrepreneur at work and how he balances business, passion, and life.
TAC: Why does a chiropractor become a winemaker?
CC: That’s a great question! I’m a firm believer that wherever you place your focus, reality will catch up. I had a full-time chiropractic practice for 15 years, and during that time, traveled about 35 weekends a year teaching postgraduate seminái s at the same time. I used the additional income from my second job to fund the development of Impulse Adjusting Instruments and Neuromechanical Innovations. My older brother is a wine collector and about 25 years ago introduced me to a French Burgundy wine from my birth year that he paired with duck confit one evening. I was hooked.
My travels hi training chiropractors took me to some very cool places around the world, and wine regions aie everywhere. When hi Portland, I’d take an extra day to visit the Willamette Valley. In San Francisco, we’d visit Napa and Sonoma. In Italy, we’d visit the wineries of Tuscany, and so on. From Argentina to New Zealand, I always found my self visiting wineries. I stalled collecting wines and soon had over 1,000 bottles in my cellar. I thought, “What a great way to find balance in the off-season, by stalling a vineyard.” At the same time, I began to realize how fast our young family was gl owing, and I wanted them to know then New York family. I’m the youngest of eight children, so we have lots of family back
East. We typically take the summers off from teaching seminái s, so I thought why not escape the Arizona heat and spend summers in New York when I come off the road.
TAC: What wines do you make?
CC: New York is a cold-climate wine region (and the third largest wine producer hi the US behind California and Washington), so we focus on making wines from fruit that we can glow here. We planted eight acres of Riesling and a couple acres each of chardonnay and pinot noir initially as a test. Our Riesling has won double-gold medals in back-to-back y ears at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition in double-blinded expert tastings, an accolade given to only 108 wines of over 3,700 entered in the competition. We give the credit to the winemaker and the land. The Great Lake Ontario that lines the shores of our property was dug by glaciers leaving the gravely loam, limestone, and clay soils that give great minerality to our wines. The lake provides us with a wonderful microclimate, keeping the vines wann in winter and cool in summer. Our vineyard is named the Lake Effect Vineyard in honor of this unique terroir.
We make Riesling in three styles—diy, semi-dry, and late harvest (a sweet dessert wine). We also make chardonnay and pinot noir that aie aged for a year in French oak barrels. Some years we make a rosé that we named after our daughter, “Melia Eris.” My frequent trips to Australia to conduct spinal research have also introduced me to the Barossa Valley just north of Adelaide. I put a contract in on grapes there and we make very special deep dark red wines that we can’t grow in New York. We hired an Australian winemaker and import an old vine Grenache, Syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and Bordeaux-style blend called “The Chateau” on the Colloca label exclusively for sale in our tasting room.
TAC: What caused you to want to pursue your PhD?
CC: I began doing chiropractic research about 20 years ago, and the secret to my success was collaboration. The late Tony Keller, PhD, a bioengineer, came to Phoenix on sabbatical, and we collected data fr om patients in my practice and published a number of papers. During that time, I learned how much I didn’t know about research. Tony’s contacts in the science world enabled us to collaborate with pathologists (to study histological changes in degenerative discs), spine surgeons (to perform delicate dissections to tease out nerves to measure fr om during spinal manipulative thrusts), and statisticians (to crunch the data). I learned firsthand how important it was to be paid of a team where everyone’s strengths are exploited for the benefit of all.
I wanted to be more formally trained as a scientist to improve my skills and understanding, and with encouragement from Tony, I applied and was accepted into the Department of Kinesiology at Arizona State University. At ASU, I was able to study both neuroscience and biomechanics research methods. Finishing my PhD took 10 year s and was an incredible journey that has provided me with endless possibilities to continue developing new technologies to validate and improve our chiropractic methods.
TAC: Have you found that the level of understanding in joint motion is different in chiropractic instruments versus a manual adjustment? What about the properties of the thrust?
CC: Generally speaking, when we impart a thrust into the spine, we can break it down into a force and further break down the force into mass times acceleration. The major difference in manual versus Impulse (instrument) adjusting is those two components. The Impulse instrument uses less mass but a much greater acceleration (on the order of 100 times greater) than a manual chiropractic adjustment. The benefit of the extreme speed of Impulse adjusting is the ability to get in and out before a patient has the opportunity to tighten up and resist the adjustment. Thrusts with our instruments aie actually faster than their neuromuscular reflex times. Our research and that of others has confirmed that we can excite a greater range ofnerve populations with faster thrusts. Speed appeals to be the number one factor in neurophysiological responses to adjustments, and not peak force.
