Meet Dr. Matt & Jackie Baker!

Dr. Matthew Baker & Jackie Baker, Owners

• Dr. Baker has dedicated his career to providing his patients of all ages with fast, effective relief for all types of chiropractic conditions... including headaches, back and neck pain, muscle pain, sports injuries, automobile accidents as well as work injuries. 
• Dr. Baker uses a proper examination, as well as x-rays (if needed) to find the exact cause of your problem.  He then formulates a treatment plan to not only free you of pain, but to strengthen and stabilize the spine so your problem doesn't come right back!
• Dr. Baker has performed over 45,000 Chiropractic treatments and is proud to perform very safe, non-invasive and effective treatments learned through his years of Chiropractic practice!
  

His Background:

Dr. Matt began his Chiropractic career after spending 3 years at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO, and 4 years at Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City, MO, graduating with a Bachelors degree in Human Health and a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree.  He attended Worth County R-III High School, in Grant City, MO.

After graduation, Dr. Matt spent 3 years with Dr. Christopher Rasmussen in New Albany, Indiana.  Dr. Matt learned from one of the best, as Dr. Chris has enjoyed practice over 25 years.  After drawing from Dr. Chris' understanding of Chiropractic and his extraordinary care for his patients, Dr. Matt fulfilled his lifelong dream to move back to Maryville, MO to open his practice and care for the people in the area he was raised.

Dr. Matt moved back to Maryville with his wife, Jackie, and their one year old daughter, Josephine.  They opened Baker Chiropractic & Rehab, LLC, in January of 2009.

Dr. Matt is a member of the American Chiropractic Association, the Missouri Chiropractic Association, Cleveland Chiropractic Alumni, GMC Success Academy and the local Maryville Host Lions Chapter.  He is also a member of The National Academy of Physicians, a group of doctors who "choose to give back to the communities in which we serve".

The Injury and How He Became a Chiropractor:

Dr. Matt's journey to becoming a Chiropractor began at the age of 13 after a bumpy pickup ride - he landed on his tailbone and jamming his low back on the bed of the pickup.  His pain continued to worsen over the years.  He began to carry ibuprofen wherever he went.  He continued to play football, lift weights, and help his father on the farm and with his auctioneer service even thought the pain was excruciating at times.

Before beginning his freshman semester at NWMSU, he worked at a rock quarry, shoveling gravel dust from under the machines 3-5 hours per morning.  By the time he began fall classes, he had constant left buttock and low back pain.  Through the semester, the pain worsened to affect the entire left leg.

The next spring, Dr. Matt attempted to fix the pain medically.  He saw an orthopedic surgeon that told his parents "He's too young to have a disc problem, I think he's faking it!".  His mother then sent him to a medical doctor who ordered an MRI of his low back.  The results showed the back of a 60 year old man, as stated by the radiologist.  The medical doctor then concluded that Dr. Matt's best option was epidural shots.

After the 3 shot regimen, Dr. Matt's pain went away, leading him to believe he was cured.  He then spent the summer lifting weights and playing basketball every day, only to find that the shots only block pain.  The hard summer of physical activity had worsened the disc problem, and by the next spring, he couldn't walk up the stairs to his apartment without intense leg pain. 

Dr. Matt was then referred for another MRI, then to St. Joe for a surgical consult.  The surgeon reviewed the MRI, then asked if Dr. Matt was free the next week.  The following Tuesday he went under the knife for a partial discectomy.

The surgery relieved the left leg pain, but left Dr. Matt with continued low back pain.  After spending the summer recuperating and studying the low back, he began to understand that the operation was a very invasive procedure, and decided that surgery might not have been his only option.  Because he did not want others to follow down this destructive path, Dr. Matt enrolled in Cleveland Chiropractic College of Kansas City that fall.  And as they say, "the rest is history!"