Dr. Chris Collins: Education & Experience
By Dr. Chris Collins, DC | Founder of Axia Chiropractic
Occasionally, a patient will ask me how I got here, what my educational background looks like, or how all the different pieces of my career fit together. And in my usual fashion, I tend to enjoy a good deep dive. So I figured the best way to answer those questions was to tell the whole story.
If you're just here for the degrees, certifications, and professional experience, feel free to scroll to the bottom to Education and Credentials. Otherwise, let's start at the beginning.
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Homegrown in Mississippi
Growing up in Mississippi, my father owned a construction company called Michael Collins & Sons Building Contractors. His specialty was historic preservation, restoring old buildings with the kind of attention to detail that respected both their original design and the challenges of keeping them standing for another generation.
I learned a lot watching him work, but one lesson has stayed with me throughout my career: the importance of a good foundation.
You can spend an enormous amount of time repairing what is visible, but if the foundation is compromised, those repairs may not last. Understanding the structure underneath everything else is often the most important part of the job.
Years later, I would carry that idea into healthcare. It continues to influence my approach to chiropractic and the educational work I've developed through my Health House model, which explores the foundational habits and systems that contribute to lifelong health.
Of course, I didn't begin my education knowing I would become a chiropractor. I took a few interesting turns along the way.
From Music to Human Performance
As a kid, I was drawn to the arts, music, and literature. When I first entered college, I was a music major studying classical guitar and music theory. I loved the creativity of music, but I was equally fascinated by the discipline of learning an instrument and developing technical proficiency.
Eventually, my interests shifted toward exercise science. I became fascinated with fitness, conditioning, and the physiological changes that allow the human body to adapt to physical demands.
At the University of Southern Mississippi, where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, I became particularly interested in human performance and exercise physiology. I participated in exercise science laboratories studying VO₂ max testing, cardiovascular fitness, and conditioning programs for athletes.
Around this time, I was also training for triathlons and working as a bicycle mechanic. Looking back, I can see how much those experiences shaped the way I think. Whether I was working on a bicycle, learning a piece of classical music, or studying an athlete's response to exercise, I was learning to appreciate the relationship between structure, function, precision, and adaptation.
My First Introduction to Chiropractic
I first encountered chiropractic when a chiropractor visited one of my exercise science classes at Southern Miss.
He spoke about holistic health and the idea that the body has an extraordinary capacity to heal and adapt when given the right support. But what really caught my attention was a simple question he posed.
We routinely evaluate our hearts, teeth, eyes, and other aspects of our health. What about the spine and nervous system?
I had spent considerable time studying the cardiovascular system, exercise physiology, and human performance, but hadn't given much consideration to the role chiropractic might play in healthcare.
The question intrigued me enough that I eventually visited his office and became a patient.
As I approached the end of my undergraduate program, I considered chiropractic as a possible career and completed an externship in another chiropractic office. My original chiropractor had moved away, so this experience introduced me to a very different practice environment.
I began to see how varied the profession could be, from its clinical methods to its business models. Some of what I experienced, particularly the influence of insurance and administrative systems on patient care, left me skeptical about pursuing chiropractic as a career.
I decided to explore another path.
A Foundation in Clinical Exercise Physiology
My next interest was clinical exercise physiology, particularly cardiac rehabilitation.
I completed an internship at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, where I gained experience observing the clinical side of rehabilitation, patient education, and the transition from inpatient care to outpatient recovery.
It was an important experience. I saw how healthcare professionals used physiological information, structured rehabilitation programs, and ongoing assessments to help patients work toward meaningful improvements in their lives.
I also developed a greater appreciation for the importance of patient education. Helping someone understand their health and participate in their recovery can be just as important to their long-term habits as what happens during an individual appointment.
Although I enjoyed the clinical environment, I still felt there might be another direction for me.
A mentor who knew about my earlier experience with chiropractic encouraged me to revisit the profession. He suggested I meet a chiropractor in Madison, Mississippi, whose passion for his work might give me a different perspective.
I took a job in that office as a chiropractic assistant, and the experience changed my plans.
For the first time, I saw a practice where patients were not simply looking for relief from pain. Many were making broader changes in how they cared for themselves, thought about their health, and approached everyday life.
I loved the relationships, the education, and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people's lives.
That experience led me to apply to Sherman College of Chiropractic in South Carolina.
Finding My Place at Sherman College
I remember my first week at Sherman College of Chiropractic and having a distinct feeling that I was exactly where I needed to be.
I particularly loved my anatomy courses. I've always been fascinated by how things work, and studying the intricate structures of the human body felt like a natural extension of that curiosity. I enjoyed it enough that I eventually received an award for having the highest anatomy score on Part I of my chiropractic board examinations. That was a fun moment, but more than anything, I genuinely loved what I was learning.
I was interested in almost everything.
I studied full-spine chiropractic methods, including Gonstead and Thompson, explored muscle-testing approaches such as Applied Kinesiology, and became certified in Torque Release Technique, a tonal chiropractic method. I also completed Orthospinology Basic I and II training and explored several approaches to upper cervical care.
