Meet Dr. Eric O’Connell! We are proud to have Dr. O’Connell as a member of our NHCA Board of Directors.
Eric O’Connell, DC, CCSP, ICCSP, CSCS is the owner and sports chiropractor at Progressive Spine & Rehab Center in Manchester, NH. There, he specializes in non-surgical spinal care and rehabilitation for athletes, as well as everyday people. His emphasis is on evaluating an injury and related structures for the source of discomfort, along with deficiencies which may have led to the injury taking place. His approach is focused not only on rapid relief, but also educating patients so they can fully return to daily activities without future incident.
Dr. O’Connell grew up in “Downstate” New York, an area about 70 miles north of NYC. There he participated in soccer, golf, hockey, and various action sports including skateboarding, BMX biking, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding. This variety of sports gave Dr. O’Connell an appreciation of what it takes to recover from and prevent all types of injuries.
Dr. O’Connell attended Springfield College, earning a BS in Applied Exercise Science in 2006. During his undergraduate, he earned the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) distinction from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He then worked as a health and wellness coordinator in the corporate wellness field. There he helped employees of an employees maintain and gain better health through diet and exercise training. It was during this time Dr. O’Connell knew he could do more to help people and decided to attend chiropractic school at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange Florida. He graduated in 2011 as the Clinical Excellence award winner of his class. During grad school he was president of the Sports Council for 2 years, where he helped to establish relationships for the club (and school) with the purpose of providing chiropractic care at local athletic events. His efforts resulted in relationships with the LPGA International golf course, and Daytona Motor Speedway among other smaller events and organizations. Additionally, during grad school, Dr O’Connell participated in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu earning 3-stripe purple bent and used his CSCS to train professional and amateur MMA fighters in preparation of fights and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions. Dr. O’Connell’s residency was at the Rhode Island Spine Center with Dr. Donald Murphy, a founding member of the PSP certification and developer of the now know CRIPS Protocols. The residency exposed Dr. O’Connell to evidence guided, multi-disciplinary approach to spine care, a model he still practices today.
Since graduating Dr. O’Connell participated in a yearlong course earning his Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) distinction and International CCSP. He has used his advanced certifications to provide sports chiropractic care for a wide array of sporting events including many local 5k and other endurance races. He was the team chiropractor for the NH Charge Football team for 3 seasons and most recently volunteered as physio staff at the Nitro Circus Tour stop here in Manchester in 2019 and 2022. Dr. O’Connell sits as a general board member for the New Hampshire Chiropractic Association and is an ethics committee member for the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians.
During his free time Dr. O’Connell enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He is often found enjoying NH outdoors with hiking, biking, swimming and generally exploring all that NH has to offer. Dr. O’Connell has rediscovered his joy for rock climbing, climbing mostly indoors at Vertical Dreams in Manchester.
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