About the author

  Kirk Eriksen lettered in football for the Dunnellon High 

School Tigers for three years and was a starter during 

his junior and senior seasons, playing outside 

linebacker, defensive end, and offensive guard. He 

recorded the most snaps on the team his senior year, 

avoiding serious injury while playing on both sides of 

the ball and on special teams. “A proud moment for me 

was when Coach K told me I’d made an All-District team 

as a defensive end after my senior season. It was from 

one of the smaller newspapers, but I didn’t care—I 

was just proud to get some kind of recognition.” 

Kirk was offered a football scholarship to play for the 

Bethel College Threshers in North Newton, Kansas. 

However, due to a diagnosis of cervical stenosis, he 

was unable to pursue his dream of playing college 

football. Instead, he accepted an academic 

scholarship to what is now the College of Central 

Florida in Ocala, Florida. Eriksen completed his 

pre-chiropractic undergraduate studies and went 

on to receive his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from 

Life College School of Chiropractic in Marietta, GA. 

In the mid-1990s, Dr. Eriksen became Board Certified 

by the Society of Chiropractic Orthospinology, after 

passing rigorous tests in X-ray proficiency and spinal 

correction. In 1998, he was elected president of the 

organization and served for nearly a decade, during 

which time he helped teach postgraduate courses in 

spinal care across the country. Eriksen also attained 

Certification in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma (CCST). 

This year-long postgraduate certification involved 

advanced coursework in spinal trauma, neurology, 

radiology, injury mechanism physics, case 

management and med-legal aspects.

Kirk Eriksen, D.C. has been in clinical practice as a 

Doctor of Chiropractic for over 34 years in Alabama. 

Dr. Eriksen is a renowned lecturer and has taught 

doctors across the U.S., as well as in Europe and 

Central America. He has published several research 

studies in peer-reviewed journals. He is also the 

author of two landmark textbooks published by 

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, one of the most 

respected names in medical publishing:

Upper Cervical Subluxation Complex: A Review 

of the Chiropractic and Medical Literature

and

Orthospinology Procedures: An 

Evidence-Based Approach to Spinal Care 

Professional Awards: 

1997—Chiropractor of the Year, 

Alabama Chiropractic Council

2004—Chiropractor of the Year, Society of 

Chiropractic Orthospinology

2006—Researcher of the Year, 

World Chiropractic Alliance

2010—Dr. Christopher B. Kent Award for Scientific 

Excellence, Chiropractic Leadership Alliance

Kirk Eriksen is happily married to his beautiful 

wife, Valerie Eriksen. Together they have five 

children—two of whom are doctors and one a 

licensed dietitian. They have two grandchildren 

and counting. Kirk loves travelling, college football 

(especially the Florida State Seminoles), and 

spending time at one of their beach condos.

“I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve thought 

about those damn 40-40s, and how they helped me 

through the most difficult and even simple times in my 

life. Facing and overcoming what felt like near death on 

a regular basis as a teenager—and the other valuable 

life lessons I learned from football—played a huge role 

in helping me succeed in the years ahead. We all owe 

Coach K a debt of gratitude for how he led and molded 

us during our formative years. We didn’t always 

understand it or appreciate it back then, but we 

love you, Coach, for all you’ve done for us.”

Dear Reader,
 

First, thank you for spending time with my book. I 

hope it inspired you, brought a sense of adventure, 

or simply a few moments of pure entertainment.

If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a 

review where you purchased the book. Your 

feedback not only means the world to me—it 

helps other readers discover my work too.

Thanks,
Kirk