My goal wasn't simply to learn how to perform different adjustments. I wanted to understand the reasoning behind each method, how doctors evaluated patients, and what information they used to make clinical decisions.
Interestingly, upper cervical chiropractic was one of the areas that initially intimidated me. The doctors I observed practicing upper cervical care often worked with patients who had the most complicated health histories and persistent concerns. I remember thinking that I wasn't sure I wanted that kind of responsibility. At the time, I imagined building a practice focused primarily on wellness.
It's funny to look back on that now, considering how many complicated cases I see in my practice today. Perhaps that early hesitation was less about what I was capable of and more about recognizing the responsibility that comes with caring for someone who has already been through so much.
There was another irony in my early upper cervical education. I loved the toggle-recoil adjustment and seemed to have a natural feel for the technique. But I wasn't particularly fond of the knee-chest position used to deliver it. To me, it looked awkward and potentially uncomfortable for the patient, and I wasn't convinced it was the approach I wanted to use.
At the time, I appreciated the adjustment itself more than I understood the positioning behind it.
That understanding would come later, through my wife's experience with upper cervical care and my introduction to the TATS protocol.
The Experience That Changed My Clinical Direction
Erin's experience is a significant part of why I practice the way I do today.
As she pursued care for her migraines, I had the opportunity to observe a chiropractor who combined paraspinal thermography with specialized upper cervical X-ray analysis, including lateral flexion imaging.
What interested me was not simply the adjusting technique. It was the attempt to connect different forms of clinical information.
I had always questioned the limitations of evaluating spinal mechanics from a static image alone. An X-ray can tell us important things about anatomy and alignment, but it cannot, by itself, show how a joint moves through its range of motion.
Lateral flexion images introduced another dimension to the evaluation by allowing us to examine the cervical spine in different positions. Thermography added a separate physiological measurement of skin temperature patterns along the spine.
These tools measure different things, and neither independently establishes the cause of a patient's symptoms or proves autonomic nervous system dysfunction. But seeing them considered together, alongside Erin's clinical presentation, changed the questions I wanted to ask.
Could we develop a more thoughtful process for examining the relationship between spinal mechanics, physiological measurements, and a patient's experience of health? How could we evaluate whether an intervention was producing meaningful changes rather than relying solely on assumptions?
Erin's personal experience with improvement in her migraines made those questions especially meaningful to me.
But something else clicked during that experience, too. As I watched her receive care and began learning more about the TATS protocol, I gained a new appreciation for the knee-chest position I had initially resisted. I began to understand the positioning, patient stabilization, and mechanical considerations involved in delivering a focused toggle-recoil adjustment.
What had once seemed awkward to me began to make considerably more sense. I came to appreciate how the position fit into a methodical approach to upper cervical analysis and adjusting.
I began training under Erin's chiropractor, who had studied the TATS protocol with Dr. Andy Roberts. Erin eventually joined his team as well, and we both became immersed in the world of upper cervical chiropractic.
I completed TATS I and II intensive training, continued attending additional intensives, and eventually helped with portions of the teaching process.
One of the most memorable experiences during this period was traveling with a team of chiropractors to El Salvador for a service trip. We cared for a large number of people each day, often with limited time and resources. It was demanding, humbling, and an experience that further shaped the kind of doctor I wanted to become.
By the time I graduated from Sherman College, I knew I wanted to build a practice centered on upper cervical chiropractic.
Building a Practice of My Own
In March 2017, Erin and I opened Novel Chiropractic.
From the beginning, I wanted to build a practice where patients felt heard, examinations were intentional, and recommendations were grounded in each person's individual presentation.
My primary adjusting technique became knee-chest toggle recoil, supported by the upper cervical assessment methods I had studied. I continued returning to continuing education and TATS training to refine my clinical skills.
Although I've trained in multiple chiropractic methods, I don't routinely use all of their adjusting protocols. That education contributes to my understanding of spinal assessment, biomechanics, and clinical decision-making, while my current adjusting approach remains focused on upper cervical care.
Over time, my clinical interests expanded.
Expanding My Work With Children, Families, and Nervous System Health
Several years into practice, I began caring for a young patient whose mother was specifically seeking upper cervical chiropractic care. The child had neurodevelopmental differences and a complex health history.
Her experience in our office encouraged me to pursue additional education in pediatric and family care.
I began studying more about developmental milestones, sensory processing, neurological development, and the ways children respond to their environments. My continuing education also expanded into pregnancy and postpartum care.
Eventually, I completed the FOCUS certification program developed by Dr. Amy Spoelstra, which explores clinical approaches for patients with behavioral, learning, developmental, and sensory challenges.
What surprised me was how much this education influenced my thinking about adult patients as well.
Learning about developmental history, sensory experiences, and the effects of stress gave me additional questions to consider when working with people who had experienced injuries, concussions, or other complicated health concerns.
It also reinforced the importance of creating a clinical environment where people feel heard, supported, and comfortable participating in their own care.
These experiences continue to inform my interest in trauma-informed care, nervous system health, and collaboration with other healthcare professionals.
