Chestnut Hill resident Jeff Sklar, 56, a chiropractor for more than 20 years, knows a thing or two about treating patients with various physical aches. He has treated conditions such as muscular/skeletal aches, pains, car accident and sports injuries, from young adults to senior citizens.

Sklar, who spent the last 12 years as the Medical Director of Chiropractic Services for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, recently announced that he is moving his practice to the Wissahickon Spine Center, 15 W Highland Ave., on Sept. 21 to help patients who have had muscle aches and pains as well as those who have been dealing with debilitating cancer treatments.

He  was born and raised in Philadelphia near the Art Museum, then discovered Erdenheim. “At my age,” Sklar said, “I didn’t expect to be opening a new practice around the corner from my home, but I could not be more excited to have this opportunity to serve my community … In 1999 I was living in the Cherokee Apartments and drove my 4-year-old son to pre-school in Erdenheim every morning.

“Each morning when I rode down East Evergreen to Stenton Avenue, I remember thinking, 'What a beautiful street! It must be so nice to live here.'

Then my wife and I moved onto my dream block in 2016. This block, the neighbors and the community have exceeded that fantasy from last century exponentially!”

Sklar said one of the reasons he wants to treat cancer patients with uncomfortable pain is that he has seen what the physical effects of radiation and chemotherapy can do to a patient. “My mother was a survivor,” he said. “My stepmother, who raised me, was a cancer survivor, and so was my brother. So it was a really good fit to go into an integrated medical center that was doing traditional conventional types of cancer treatment.”

Sklar also wants to introduce opportunities to get chiropractic care, acupuncture, nutrition, naturopathic care and other types of services. For those who might wonder what nutrition has to do with chiropractic care, the Wissahickon Spine Center website states that “the obvious case is that someone who is overweight is stressing his spinal joints, muscles, ligaments and fascia with the additional workload placed on the tissues and the systemic inflammation present.”

Patients who are dealing with cancer may have several side effects, one of which is chemo-induced neuropathy, an effect which Sklar says “feels like they are walking on shards of glass. Many cancer patients may not even have the strength to open a jar. Many of our exercises and methods could help patients navigate a more comfortable life.”

Sklar said if patients have breast cancer and are getting radiation, they must hold their arms over their head every day while they’re getting treatment. This can cause severe neck and shoulder pain. “That is where traditional chiropractic can come into play,” he said, “and help someone get rid of their pain and try to get them back to their normal lives.”

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Sklar also mentioned that it is causing many people to suffer from stress and uncertainty, which can result in physical issues such as muscle spasms and neck and back pain.

“The primary effects patients have been complaining about are muscle spasms and waking up with neck pains from the stress of Covid statistics and uncertainty about the future, such as 'Are we going to have to wear a mask for three years?' and 'Do we need booster shots?’”

For those who are not familiar with chiropractic care, it consists of manual manipulation or manual therapy, a category of ‘hands-on’ healing techniques delivered to decrease musculoskeletal pain and restore function.

Sklar attended Penn State University for his undergraduate degree. He received his chiropractic education at Palmer University in Davenport, Iowa.

From 2000 through 2010, he ran his own wellness center in Old City, Triune Chiropractic Wellness. In 2009 the Cancer Treatment Centers of America asked him to join them and run their chiropractic program for the Northeastern U.S. “It was a wonderful fit,” he said, “because, like most people, we have had cancer touch our lives.”

In addition to awaiting his move to Wissahickon Spine Center, Sklar will be teaching a class at Mt. Airy Learning Tree on Sept. 30 on ergonomics and how people can protect their backs from injury.

For more information, call 215-498-5825, email drjeff@sklarchiro.com or visit www.sklarchiro.com