“Chiropractic kept me on the competition floor!”
Dr. Timothy Dehr’s credentials speak for themselves — but his patients are what define him. From serving as chiropractor to 3-time Olympian Sam Mikulak to working with over 50 NFL players, treating US Olympic triple jumpers ahead of Tokyo 2021, and most recently providing care to Olympic medalists through the Paris 2024 cycle, Dr. Dehr operates at the intersection of elite sport and precise clinical care.
Located at 2330 East Stadium Blvd in Ann Arbor, Performance Health Chiropractic brings that same Olympic-level attention to every patient — athlete or not. Here’s the story of how Dr. Dehr got here.
On a Whim…
My senior year of high school in Illinois, I was captain of the varsity gymnastics team, two-time state champion, and we were heading into what looked like another strong run at the state title. I was near the top on almost every event. Then one morning my lower back just went. Couldn’t get out of bed. Everything we’d worked toward suddenly felt like it was slipping.
Nothing helped. Medication, rest — I went through the usual playbook and none of it moved the needle. I was starting to accept that I’d have to scratch several events. Then a teammate mentioned a chiropractor who’d helped him out.
I had nothing to lose, so I was in his office the next day. After an exam and some x-rays, he showed me exactly what was going on — a congenital growth defect in my spine that was altering the natural motion of my lower back and forcing the rest of my spine to compensate. The second I saw it on the x-ray it was obvious why no amount of medication was going to fix it.
The relief after that first adjustment was almost immediate. I stayed under care for the rest of the season and competed in every event through my final meet. Chiropractic kept my athletic career alive — and honestly, set the course for everything that came after.
Full Circle
Years later, near the end of my chiropractic residency, a 13-year-old girl came in barely able to move. Her parents told me she’d had to quit the sports she loved. The pain was so bad I could hardly get through the exam — everything I touched, anywhere on her back, set it off. So I ordered x-rays. When I put them up I couldn’t help but smile — same condition I’d seen on my own films ten years earlier. By the second visit, her pain was gone.
Five Years at the University of Michigan — Big Ten Champion, NCAA National Champion
I ended up at Michigan for five years — red-shirted as a freshman, lettered four times, co-captain my senior year. Back-to-back Big Ten titles in ’99 and 2000, NCAA championship in ’99. You pick things up competing at that level that you genuinely can’t learn anywhere else. How much a body can take. What it looks like when it’s been pushed past that. I also took my first anatomy and physiology course there and something clicked. Finished with a BA in Sports Management and Communications through the Division of Kinesiology — and left Ann Arbor knowing exactly what I wanted to do next.
- Dr. Dehr adjusting professional tennis player Melissa Torres at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil.
Chiropractic Training at Parker College — From the Pan American Games to the Olympic Stage
Grad school took me to Parker College in Dallas. Midway through I got tapped — one of four students — to go to Rio for the 2007 Pan American Games. Worked with the Mexican Olympic Team mostly, embedded with their doctors, PTs, trainers, the whole staff. Hard to explain what that does to you until you’re back home trying to describe it to someone.
That trip started something. Over the years since it’s grown into work with over 50 NFL players, US Olympic triple jumpers before Tokyo 2021, and Olympic medalists through Paris 2024. I’ve also had the privilege of serving as chiropractor to 3-time Olympian and NCAA champion Sam Mikulak — one of the most decorated gymnasts in US history.
Competitive athlete or someone just trying to get through the week — the assessment you get here is the same one I bring to that level of competition. Call (734) 929-4523 or schedule an appointment when you’re ready.
