As a high school student in her hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, Alexis Diggs was quite an athlete. She was a presence on the diamond, the court and the track. And while being a year-round competitor was an awful lot of fun, it also came with a price. In particular, wear and tear on her body that, in some cases, required surgery. “I’ve had sports injuries and I’ve been to physical therapy and orthopedists for rehab,” she says. “But after all of that I was still having pain and I was like, ‘What the heck is going on?’”
It turned out that some of the surgeries were causing her to overcompensate by placing undue pressure on her hips and joints. So she visited a chiropractor and was able to find the relief she needed. “There’s absolutely a time and a place for pills and needles but those are not my first choices,” she says. “I thought it was better to seek treatment that was natural to the body and not just something to treat symptoms.”
The experience inspired her to enroll at Parker University in Dallas, one of the nation’s top chiropractic schools, where she earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 2022. From there she moved to Franklin, along with Breck, her rescued black lab, to embark on her healthcare career.
She worked for a while at a larger practice where she learned the ropes of the business, then left to open her own practice, Rooted And Renewed Chiropractic, in July of 2023. Dr. Diggs, 27, credits her upbringing for influencing her decision to open her own business at such a young age. “I grew up in a military family and there was a mentality of doing something sooner rather than later,” she says. “Personally, I’m not a big fan of people telling me what to do but I respect the military mindset and the value that comes from it.”
As a chiropractor, Dr. Diggs says she’s able to treat patients in a way that’s best for them, not according to a script. “I love helping people and sometimes that can be subluxations, known more commonly as adjustments or manipulations,” she says. “Sometimes it’s being a quiet pair of ears for when someone needs to ramble a bit. Providing that comfort level is what I want to do.”
Dr. Diggs tries to set an example by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She stays active outdoors and has been a vegetarian for nearly three years. “I took nutrition classes in chiro school but there was no defining moment that caused me to change my diet,” she says. “I just felt as though my body wasn’t absorbing what it needed. So I started by eliminating meat and it made me feel healthier. I enjoy the fresh aspect, so I try to shop at farmers markets. Also if I’m going to tell my patients how important it is, it’s important for me to have a healthy lifestyle as well.”
She also experiments at home with fresh and inspiring recipes. One of her favorites is a gnocchi pasta with homemade vodka sauce. It features a potato-based pasta, tomato paste simmered with a couple of teaspoons of vodka and seasonings like paprika, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. But the secret ingredient for the kick, is a couple of bursts of pepper spray. Yes, THAT kind of pepper spray.
“That’s something that my dad used to add when he was making chili,” she says.
From her office at 1227 Lakeview Drive, Dr. Diggs sees patients from less than a year old to more than 90 years old. Common treatable conditions include everything from headaches and sciatic pain to injuries stemming from rolled ankles or repetitive stress from working on computers all day.
“I don’t think people realize how much of our ability to live comfortably comes from the spine, but literally everything in the body – nerves, muscles, even digestive and sleeping issues – are connected to it,” she says. The deep-rooted connection serves as the inspiration for her practice’s name and logo. “We can put Band-Aids on things, but I want to get to the root cause,” says Dr. Diggs. “Your pain might be here, but is it coming from there? Is it related to something that happened years ago? When I hear people say, ‘It’s just normal pain,’ my response is, ‘Pain isn’t normal.’”
The logo features a leafy stem that mimics the spine. “It’s original art by my old roommate and one of my best friends,” says Dr. Diggs. “She’s in digital marketing and has the creative mindset that I don’t.”
For now, Dr. Diggs is enjoying the ongoing dual process of growing her business and helping her patients. “What I like about chiropractic is the ability we have to give people immediate relief,” she says. “Whether it’s from a chronic or lingering injury, or someone who hit their elbow on a table, almost anyone can benefit from chiropractic treatment. There’s nothing more gratifying than seeing patients get off the table with a smile on their face.”
Dr. Alexis Diggs knows from personal experience. RootedRenewedChiropractic.com
