Farragut chiropractor calls it a career
“I turned 70 last October,” he said with a laugh about why he retired. “You know, it’s never an easy decision, but I’d been kind of entertaining in the back of the mind for a couple years. It just seemed like the timing was correct, and it worked out.”
Retiring “is definitely a different environment after you do something for that long, and then you don’t,” said Lensgraf, a doctor of chiropractic. “It’s a transition, but so far, so good.”
Born and raised in East Tennessee, he has been in practice 41 years, of which 37 of those were in Farragut.
“I started in Farragut in 1988,” Lensgraf recalled.
Through the years, he had seen changes, as “the whole dynamics of the Town of Farragut is completely different.
“In the last 10 years, it has really changed, but even prior to that, it was changing rapidly,” he said.
“When I moved into that building [where his office is situated at the corner of Kingston Pike and Campbell Station Road, next door to Rick Terry Jewelry Designs], the only thing at that corner was that [Phillips 66] gas station across the street that they condemned,” Lensgraf said. “They ended up pulling up the tanks.”
When he first opened his clinic, he remembered the gas station was still operating.
“But, they had a problem because it was so hard to get in and out of there at that corner that they eventually said ‘enough is enough,’” he said, adding he thinks it closed in the early 1990s.
“It turned into an eyesore for quite some time there on that corner,” Lensgraf said. “Now, they have that nice restaurant, 35 North.”
In the chiropractic profession, he also has seen changes.
“You get new technology, new modalities, such as deep-tissue laser therapy, which we will be doing at Medi-Spa [in Markets at Choto],” Lensgraf said. “It’s not the latest and greatest; it’s just the greatest new discipline in physical therapy modalities.”
When he first started in the profession, chiropractors used ice packs and heat packs.
However, “we did have electrical muscle stem and ultrasound, which was primarily what we used, but the laser is so superior,” Lensgraf said. “We still do a lot of electric stem, but we pretty much stopped doing ultrasound because the laser pretty much superseded that.”
Looking back, he said what he liked best about being a chiropractor was “helping a lot of people.
“I think I had over 7,000 files [patients]; 7,000 people I touched in Farragut,” Lensgraf said, noting he most will miss contact with his patients.
“In the chiropractic world, generally, when someone starts a treatment protocol, you’re going to see [the patient] for a while, a couple months minimum,” he said. “You basically kind of become friends. You know about their family; you know about their kids; you know about their pets.”
Now, he is referring his patients to Dr. Kari and Dr. Colin Hickey, with Haven Chiropractic and Wellness, which has taken over Lensgraf’s practice, at the same location on Kingston Pike.
“They acquired my practice and basically took over operations on Jan. 5,” he said. “They are husband and wife, and one interesting thing, Dr. Kari is one of three chiropractors in Knoxville who is certified and licensed to treat animals.
“They do have an animal presence there on site — a couple rooms dedicated to animal care,” Lensgraf said. “She stays really busy.”
Haven Chiropractic and Wellness will celebrate its opening with a Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting 11 a.m., Wednesday, March 18, at 11320 Kingston Pike, Suite 102.
Lensgraf said the Hickeys changed the layout of the building, formerly West Knox Chiropractic Group, to an open concept. While already retired, Lensgraf currently is transitioning with the Hickeys in the practice for a few more weeks.
To his patients, he said, “I hope everyone is doing well and that we were of beneficial service through the years. And, if they ever need to, feel free to reach out to me for referrals.
“However, the Haven Chiropractic took over [Lensgraf’s practice],” Lensgraf added. “That’s where I would refer them.”
