Why I Became a Chiropractor: Dr. Dan Foss's Story of Healing and Purpose
Dr. Dan Foss didn't choose chiropractic from a textbook. He chose it because a chiropractor healed him of torticollis as a child when conventional medicine offered nothing but pharmaceuticals. This is his story.
Most people stumble into their careers. They follow a path of least resistance, take the job that was available, or pursue what their parents suggested. Every once in a while, though, someone finds their calling — and knows it in their bones the moment it happens.
That's my story.
Seven Years Old and in Pain
I was seven years old when I suffered a minor neck injury at school. The school nurse sent me to a general practitioner. The diagnosis was torticollis — a painful muscle spasm that locks the neck in a rotated position, making it nearly impossible to turn your head without agony.
The treatment prescribed? Pharmaceutical muscle relaxants. Strong enough that they came with a list of side effects that, even as a child, made me uncomfortable.
My mother wasn't satisfied with that answer. She didn't want to give her seven-year-old muscle relaxants for a mechanical problem. So she took me to see a chiropractor who worked just down the street from our house.
After one adjustment, I felt like a completely different person. The spasm released. The pain lifted. I could move my head freely again. I walked out of that office feeling, quite literally, like new.
I was completely fascinated. I wanted to understand how that was possible — how a few minutes of precise, targeted care could accomplish what drugs couldn't. That day planted a seed that grew into a career.
The Education
I pursued chiropractic with focused intention. I studied at Western States Chiropractic College, where I graduated with my Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 2003. I also studied at the University of Costa Rica — a formative experience that deepened my connection to Latin American culture and shaped the bilingual, culturally aware practice I would eventually build in San Antonio.
After graduation, I pursued advanced certification in the Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) through SORSI — the Sacro-Occipital Research Society International. SOT is one of the most sophisticated and gentle chiropractic systems available, and it became the cornerstone of how I practice.
Practicing Around the World
Before setting roots in San Antonio, I had the privilege of bringing chiropractic care to communities around the world. I have practiced in Costa Rica, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Guatemala — many of those experiences in the context of medical mission work, serving populations with little or no access to quality healthcare.
Those experiences changed me. I saw people suffering from conditions that were entirely addressable — back pain, neck pain, sciatica, infant colic, torticollis — simply because they had no access to the kind of care I could provide. Every mission deepened my commitment to making chiropractic care accessible, affordable, and effective for everyone who needs it.
It also gave me a perspective that most American chiropractors don't have. When you've treated patients in Guatemala with no diagnostic equipment, no fancy tables, and no support staff — just your hands, your knowledge, and your skill — you learn what really matters. You learn to listen carefully. You learn to find the root cause with precision. You learn not to waste a single adjustment.
Building Pura Vida Chiropractic
I chose San Antonio deliberately. This city has one of the largest Hispanic populations in the United States, and I wanted to serve a community where my language skills, cultural understanding, and international experience could make a real difference.
"Pura Vida" is a Costa Rican expression that means, literally, "pure life." In Costa Rica, it's used as a greeting, a farewell, a response to "how are you?" — essentially, it means life is good, life is full, life is as it should be. It captures exactly the philosophy I want my patients to experience: not just the absence of pain, but a genuine state of health and vitality.
Over the past 23 years in San Antonio, I have had the privilege of caring for more than 50,000 patients. Every one of them has taught me something. Every case has refined my clinical thinking. The Pura Vida Protocol — my integrated approach to finding and fixing root causes rather than managing symptoms — was built visit by visit, patient by patient.
What Drives Me Today
I'm still driven by the same thing that drove me at seven years old: the wonder of what chiropractic can do when it's done well.
I see it every day. The patient who's been told they'll need surgery and walks out of my office pain-free. The infant who's been colicky for weeks and settles down after a single gentle adjustment. The desk worker who hasn't been able to turn their head for months and regains full range of motion. The athlete who thought their career was over and gets back on the field.
These outcomes aren't miracles. They're the natural result of what happens when the nervous system is freed from interference and the body is given what it needs to heal. The body knows how to heal. My job is to remove the obstacles.
That's what chiropractic is. That's what I do. And it's the most rewarding work I can imagine.
Ready to experience the difference?
Dr. Dan Foss and the Pura Vida team are accepting new patients. Call us at (210) 685-1994 or visit puravidasanantonio.com to schedule your first visit. We're open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 7am–4pm at 2318 NW Military Hwy #103, San Antonio, TX 78231.
