A historic announcement and record-breaking attendance: just a few of the highlights from this year's The National by the Florida Chiropractic Association, which boasted more than 4,000 attendees and a 400-booth expo featuring 275 companies. Here's a brief synopsis of what took place in Orlando this year.
Event Highlights
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) chose The National to announce (as reported in our October issue) that chiropractic will debut a 30-second television commercial during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. The commercial will air five times to U.S. viewers as part of the profession's 125th anniversary celebration next year, and is receiving substantial funding from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, among other supporters.
Dr. Anthony Lisi addressing thousands of attendees during a keynote panel, "A Military Panel Discus-sion of Chiropractic Treatment for the Veteran: Standard Procedures, Risks and Rewards."
International, national and state chiropractic organizations were well-represented at the event, including the World Federation of Chiropractic, Association of Chiropractic Colleges, American Chiropractic Association, Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards, Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine and others.
Attendees enjoying the expo and networking in between classes.
The FCA Board of Directors announced its DC of the Year (Dr. Jerry True); CA of the Year (Shelby Phenix); and LMT of the Year (Jane Kordish). Paul Lambert, JD, received the association's Impact Award.
ChiroHealthUSA awarded The Foxworth Family Chiropractic Scholarship in the amount of $15,000 to Robert J. Butler, a student at Palmer College of Chiropractic - West. Palmer West also receives $10,000. This is the largest achievement-based scholarship available to chiropractic students.
Doctors of Chiropractic: Sports Instructors, Drs. Sabrina Atkins, Michael Bagnell, Spencer Baron, Kathleen Baumgardner and Cindy M. Howard, Beth Rizer and Anne Sorrentino, educate attendees on "Integration of Chiropractic in the Athletic Training Room."
Three DC attendees received cash prizes totaling $10,000 at the President's Reception, and there were countless vendor giveaways during the expo including lasers, tables, mattresses and more.
Save the Date
Next year's The National by FCA is right around the corner! Visit www.TheNationalChiro.com for up-to-date information on the Aug. 27-30, 2020 event (once again at the Hyatt Regency Orlando), including scheduled speakers, program details and more.
A historic meeting between chiropractic and Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) leadership took place on March 10th, 2026, in Washington, D.C., featuring representatives from chiropractic national organizations, professional associations and policy principals. The collective goal: advancing the role of chiropractic in improving the health of Americans. Meeting participants focused on long-standing issues that have affected the chiropractic profession for decades, including access to care, reimbursement parity, and ensuring DCs have an appropriate role in national health policy discussions.
Radicular-like pain of the upper and lower extremities is among the most common presentations in musculoskeletal and spine-related practice. Traditionally, these symptoms are interpreted through a disc-centric and dermatomal framework, often leading clinicians to attribute limb pain, paresthesia or perceived weakness to spinal nerve-root pathology. While this approach is appropriate in cases of true radiculopathy, it frequently falls short when symptoms fail to follow consistent dermatomal patterns or correlate poorly with imaging findings.
A 46-year-old male presented to our clinic with a seven-year history of recurrent low back pain with sciatica. He reported stiffness and discomfort that worsened with prolonged sitting both at his desk job and during evening television time. The patient had seen multiple chiropractors over the years. In every case, spinal manipulation and other passive treatments would bring gradual symptom relief over 2-3 months. However, within another 3-6 months, the symptoms would return. Frustrated – and now considering a spinal injection and possibly surgery if that failed, he came to our office seeking a different approach.
