Thriving in Life

By Michelle Pawelski

As a high school and collegiate athlete, Dr. Kilby Rech knew the benefits chiropractic care had on helping injuries heal. However, when his path led him to study the practice, Rech discovered many more advantages to the 120-year-old medical profession. He is now bringing that knowledge to the Rapid City community with the opening of Thrive Family Chiropractic on Jackson Boulevard.

Rech’s mission is to help all people from newborns to the elderly “thrive” in health. “I’m a young father with a young family, and I love seeing us being as healthy as we can, so why wouldn’t I tell someone else how to do that. We can’t leave health up to chance. We need to be healthy by choice.”

Chiropractic has long been effective in providing temporary pain relief, but Rech intends to focus on the overall health benefitsof spinal correction. Through his schooling and clinicals, he now views chiropractic from a whole different standpoint. “I would go to my chiropractor for sports, but it usually was after an injury. Now I see that it can be more for health – a true health care system.” Spinal correction focuses on the full structure, changing the posture and curves so people can see longer, more permanent, lasting change. In this technology age, bad posture is common with people of all ages slouched over their phones and computers. Repetitive movements in this posture adds strain and stress on the spinal cord affecting the overall health of the individual. Rech said he wants to work with patients to improve the posture and the function of the spine. “I want to make sure their body functions and heals the way it is supposed to. People have so much stress built up – emotional, chemical, physical. I want to make sure the body can adapt to that stress the best way it can to increase health and heal faster than it breaks down.”

Good spinal health can begin as early as in the womb, Rech said. Pregnancy adjustments help make birth less traumatic for both mom and baby. Newborn adjustments can also help babies sleep and eat better. Rech adjusted his son 13 minutes after he was born. “It had an awesome effect on his health. It did a lot to help him thrive after birth and continues to do so.”

Rech, whose parents are from Montana, moved with his family to a ranch near Isabel, SD, when he was five. At the start of his junior year in high school, Rech moved to Rapid City to attend St. Thomas More High School. “It was a life-changing experience. I met some very influential people in my life through basketball and through school.” He also met his wife Samantha during his first class at the new school. “It was a chemistry class, and I sat at the same table as Samantha. We had chemistry in chemistry,” he chuckled. As a firm believer in things happening for a reason, Rech believes his move to Rapid set him up for success. “It’s amazing how the little things you do in life set you up for where you are now – the trajectory, doors opening and closing.”

Those doors continued to open and close for Rech. After graduating from St. Thomas More in 2012, he attended Northwest College in Powell, WY, to play basketball. After two years there, he had just been re-recruited to play at Black Hills State University when he blew out his knee at the end of his final season at Northwest. Instead, he attended Montana State University Northern in Havre, only an hour from Great Falls, MT, where Samantha was completing her clinicals in nursing. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science and Health Promotion, Rech was unsure of what he wanted to do with his degree. With his passion for sports, he tried personal training and physical therapy, but neither provided the fulfillment he wanted. Rech wanted to help people be proactive about their health. After a brief move back to Rapid City, the couple moved to Minneapolis so Rech could attend Northwestern Health Sciences University and earn his Doctor of Chiropractic. With only a small percentage of chiropractors specializing in spinal correction, Rech knew he wanted to start his own clinic after graduating this past December. With Samantha’s family in Rapid City, the couple along with their two boys, Boone, 2, and Kopper, 10 months, and border collie Sona, who also gets regular adjustments, moved back home.

He is excited to begin his career surrounded by great resources and in a community that supports small businesses. Despite just opening the doors to Thrive, Rech is already envisioning the growth of his practice. He hopes to add a nurse practitioner, massage therapist, rehab techs, and personal trainer, among others. “I have big goals,” he said. “I really want to set kids and families up to thrive in health because everyone wants the ability to do the things they love to do whether that’s running, hiking, biking, or playing with grandkids. People need to be participants in their lives and not just spectators.”