Jaclyn Kilburn, PTA
Education
Associate of Applied Science,
Physical Therapist Assistant
Black Hawk College, Moline, IL
Location
- Moline, Illinois
- Adam B.
They say you find out who you want in your corner when things go wrong. For our family, apparently that person is Dr. J.C. Clark — part orthopedic surgeon, part motivational speaker, part Michelangelo, and at this point possibly operating with a medical license personally issued by the Almighty.After months of lifting, throwing, training, camps, and preparing for his first football game at quarterback, our son finally took the field…and broke his arm.Not exactly the storybook opening we had planned.We ended up in an ER in Chicago, where they reset the bones and sent us home believing the job was finished.Then Dr. Clark saw the X-rays.Apparently, the orthopedic equivalent of the Bat-Signal had been activated.Dr. Clark determined the arm needed another adjustment — approximately 2 - 3 millimeters.Now, to a normal human being, 2 - 3 millimeters is essentially nothing. That’s the difference between “there” and “basically there.”Not to J.C. Clark.To Dr. Clark, 2 - 3 millimeters might as well have been Chicago to Tokyo.This man approaches bone alignment like Michelangelo approached the Sistine Chapel, NASA approaches docking with the International Space Station, and Michael Jordan approached the final two minutes of an NBA Finals game.There is no “close enough.”If God intended that bone to sit three millimeters to the left, Dr. Clark was apparently going to personally see that God’s original architectural drawings were followed.I half expected him to pull out a vernier caliper, call NASA Mission Control and announce, “Houston, we have alignment.”And, of course, he got it exactly where he wanted it.But here’s where Dr. Clark somehow became even more impressive.Our son was devastated. He had spent months preparing for this season. Countless workouts, throws, weight-room sessions and hours of training — all leading up to finally getting his opportunity to compete for his high school.Then, in Game One, it disappeared in an instant.Dr. Clark could have simply discussed X-rays, healing timelines and follow-up appointments.Instead, he gave the kid his swagger back.Somewhere during that appointment, the conversation stopped being about a broken arm and started sounding like Rocky Balboa had just found Mickey, Michael Jordan had just been cut from his high school varsity team, and Tom Brady had just been handed pick number 199.By the time we walked out, our son wasn’t thinking about what he’d lost anymore.He was thinking about the comeback.That’s when it hit me: Dr. Clark doesn’t just put bones back where they belong. Apparently he realigns confidence, perspective and competitive fire while he’s in there.At this point, I’m convinced Dr. Clark could reset a fractured arm during halftime, perform Tommy John surgery during the commercial break, deliver a Vince Lombardi-caliber locker-room speech, diagram the game-winning drive, and still make it home in time for dinner.We’ve previously called him the Michael Jordan of orthopedics.I owe Dr. Clark an apology.That comparison may no longer be big enough.Some doctors fix bones.Dr. J.C. Clark fixes bones to within millimeters, restores confidence, resurrects football seasons, and sends disappointed young athletes home believing their greatest chapter hasn’t even been written yet.The arm may be temporarily sidelined.But thanks to Dr. Clark, the comeback tour isn’t just happening — the tour bus is fueled, the stadium lights are on, and the opening act has already started.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Five stars remain the single greatest limitation of the Google review system. - Adam B. - 2 months ago
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