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Dr. Keith Sparks, DC

Dr. Keith Sparks, DC, opened ICT Muscle & Joint Clinic in 2016, and his perspective on health has evolved since. Here are some of his thoughts regarding healthcare follies and what ICT Muscle & Joint Clinic is working toward addressing. This is not a normal biography. However, it is an honest reflection with an opportunity to hopefully understand the person sitting across the table from you - who is this person and what hill does he stand on?

In His Own Words: Dr. Keith Sparks, DC, on Healthcare, Treatment and Business

In my view, specialization is good and needed in healthcare. But I believe it has also cost us a broad understanding of pain. Three papers in our reference list look at spine care: what US adults with spine problems spend, use and report about their health (reference 1), the case for restraint in spine surgery (reference 2), and US trends and regional differences (reference 3). “Specifically, nearly half of American medical schools allow their students to graduate without having had any formal training — clinical or basic science — in musculoskeletal medicine.”4 “Many current studies have shown that recently graduated medical students and residents lack the clinical knowledge and confidence necessary to care for patients with MSK injuries.”5 This might seem trivial considering these last two studies are only in reference to musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions; however, 70% of primary care doctor related visits are MSK conditions. From this, we can extrapolate the primary healthcare provider treating MSK conditions understands very little concerning MSK and has little to no formal training with treating MSK conditions. In my view, many people never get a clear explanation of their pain. That is why we built this website: to help people in Wichita, and anyone else who finds it, understand pain and see how we work. In essence, this is our attempt in giving back to the people.

dr keith sparks dc

From reading through our website, you will find an emphasis on categorization of pain and how this should be the focus of all assessments. We are proud of this system. We use it to guide your care, whether your goal is less pain, better health, or the best health you can build. Three papers in our reference list look at examining and sorting low back pain. Two review how reliable common exam methods are: the physical exam for low back pain (reference 6), and feeling the spine by hand, called palpation, for back and neck pain (reference 7). The third reviews how trials of manual therapy and exercise for long-term low back pain sorted people into groups (reference 8).

Pockets within healthcare (personal trainers, yogis, social workers) are working to move beyond a pathoanatomical model - diagnosing a problem without knowing the cause. Believe it or not, this has been the staple of diagnosing and care for decades. I often find these individuals to be the healthcare workers who are attempting to move beyond the pathoanatomical model because insurance is not a large part of their reimbursement system, and they spend longer time conversing with individuals. Again, prioritizing pain categorization must occur before any intervention or specialty, and discussion must take place to understand the pain.

Quality of assessment is a dying or lost art.

I do believe this is largely a byproduct from educational institutions. Even while I attended Cleveland College for Chiropractic in Overland Park, KS, much of our course work revolved around memorization of answers, not a deeper understanding and critical thinking. With education moving more online, I do fear this problem, emphasis on pathoanatomical model, will get worse. I do pray that it will get better. For us, constant education, as forever students, is vital to keep progressing healthcare forward as educators – to our customers.

Explanation to customers is limited at best.

This is a two-fold problem of curriculum standards and reimbursement structure.

Educational institutions are a business, and their game is to produce healthcare providers who can pass their board examinations. I once had a professor, after constant harassment from myself, tell me that the school and professors are not here to teach students how to be good at our craft - chiropractic; but to teach “red flags” of knowing when to refer and how not to kill someone. Yes, this is important but very limiting in producing quality healthcare providers. This is defensive medicine not productive medicine.

Lack of reimbursement to the healthcare provider has also caused lack of explanation or education to patients. Again, this is a multifactorial problem with everyone pointing fingers. Regardless, healthcare has become a numbers game of patient flow. Any business must follow a simple business statement, which does reign evident here, “money goes where it flows the easiest.” This is not a blame game or a quick answer but again a multifactorial problem. A healthcare business is not directly financially incentivized to provide better education, information, or referral to another healthcare provider, to the betterment of a patient.

We (myself and our team) do feel there must be a better balance surround reimbursement and time with patients to truly understand their problems, wants, fears, and desires of seeking care. After all, we chose healthcare to help people – and sometimes to our downfall. We have built this website to become a living extension of our education to help address health issues, improve customer and community understanding of pain, and why we integrate our skillset the way we do. Without clear understanding of the current pain, through customer-doctor communication, expectations will not be met.

Cross party expectations are not being met, and this is a huge problem.

Again, this comes back down to clear communication and education amongst all parties – customer, provider, and insurance company. Expectations are everything for any transaction between entity or person to entity or person. With a lack of clear expectations between parties, frustration more than likely will manifest. This again, is due to a lack of understanding the problem at hand and clear communication. This requires physical time and reimbursement to the healthcare provider is often structured as such. This leads to fast treatment times with a healthcare provider working to “keep the doors open.” Without being able to keep the doors open we, as healthcare providers, cannot help anyone. As a result of fast treatment times, cross party expectations are not met, and positive outcomes surrounding resolution of pain are not met.

