Foot Levelers recently announced a $500,000 endowment to create an eponymous Chair in Biomechanics and Human Performance at Northwestern Health Sciences University. In conjunction with the endowment, the company also announced an annual $25,000 matching gift to NWHSU, which will be utilized to advance clinical research on functional orthotics and their influence on whole-body biomechanics.
"Research is the backbone of high quality spine care, human performance and biomechanics and we are extremely gratified to play a role in supporting health care teams worldwide," said Foot Levelers President and CEO Kent Greenawalt in a press release detailing the company's substantial financial support. "We're honored, excited and immensely proud of these efforts to enhance well-coordinated patient care among different providers and institutions that brings together care for the whole person. Our level of commitment to research resonates with providers, patients and payers."
According to the release, the new chair established courtesy of the $500,000 endowment "supports research and education to advance a deeper understanding of biomechanics, the science of movement of a living body, including how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together to produce movement and will provide the opportunity to find more efficient, effective care that leads to improved patient outcomes and better quality of life, especially pertaining to spine care, throughout the world."
Financial pressure, enrollment declines and institutional challenges are emerging at several U.S. chiropractic colleges. Life Chiropractic College West's and Life University's struggles may be the most talked about but appear to be part of a larger story. And with recent USDE requirements threatening to hamstring federal student financing for DC degree programs, chiropractic education is facing questions for which it has no immediate answers.
Musculoskeletal pain in perimenopause and menopause reflects a broader physiologic shift rather than an isolated structural problem. Declining estrogen, increased inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and nervous system dysregulation collectively alter tissue quality, pain perception, and recovery capacity. Recognizing this interconnected model enables clinicians to move beyond symptom management and toward more effective, systems-based care that improves long-term outcomes for midlife women.
As the world remembers Dolly Parton following her death Aug. 25 at age 80, there is a little-known connection to the chiropractic profession worth revisiting: Dolly publicly acknowledged using chiropractic care and another famous entertainer even recalled meeting her at a chiropractor's office.