Growing as a Clinician and Practice Owner
In 2020, I began looking for greater consistency in our clinical systems, patient experience, and practice operations. That search eventually led me to join The Specific Chiropractic Centers, a network of upper cervical chiropractic practices using a shared clinical approach.
For approximately five years, I operated our Chattanooga practice under The Specific name.
During that period, I continued refining my upper cervical methods, expanding our assessment processes, and building systems intended to create a more thoughtful and consistent experience for patients.
I also became increasingly interested in the business of healthcare.
In 2020, I pursued certification as a Book Yourself Solid business coach and later became a Lifetime Coach. That education influenced how I think about entrepreneurship, leadership, patient relationships, and building a sustainable practice.
I've come to believe that delivering good care and building a healthy business are related responsibilities. Thoughtful systems can give a doctor and team more room to focus on the people they're serving.
In September 2026, I made the decision to return to independent practice and introduce our new name: Axia Chiropractic.
For me, Axia represents both a continuation and a new beginning. It's an opportunity to bring together the clinical education, practice experience, research interests, and philosophy that have developed throughout my career.
Research, Measurement, and Clinical Investigation
My early interest in exercise physiology has never really left me.
I still enjoy asking questions about human function and how we can use meaningful measurements to better understand changes in health.
In recent years, that curiosity has led me to become more involved in clinical research and scholarly presentations.
I've presented at Sherman College of Chiropractic's International Research and Philosophy Symposium (IRAPS) in two consecutive years:
2025 — Full-Spine Thermographic Changes Following Upper Cervical Care
A retrospective clinical review examining changes in full-spine thermographic patterns among patients receiving upper cervical chiropractic care.
2026 — Oura Ring Data and TATS Protocol
A clinical research presentation exploring the use of physiological data collected through the Oura Ring alongside TATS upper cervical assessment methods.
These presentations reflect an ongoing interest in exploring relationships between objective clinical observations, physiological measurements, and patient experiences.
They also raise important questions for future investigation. Observing a measurable change does not necessarily tell us what caused it, what it means clinically, or whether it predicts a meaningful health outcome. Those are questions that deserve continued research.
My long-term vision is to develop more comprehensive clinical assessment and research systems at Axia so that we can better document our work, evaluate patient-reported outcomes, and contribute useful observations to the larger scientific conversation.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Another meaningful part of my professional work is welcoming chiropractic students into the practice.
I serve as a preferred doctor for shadowing opportunities for students from Sherman College of Chiropractic and Life University in Atlanta.
Having benefited from mentors who opened their offices to me early in my career, I appreciate the importance of giving students opportunities to observe real clinical practice.
I enjoy sharing the process of evaluating patients, making decisions, communicating recommendations, and navigating the responsibilities of practice ownership.
The next generation of chiropractors will ask questions we haven't yet answered. I want to encourage that curiosity.
A New Chapter in Writing & Education
My interests have always extended beyond the clinic.
Over the years, I've developed educational concepts through Health House, a framework that brings together foundational habits involving diet, rest, emotions, attitude, and movement.
I've also become increasingly involved in writing, speaking, and sharing stories about health and community.
In October 2026, I'm releasing my first children's book, It Takes a Village. The book reflects an idea that has become increasingly important to me: healthy individuals and families need more than information or personal discipline. They need supportive environments, meaningful relationships, and communities where they can thrive.
The book is also part of a larger vision to develop accessible educational resources that help children and adults understand foundational principles of health.
That's what I hope to continue building at Axia: a practice grounded in thoughtful care, lifelong learning, clinical curiosity, and a belief that health is worth the time.
Education, Certifications & Professional Training
Academic Education
Doctor of Chiropractic — Sherman College of Chiropractic
Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science — University of Southern Mississippi
Clinical Experience
Chiropractic Practice Owner — 2017–Present
Clinical Exercise Physiology Internship — St. Dominic Hospital, Jackson, Mississippi
Specialized Chiropractic Education
Upper Cervical Chiropractic — Knee-Chest Toggle Recoil
TATS Protocol — Levels I & II, ongoing advanced training
Orthospinology — Basic I & II
Torque Release Technique — Certified
FOCUS Certification
Additional training in Gonstead, Thompson, Applied Kinesiology, pediatric chiropractic, pregnancy care, and related methods
Research Presentations
2025 — International Research and Philosophy Symposium (IRAPS), Sherman College: Full-Spine Thermographic Changes Following Upper Cervical Care
2026 — International Research and Philosophy Symposium (IRAPS), Sherman College: Oura Ring Data and TATS Protocol
Professional Development & Mentorship
Book Yourself Solid — Certified Coach and Lifetime Coach
Clinical shadowing mentor for chiropractic students from Sherman College and Life University
Continuing education in upper cervical chiropractic, pediatric care, family health, and clinical assessment
Training in a technique does not mean that the technique is currently offered at Axia Chiropractic. My primary clinical adjusting approach is TATS Protocol, pattern analysis, and upper cervical knee-chest toggle recoil.