We are constantly in battle, striving to make lasting change.

Setting standards with clear expectations, community education, and overall becoming Wichita’s primary resource regarding pain education while guiding customers throughout their healthcare journey are our focus. It’s been a fun journey evolving this style of healthcare here in Wichita since opening in 2016. We did not know what to expect. Over the past several years, like any new business, we kept honing in on who we really are, how we want to help people, and how best to help people. This new “launch” is the accumulation of this identity. Who we are and who we want to become. What hill we will die on. We only have one life to live, and, for us, to help serve those by giving them more life to their years is our main objective. We want to help people eliminate the pain, restore their health, and hopefully optimize their health moving into the future.

Yours Truly,

Keith Sparks

Dr. Keith Sparks’ Certifications and Credentials

  • ART – Active Release Technique – Full Body Certified, Former Elite Provider Network

  • BHS – Bachelor of Health Science

  • Blood Flow Restriction Rehab – Owens Recovery Science 

  • Buteyko Breathing Instructor

  • DC – Doctor of Chiropractic from Cleveland Chiropractic College-Kansas City

  • DNSP – Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization Practitioner– Part A, B, C, D

  • DNSET – Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization – Certified Exercise Trainer (1, 2, 3)

  • DNS – Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization – Viscerosomatic

  • DNS – Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization – Strength 1 & 2

  • FAKTR – Functional and Kinetic Treatment with Rehabilitation

  • FMS – Functional Movement Systems

  • FMS – Functional Movement Screen Certified

  • FTMI – Functional Taping for Musculoskeletal Injuries Certified

  • Kharrazian Institute of Functional Medicine

    • Neuroinflammation
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Autoimmunity
    • Hashimoto's
    • Diabetes
    • Infertility
    • Cognitive Decline and Dementia

  • MDT – McKenzie Methods / Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy – Part A, C

  • MPI – Motion Palpation Institute Referral List Certified

  • NBCE – National Board of Chiropractic Examiners Part I-IV & Physiotherapy

  • RCP – Root Cause Protocol Consultant

  • Rethinking Running Rehab – Part B Gait Analysis and Rehab of Runners

  • SFMA – Selective Functional Movement Assessment Certified

  • TPDN – Trigger Point Dry Needling – Level 1&2

  • YBT – Y Balance Test Certified

dr keith sparks performing chiropractic adjustment
dr keith sparks dry needling a patient

Dr. Keith Sparks' Awards

  • Intern of the Year 2014-2015: Cleveland Chiropractic College

  • Dr. Glenn L. McElroy Award 2009-2010: University of Missouri

Read Articles Written by Dr. Keith

Community Involvement

  • Lords Diner Volunteer

  • Running/Race Scene Volunteer/Participant

  • Former Business Networking International (BNI Treasurer)

  • Fitness/Health Workshops at Local Gyms and Studios

View Citations and References

1 Martin BI, Turner ja, Mirza SK, Lee MJ, J Comstock BA, Deyo RA. Trends in healthcare expenditures, utilization, and health status among US adults with spine problems, 1997-2006. Spine. 2009; 34:2077-2084.

2 Deyo RA, Mirza SK. The case for restraint in spinal surgery: Does quality management have a role to play? Eur Spine J. 2009;18(suppl 3):331-337.

3 Weinstein JN, Lurie JD, Olson PR, Bronner KK, Fisher ES. United States’ trends and regional variations in problems. JAMA. 2008; 299:656-664

4 DiCaprio M., Covey A., Curricular Requirements for Musculoskeletal Medicine in American Medical Schools The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery , Volume 85-a · number 3 · March 2003

5 Truntzer J., Lynch A., Musculoskeletal education: An Assessment of The Clinical Confidence of Medical Students, Perspectives on Medical Education, 2014 June;3 (3), 238-244.

6 May S, Littlewood C, Bishop A. Reliability of procedures used in the physical examination of non-specific low back pain: A systematic review. Aust J Physiother. 2006;52:91-102

7 Seffinger MA, Najm WI, Mishra SI, et al. Reliability of spinal palpation for diagnsosis of back and neck pain: A systematic review of the literature. Spine. 2004;29:E413-E425.

8 Fersum, KV, Dankaerts W, O’Sullivan PB, et al. Integration of subclassification strategies in randomized controlled clinical trials evaluation manual therapy treatment and exercise therapy for non-specific chronic low back pain: A systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2010;44:1054-1062.

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