The Tukwila Chiropractor to see - Chiropractor Tukwila

Introducing Tukwila Chiropractor Dr. Karm Virk

Dr. Karm Virk is truly a man of the world. He was born in India, raised in Canada, and trained in the United States and Canada. A graduate of Logan Chiropractic College in St. Louis, Dr. Virk has served as President of the International Chiropractic Fraternity; was Chiropractic College Student Body President; was recognized, in 1996, as Vancouver College Athlete of the Year; and studied Kinesiology (Sports Medicine) at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

Dr. Virk is also the founder of the Chiropractic Games, the largest international sporting event for health care students. Over 1,800 students compete each year in sports such as volleyball, basketball, soccer, and ice hockey.

Dr. Virk practices chiropractic in Tukwila, Washington, at Southcenter Chiropractic.

From the Doctor

Why did I become a chiropractor? It was more of a case of going into health care. While at university in Canada, I was was working as an athletic trainer. I enjoyed this and so set my sights on either a career in physical therapy or sports medicine. There was one drawback in this career choice. I didn’t like drugs. I had not taken drugs for illness since I was 12. My mother said, "How can you go into medicine if you are telling people not to take drugs?"  If I thought about chiropractic at all during this time it was in a negative way based on my ignorance of the discipline.

Then, I was in an accident just before the tryouts to compete in the Canada Games. I was so hurt that I missed the entire day of competition and it took hours for me to get out of bed.  I didn’t seem to be getting much better after the accident. So, out of desperation I went to my mom’s chiropractor. He adjusted me and you know what? I felt the best I had felt in years. Then my athletic performance began to improve. I was soon convinced of the efficacy of this type of treatment and switched my studies to chiropractic.

So, what happened to sports medicine? Well, while I was in school I came to the realization that taking care of athletes and taking care of everyone…it was the same. I had to do my best to help everyone get better, and chiropractic was important, especially for the young… for the kids.

I also have a big advantage with my many years of athletic competition. No matter what symptom a patient walks in the door with, I have had that injury! It makes it easy to empathize with the patient. And knowing how well these injuries have responded to chiropractic is important too.

When I entered chiropractic, it also connected with where I was born, with my heritage. There is a cultural connection. When I was growing up in Canada, the standard health care practiced around me was Allopathy (Western-style medicine). This was the norm. In many of the Eastern countries much of healthcare is moving towards the western model while here in the U.S., alternative forms of healthcare practiced in the East that have been shunned by the Western medical community are coming back. So much so that there are more visits to alternative care providers now than all MD visits combined. The vast majority of those being visits to chiropractors. So for me, chiropractic was a natural!

Now, here I am today, helping so many people with a form of health care that is non-invasive and drug-free. I am where I should be!