Chiropractic care for divers and watersports injuries in St. Thomas

St. Thomas is a dive and watersports island. Boats run out to Cow and Calf, French Cap, and the wrecks off Buck Island most mornings. Snorkel tours stack up at Coki and Magens Bay. Vessup Bay and the flats around the East End fill with kites and stand-up paddleboards when the trades pick up. All of that is hard on a body: gear that has to be carried and hauled, hours face down with your head cocked back to breathe, and joints that get loaded in positions a gym never asks for.

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness is in the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, just east of Charlotte Amalie. We treat residents, dive and watersports staff, and visitors. Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What we see in divers and watersports patients

• Low back. Carrying tanks and weight belts down a dock, bending over gear on a rocking boat, and the arched-back position paddling face down all load the low back the same way, over and over. See our lower back pain page.
• Neck. Holding the head up and back to breathe while snorkeling or freediving, or looking down at a camera or dive computer for an hour, leaves the neck stiff and sore. See our neck pain page.
• Shoulders. Kiteboarders loading the shoulder against a bar, paddlers pulling stroke after stroke, and divers finning or pulling themselves along a line all wear on the rotator cuff. See our shoulder pain page.
• Elbows. Grip-heavy paddling and kite bar work show up as the same tendon pain as tennis elbow or golfer's elbow. See our tennis elbow and golfer's elbow page.
• Knees. Fin kicks against current and awkward footing getting in and out of a boat or off a dock.

How we treat it at Tradewinds

The exam looks at the whole chain, not just where it hurts, because a sore shoulder in a paddler is often a stiff mid back or a weak hip making the arm do too much work. We take digital x-rays when something needs a closer look.

Dr. Keys adjusts the spine and the extremities, including shoulders, elbows, and knees, using Gonstead and Diversified techniques, with flexion-distraction or the drop table for a low back that does not want force. Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization loosens the dense, overworked tissue in a forearm, a calf, or the front of a shoulder. For tendon pain that has hung on for months, the shoulder, the elbow, or the Achilles, we offer extracorporeal shockwave therapy, a short series of visits with no downtime. Rehab is part of every plan: a short program built for a boat or a beach, not a gym.

When you should see someone else

Some things that happen in the water are not a chiropractic problem, and we will say so. Go to the nearest emergency room, or call 911, for any of these:

• Joint pain, chest pain, trouble breathing, dizziness, confusion, or a blotchy rash appearing within 24 hours of a dive. These can be signs of decompression sickness and need emergency evaluation right away, not a wait-and-see approach.
• Ear pain, drainage, or hearing loss that does not clear on its own after a dive or a hard duck dive. That is a physician or ENT problem, not ours.
• A shoulder or knee that dislocates, locks, or gives way
• A hard blow to the head or a near-drowning, even if you feel fine afterward
• Numbness in the saddle area, loss of bowel or bladder control, or weakness in a leg that is getting worse

If the exam points to a torn rotator cuff, a labrum injury, or something else that needs an orthopedist or imaging, we tell you and refer rather than adjust around it. If you already have a spinal MRI, bring the disc: the free MRI review covers spinal MRIs, and Medicare patients are not eligible for it.

Visiting divers, instructors, and crew

If you are on island for a liveaboard, a dive course, or a kite trip, tell us your schedule when you call and we will work around it. Dive shop and watersports staff who do this all season are welcome too, and many of the same overuse patterns show up in instructors as in weekend visitors. Boat and charter crew can also read our boat and charter crew page.

Getting seen

Call (340) 690-4994 or email info@tradewindschiropractic.com. We are in the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802. Hours are Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm; Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm; closed Sat and Sun. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments. Our full list of services is on the services page. We have more than 180 five-star Google reviews.

Questions patients ask

Is there a chiropractor for divers in St. Thomas?

Yes. Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Charlotte Amalie treats divers, snorkelers, and dive and watersports staff for the back, neck, and shoulder strain that comes with carrying gear and holding awkward positions in the water. Call (340) 690-4994.

My shoulder hurts from kiteboarding or paddleboarding. Can you help with that in St. Thomas?

Usually, yes. Repetitive pulling and bracing against a kite bar or a paddle wears on the rotator cuff and the tendons around the shoulder. We treat it with adjusting, soft tissue work, a rehab program, and shockwave therapy when it has gone on for months. If the exam points to a tear, we refer you for imaging instead.

I have back pain from carrying dive gear. Is that something you treat?

Yes. Tanks and weight belts hauled down a dock or bent over on a rocking boat are a common cause of low back strain in divers. We examine how you move, treat the joints and tissue involved, and give you a simple plan for lifting and carrying gear that puts less load on your back.

What if I think I have decompression sickness or another diving emergency?

Get to the nearest emergency room immediately, or call 911. Signs to watch for include joint or chest pain, trouble breathing, dizziness, confusion, or a blotchy rash within a day of diving. That is not something to treat with an adjustment, and any delay matters.

Can dive instructors or watersports staff get regular care during the season?

Yes. Many of the aches we see in instructors build up over a season rather than from one bad day. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments, and we can space visits around your work schedule.