What is novel about the Impulse adjustment over any other chiropractic adjusting instrument is its speed and its range of forces.
“We typically take the summers off from teaching seminars, so I thought why not escape the Arizona heat and spend summers in New York when I come off the road. 5 J
Impulse is the only instrument that can rival manual adjustment forces. Thus, on its low setting, Impulse can impart 100 N of peak force, analogous to a manual upper cervical adjustment type force. But on its medium and high force settings, Impulse rivals thoracic and cervical rotary break type forces (—200 N) and side posture type forces (~400 N). All other adjusting instruments in today’s marketplace cannot achieve Impulse’s medium force setting. This, combined with the ability to deliver thrusts at the spine’s resonant frequency, provides us with the opportunity to mobilize dysfunctional joints more efficiently.
TAC: How do you see neuromechanical growing in the next 10 years?
CC: The second half of our company name is “Innovations” and that is exactly what we do—innovate. Since the debut of our Impulse iQ, a computer-aided adjusting instrument that measures the spinal motion and matches the frequency of the spine during adjustments to maximize motion and provide feedback to both the doctor and patient, we have been working on the next generation of products. We have built a computerized graphical user interface with a full electronic health record that will debut next year, allowing doctors to hack their patients’ care and outcomes using the Impulse instruments.
Technology advances so quickly and is providing us with the ability to provide low-cost equipment to our customers to help them demonstrate the efficacy of their care to then patients. At NMI, we have always played at the very highest level in delivering our product. From publishing our validation studies in prestigious journals like Spine to going the extra mile to become ISO 13485 Certified and UL Listed as Class II medical devices, our commitment to quality is responsible for the huge market penetration that we have been blessed with.
I think the other thing that we will see in the next 10 years is the continuation of our international growth and adoption of our product. We ai e looking forward to the continuation of more chiropractors making the switch to technology in then practices for adjustments that aie quantifiable, repeatable, easier on them, and easier on their patients.
TAC: How do you see chiropractic evolving with current health care?
CC: I see a huge division in the vision and belief systems of our leaders in chiropractic. We have those pushing the cash practice model. While certainly it is pragmatic in these times of lacking insurance reimbursements, clearly the way forward is insurance equality for chiropractic doctors. With the aging population and
demonstration of die cost-effectiveness of chiropractic care (see recent studies from Whedon and Weeks), the profession is positioned to care for exponentially more patients hi the coming years. Our governments shouldn’t discriminate in healthcare coverage based on provider type, and if we can continue to demonstrate effective outcomes, the chiropractic profession should be seen as die clear choice in musculoskeletal health care.
TAC: What is it about chiropractic that is holding the profession back from assuming its role as a dominant, portalof-entry provider for neuromusculoskeletal issues?
CC: I think that there aie a few things holding us back. Our failure to integrate into mainstream health care and the anti-medical banter that you hear from some of our colleagues affects our ability to lead conservative spine care. To become dominant portal-of-entry providers, chiropractors need to establish active referral relationships with physicians and other healthcare providers in tiieir communities. It stalls with providing evidence-based care, tracking outcomes, and publishing. It also begins with admission on our specialty focus on neuromusculoskeletal health rather than frying to enter the wellness market.
Encouraging models for chiropractic aie out there for us to follow. In Canada, there aie research chairs at mainstream universities in each province that have brought integration, collaboration, and great credibility to the profession there. Chiropractors in the VA program is another encouraging step. The chiropractic department at the University of Zurich in Switzerland mirrors their medical training program, positioning then graduates to be tlie leaders in conservative spine care from the outset. I think the future will see this happen throughout North America over the next decades.
Finishing my PhD took 10 years and was an incredible journey that has provided me with endless possibilities to continue developing new technologies to validate and improve our chiropractic methods. ï Ï
TAC: Any final words for our readers?
CC: Having the privilege to train and mentor chiropractors around the world always gives me the opportunity to try to inspire my audience. Life is short and we aie the ones in charge of our own destiny. I truly believe that you can create anything you wish in this life. When you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.
Neuromechanical Innovations, manufacturer of the Impulse Adjusting Instruments, can be found at www. neuromechanical, com, and wines from Colloca Estate Winery can be ordered online at www. colloca, com. You may contact Dr. Chris Colloca at [email protected].
