Community Highlights: Meet Sara Van Dyke of DASH Chiropractic/Sara Van Dyke Chiropractic, Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Van Dyke.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
This could be very long, but I’ll keep it to the main points. I guess my journey into this field started before I was born. My dad was training for a bike tour with his friends before I was born (in the 1980s) and was hit with a car while biking. The injuries he sustained were pretty bad, and he found his way to his first chiropractor, who successfully got him back on his feet, and got him more interested in health, and nutrition. The chiropractor he saw also recommended dietary changes that helped other problems my dad struggled with- and over time my dad and his chiropractor stayed in touch. When a clinical nutrition supplement company used by this chiropractor needed a sales and marketing employee, my dad’s name was mentioned. My dad took the job and that changed the trajectory of his life and my family’s life forever. By this time I was alive and my dad fully launched our family into being “healthier”. My dad has always walked the walk and follows through on his word, one of the most important things he passed onto me. So that meant I grew up conscious of what I was eating, reading food labels and thinking about my health more than most kids. We also had family friends that were chiropractors, because my dad worked with them in his job frequently.

Fast forward to the 2000s-2010s. I was developing into a serious runner and becoming more interested in injuries, human physiology, and how to treat various running maladies. In high school, I was always massaging teammates’ calves or asking them about their rehab process when they got hurt. I loved visiting my chiropractor and he was slightly disappointed that I wasn’t pursuing something in healthcare because I seemed very interested in the field.

My senior year of HS I applied to various Cal States & UCs as a political science major, thinking I would go on to teach government, economics or history at the high school level. But as that year progressed, I started realizing I was truly more passionate about the healthcare world. When I started school and running at Cal Poly SLO, all my papers were on healthcare topics- even in political science! I knew I needed to switch majors, and became a Kinesiology major.

During my time running at Cal Poly, I worked harder than ever to squeeze every ounce of potential out of myself on the track and frequently found myself sidelined by injuries. I truly thought I was doing everything right and was frustrated by watching my work come to nothing. I became even more fascinated by sports injuries- and my chiropractor was the most helpful in looking at all the angles of my injuries- and getting me back on my feet!

I realized I needed to become a chiropractor, so I could help others as mine helped me. I worked myself the hardest I’ve ever worked before in chiropractic school to become the best I could be- and kept running, too. I have continued to stay pretty darn healthy, even as I’ve continued to compete on the track many years after my last season at Cal Poly (and recently competed in the 2025 US Track & Field Championships this summer), but my injuries have informed how I’ve treated patients.

I graduated from Southern California University of Health Sciences in 2019 and genuinely did not want to start my own practice. The business and administrative side of a practice did not interest me in the slightest. But I wanted to practice a very specific way- as a “rehab chiro” focused on sports injuries or treating non-athletes like athletes to try to get them to reach their highest goals and optimize function. But there was nobody hiring me to spend long sessions with patients and do rehab the way my wonderful mentors taught me to. So I started my practice out of necessity- and launched my practice RIGHT before the world shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic.

I had to adapt like many- and realized that a rehab-focused chiropractor could actually do virtual visits- which is not something I expected to do (or so soon into practicing). I learned how to do that, and even saw a few patients outside in my mom’s side yard. I didn’t go into my office for months, and even worked a few side jobs. Starting a practice where you focus on QUALITY and getting your patients out of the office as quickly as possible while also charging people reasonable rates that don’t break the bank is a hard balance to keep, especially in the beginning when you’re discharging people at a rate that outpaces referrals or return patients. It was also an odd realization to realize I was making my living off people being in pain- but the positive reframe for that is that I get to help people get better!

Now I’ve been in practice almost 6 years, and am grateful to say I’ve been able to help many patients and have been honored to earn the trust and referrals of many wonderful people. The growth of my practice has not happened in a vacuum and has not been a solo effort- I could NOT do it without the support of my patients, local coaches and personal trainers in the area, my networking group, friends & family, and many others.

I guess that wasn’t all that short. But I did keep to the main points.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like I mentioned in the last page (novel), I struggled with opening an in-person business RIGHT before the COVID-19 shutdowns. I also struggled with having enough patients in my office in the early years when my genuine goal was to discharge them as quickly as possible.

I mentioned that it’s hard to maintain a high quality practice and spend enough time with patients while also keeping rates for patients fairly affordable, but I also did not mention that I had a genuine fear of asking people for money that still plagues me. In the beginning of my practice, when friends or family would ask me for my rates, I would avoid responding for several hours and then would practically throw my phone away from me once I did respond, because I was scared of the reply and possible rejection. I would get stomach aches dealing with that stuff, and hated asking people for money so deeply. I just wanted to help people, but it felt weird and I felt oddly guilty asking for compensation for it. (Like it was somehow less pure or helpful that way.) And I can tell you that I was WAY undercharging in the beginning.

I have also had to learn a lot of business and admin functions the hard way- by failing or trying numerous times.

Also, I had to start a business with a LOT of student loan debt from chiropractic school, which was terrifying (and kind of still is). I had to make sure to keep overhead (like rent) low too- which was another challenge, because rehab does require space.

Insurance does not reimburse chiropractors and physical therapists to spend time with patients. It incentivizes short visits, which in the musculoskeletal care world, often means lower quality. It takes time how to teach people how to move in ways that won’t continue to create problems even after pain is gone, and to do a thorough job. But I don’t know how to do it any other way. Charging cash for your time can be tough in healthcare, because people understandably want to use insurance they paid for.

The reputation of my field can be very mixed, and I’m not a “traditional” chiropractor (though many aren’t) so I also have to work through the biases that come from my profession, even though I might be VERY different than people expect (and get confused for being a physical therapist often because I do a lot of rehab exercise).

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
People should know I apply my competitive spirit to getting them well and try to get them well as quickly as possible. I am known for this, and for being good with sports injuries, especially in endurance athletes (runners!) and weightlifters. What sets me apart from others is how I approach patient care and measure progress.

My exams are very thorough- and I use an outcome measure during the visit to make sure that whatever treatment we try actually helps the patient feel better. For example, if a patient has pain getting out of a chair, we’ll have them re-test getting out of a chair before and after trying each treatment or exercise to see if it helps. If it doesn’t help, we move on to something different. I am very outcome-focused and goal-oriented. I keep an open mind and almost treat patients like they are an experiment- because I assume their bodies know what they need more than I do, which is why it’s important to measure progress throughout a visit. I try to use a practical approach to rehab, and I’m very good at getting athletes back into sport sustainably after injury. I care a lot, work very hard for my patients, and am an optimist with a side of pragmatism. I am very passionate about getting my patients to reach their goals.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am super nerdy and love to read and learn things- even things that aren’t related to clinical practice or running. I also love to dance! Nothing makes me happier than letting loose on the dancefloor.

I asked my patient this and she said “the way you treat recognizes a whole person as a whole and takes into account many aspects of a patient and their life, and you don’t just adjust- that’s what sets you apart and makes you a great healthcare provider”. (This may belong more in another section.)

Pricing:

• 111.00- Follow Up Visit
• 145.00 to 170.00- First Visit

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dashchiropractic.com
• Instagram: @dash_chiro
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dashchiropractic7240
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dash-chiropractic-costa-mesa-2

Image Credits
Wedding Photo (from August 2025)- HopeBoat Photography
Alex Andrei- Running Photo
Carmille Garcia-In-Office Photos