USA Olympic Team chiropractor treats service members at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms

Story by Christopher Jones

Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms

Chiropractor Carrie J. Belleson spends her days balancing the unique medical needs of two high-performing groups — those trained for the battlefield and those competing in global sports arenas.

When she’s not busy traveling the globe providing chiropractic care for members of USA Olympic teams, Belleson can be found treating Sailors and Marines at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms.

Belleson’s path to working with military service members at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Twentynine Palms began through a chance connection.

“Back in 2021, I connected with someone who knew the chiropractor here,” Belleson recalled. “I was curious about what it was like to work with active-duty service members. It turned out he was leaving as his active- duty wife was retiring. He then introduced me to the contracting company and the rest is history.”

Since joining, Belleson’s expertise in sports medicine has translated seamlessly into her chiropractic care for service members, aligning with NMRTC Twentynine Palms’s mission of maintaining readiness of warfighters and the Naval Hospital’s mission of delivering world-class care.

“It was a smooth transition bringing my sports medicine background to the military,” she said. “The end goal looks a little different, but Marines and Sailors strive to maintain a state of readiness, and this includes taking care of their musculoskeletal health. I typically see a lot of spinal pain when working with active-duty. The physical demand can be very high as this is a major training facility for the military. It is important to return the active service member to full duty and back to their role to stay in the fight.”

Drawing on her experience with athletes, Belleson applies many of the same chiropractic techniques she uses for Olympians, but adapts them to the military environment.

“The techniques are often very similar, but it can be the timing and frequency of treatment that differ,” she explained. “During a competition, an athlete often needs to recover and be ready to perform at a very high level again, sometimes even later that day.”

Belleson has been part of the medical staff for USA Olympic teams, including USA Swimming and USA Fencing, since 2019. Her introduction to Olympic athletes came through a mentor and boss, Dr. Kevin Rindal.

“Dr. Rindal previously worked with the USA Swimming Team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. He brought me to the USA Swim Medical Symposium in 2019 where I met the medical director, Keenan Robinson,” Belleson shared. “I was invited to work my first domestic event in 2020. I was ecstatic for the opportunity to work with USA Swimming.”

Belleson fulfills different medical needs depending on which USA Olympic team she is working with.

“I don’t know that I have a favorite, but I do have a different role with each team,” said Belleson. “When traveling with the USA Swimming Team, we have a bigger medical staff consisting of medical doctors, athletic trainers, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and nutritionists, and the number of athletes is generally higher. It is such an honor to be part of the USA Swimming medical team. It is an integrated collaborative team and we all play a role in helping these athletes perform at their best. I always come away from events with more knowledge from the diverse practitioners around me.”

In contrast, her role with the USA Fencing Team often involves working solo.

“When traveling with the USA Fencing Team, I’m usually the only provider, acting more as an athletic trainer. It’s my responsibility to respond to and manage acute injury and illness,” Belleson shared, highlighting the increased level of responsibility is this role.

Belleson’s work with the USA Swimming and Fencing Teams has taken her to some of the most prestigious sporting events around the globe.

“I traveled with USA Swimming to the 2021 Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi, the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. I also was at the 2024 Olympics in Paris,” she said proudly.

Her involvement with the USA Fencing Team has also taken her to various World Cups in Serbia, Bulgaria, and Georgia.

One of her most cherished memories with the USA Swimming Team came during the final night of swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“The medical staff joined the rest of the team and cheered on our final events from the stands,” Belleson recalled. “Getting to celebrate a silver medal and two gold medals along with two new world records was an amazing experience.”

Belleson has also been recognized by her athletes and peers for her contributions. A signed flag from the USA Swimming Team and staff, which was given to her as a keepsake, remains one of her most prized possessions.

“It is probably my favorite thing from the Olympics,” she said cheerfully.

Despite the high stakes of working with Olympic athletes, Belleson finds that both military personnel and elite athletes share a common drive.

“I also enjoy working with motivated people, and athletes are some of the most motivated people there are,” said Belleson. “But I believe everyone is an athlete, whether a person is working toward a gold medal or taking a walk outside. Helping people return to activities they love gives me a lot of joy.”

Belleson’s move from the world of sports medicine to the military setting at Twentynine Palms has been successful, thanks in part to the support of her colleagues.

“I’m very fortunate to have a lot of support from Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms and my contracting company,” she expressed. “Before taking this position, I discussed my involvement with Team USA, and I received nothing but understanding and support.”

At the hospital, Belleson appreciates the integrated approach to patient care, where she collaborates with other healthcare providers.

“I have always enjoyed working in an integrated setting,” she said. “I am constantly learning from the people and providers around me.”

Her passion for chiropractic care and helping others stems from her own experiences with holistic medicine growing up.

“I always knew I wanted to help people but didn’t know the specific avenue,” she explained. “I grew up around chiropractic care, and I know how much holistic medicine played a role in my own health. My chiropractor was usually the first person I would see when I had an injury.”

Belleson’s journey into sports medicine began after a high school knee injury led her to therapy.

“This initiated my pathway into the Athletic Training Education Program at Winona State University,” she recalled.

It wasn’t until her aunt and mentor, Jody Love, encouraged her to shadow sports chiropractors that she decided to pursue her graduate studies at the chiropractic school at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota. She graduated in 2014 and continued her training through a Chiropractic Sports Medicine Residency Program at Southern California University of Health Sciences.

Through the residency program, Belleson had the opportunity to work with national sports organizations like USA Fencing, which led her to begin traveling with them in 2017.

Despite her busy travel schedule, Belleson has embraced her new life in the desert and the community at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms.

“I have really enjoyed exploring the area,” she said. “There is so much to do locally and within a three to four hour drive. I enjoy getting outside as much as possible and working at the hospital. There’s a great team here.”

For Belleson, the opportunity to serve the military in her unique way has been deeply rewarding.

“Both of my grandfathers served during WWII, and my dad served in Vietnam,” she shared. “There was a time when I considered joining the military, but I continued with my education. I’m so glad I was able to eventually give back in this way.”

Looking ahead, Belleson is excited about working at sporting events in the near future.

“I’m excited to keep working with Team USA this year,” she said. “I have a few fencing World Cups coming up before the holidays.”

Belleson advised those with dreams of starting a chiropractic career in military or sports settings to seek out diverse experiences and learn from various professionals.

“I have dreamt about working at the Olympics for a long time. I remember sitting in class my sophomore year of college, listening to my professors share their experiences working at past Olympic Games,” Belleson reflected. “I didn’t know if it was attainable, but I remember feeling inspired. My advice would be to shadow as many different providers as you can and ask a lot of questions. There are many different pathways, and my specific route has not been traditional.”

Through her work at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms and with USA Olympic teams, Belleson continues to make an impact by helping people — whether they’re Olympic athletes or military service members — return to doing what they do best.