‘A couple of waitresses reopened a legend’
Paving the way for the next generation of truck drivers
July 1, 2024
GREEN BAY – Participating in the U.S. Olympic Trials is quite an accomplishment.
Supporting the athletes giving it their all at the trials, Dr. Jackson Draeger – owner of Midwest Pain Solutions in Green Bay and Appleton – said, is the next best thing.
“I was honored to support these incredible athletes as they pursued their Olympic dreams,” he said.
Runs in the family
Draeger – who grew up in Antigo, a small city located in North Central Wisconsin – earned his Doctorate of Chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minnesota, in 2017.
“I began working at Integrated Pain Solutions (now Midwest Pain Solutions) in Green Bay under my father, (Curt),” he said. “In January 2021, I purchased the Green Bay clinic from my father and changed the name to Midwest Pain Solutions.”
Draeger said he opened a second Midwest Pain Solutions location in Appleton in March 2023.
“I have been working at both locations since,” he said. “They run as sister clinics, meaning Green Bay is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Appleton is open Tuesday and Thursday. The clinics are cohesive in the same care, down to the same staff at both locations.”
Long-standing relationships
Draeger said his father has been treating professional athletes as far back as the 2004 Olympics in Greece – providing his services at the Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio.
“After that, my father began treating multiple professional football players located in Green Bay,” he said. “I thank God every day for the ability to work alongside and learn from my dad. He has taught me amazing things in life, and I am thankful for that.”
Over the years, Draeger said he has continued to work with multiple professional football players and professional track and field decathletes and heptathletes.
“There are different injuries between the two sports, however, track and field athletes often have foot/ankle injuries, such as plantar fasciitis, joint pain, limited range of motion throughout the entire body, increased scar tissue from injury/past surgeries and muscle strains,” he said.
Though Draeger said he mainly spends his days treating chronic pain for patients in his clinics, professional athletes’ bodies are similar because “they are beaten physically every day.”
The relationships his family has made over the years in the realm of professional athletes, Draeger said, has allowed “me, my father and my brother, Grant (also a chiropractor), to travel the world.”
“Treating these athletes with my dad and brother is something not many will ever experience,” he said.
Most recently, the trio traveled to Eugene, Oregon, for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.
“We were there from June 20-23, and I treated four different athletes,” Draeger said.
Draeger said while there, in addition to providing advanced chiropractic treatments, he supported the recovery and performance of a handful of athletes through high-intensity laser therapy (HILT).
HILT, he said, is a non-invasive treatment using specific wavelengths of light to accelerate the body’s natural healing process – showing “remarkable results in speeding up recovery.”
“The combination of high-intensity laser therapy and chiropractic adjustments allows the athletes to have increased range of motion – allowing for the mechanics of the body to be at maximum performance,” he said. “It also provides increased blood flow to the areas of injury, which in turn, allows decreased pain and inflammation in the body, allowing the body to heal and recover in shorter time frames – allowing athletes to compete at their top level.”
Draeger said he, his father and his brother will head to Paris, France, later this year to support the decathlete they treated in Oregon who qualified for the Olympics.
Patient-centered focus
Though treating professional athletes is “very exciting,” Draeger said his work of treating everyday patients with chronic pain is the most rewarding.
“Helping people get back to doing the things they need to do or love – such as daily house tasks and playing with grandchildren – is what I wake up and go to work for every day,” he said. “I love my job and love being able to provide the best care in the area to my patients. I am constantly improving treatments, equipment and care at Midwest Pain Solutions, and I will never stop doing so.”
At Midwest Pain Solutions, Draeger said he creates customized plans to address the root cause of his patients’ pain instead of masking it.
“Our combination of chiropractic care and high-intensity laser therapy relieves pain at the source,” he said.
Draeger said he also continues to treat multiple professional football players here in Green Bay every year.
“I love the Green Bay and Fox Valley area and love raising my kids here,” he said.
For more information about Draeger and the services offered at Midwest Pain Solutions’ clinics, visit midwestpainsolutions.com.
