Casey Flickinger | Ochsner Chiropractic, Owner

By Roderick Hands | February 4, 2025

In this episode of the Tulsa is Home podcast, Roderick Hands interviews Casey Flickinger from Ochsner Chiropractic. Casey, a Tulsa native, shares his personal and professional journey, including his relationship with his wife Tiffany, whom he met in high school. They moved to St. Louis for Casey’s chiropractic schooling, returning to Tulsa later. Casey recounts how a high school shadowing experience at Dr. Kurt Ochsner’s clinic sparked his interest in chiropractic care. Following Dr. Ochsner’s tragic death from malignant melanoma in 2021, Casey took over the practice. He discusses the variety of chiropractic philosophies, techniques he employs, and his goal to create a comprehensive care center. Casey also underscores the importance of community spirit, detailing his active involvement in local events and collaborations with other health professionals.

Show Notes:

Guest: Casey Flickinger, Chiropractor at Ochsner Chiropractic

Topic: Casey Flickinger’s journey to becoming a chiropractor, his experience at Ochsner Chiropractic, and his love for Tulsa. 

Key Points:

  • Family and Friends: Casey’s family and friends played a significant role in his decision to become a chiropractor.
  • The Power of Touch: Casey was drawn to chiropractic care because of the ability to help people through physical touch.
  • Ochsner Chiropractic: Casey has worked at Ochsner Chiropractic for 12 years and is passionate about providing holistic care to his patients.
  • Tulsa Love: Casey loves the small-town feel of Tulsa and appreciates the city’s growth and development.

Additional Notes:

  • Casey’s story is a testament to the importance of family and community.
  • Ochsner Chiropractic is a great resource for those seeking chiropractic care in Tulsa.
  • Casey’s passion for his work is evident throughout the interview.

Contact Information:

Transcript:

I saw one during the Olympics. Oh, tick off. Yeah. There was a gymnast, , that apparently looks a lot like me. I, I don’t see it personally, but I had so many patients that were like, Hey, you look like this guy. Who was one, the guy was on the pommel horse. So they were like, , you need to like, try to do some of these things.

So that was, that was a, that was a good one. That was one of my, uh. I’m blundering. It’s so hard to watch any of those . Known as the biggest town you’ll ever experience, with its unique historical background, Tulsa is home to a diverse range of people and businesses with a thriving economy.

Delicious eats. Nightlife and entertainment for all ages. Tulsa is also home to business titans, entrepreneurs, artists, and foodies. Whether you’re considering a move to Tulsa or just wanting to learn more about the place you call home, the Tulsa is home podcast is for you.

Welcome to another episode of the Tulsa’s home podcast. Today we get to sit here with Casey Flickinger with Ochsner. Yeah, I was mispronouncing it. I was saying Ochsner. Everybody does. And, uh, so Ochsner Chiropractic. Mm hmm. And, , so you have some really cool stories that go with the business and kind of how you got into it and all that stuff.

And before we jump into the business side, tell us about who you are personally with your family. Where’d you grow up and all that stuff? Yeah, so I’m a Tulsa native. Grew up in Bixby. That’s where I graduated from. , I married my high school sweetheart, Tiffany. , she was at Bixby most of her life, , but ended up moving to Edmond her junior year with her dad’s job, but we started dating in high school, and then she broke up with me because I was too serious.

I just knew I wanted to marry her is really what it was, , and then we got back together in college at Oklahoma State, and uh, How did that happen? Oh, man. I don’t know. I get out of class early. , my comp one class, , and I would sit in front of the library cause I knew she was in her, I think it was biology class.

And I always got out a little late. So I just sat there and wait till I saw her come out and I’d get up and just happened to walk by her. , so I just regularly was. Pursuing her as best I could so you’re either gonna reconnect or get the cops called pretty much is exactly what’s gonna happen I don’t know if I was stalking per se.

I just made it an option. How convenient. Yeah. So, um, we just started talking again and then she, she had a love for horses and still does. And she had a horse there at the time. And after many a turndown of hangout times, she was like, finally, like, what do you want to, do you want to go out to the barn and help me with a lady?

And I was like, absolutely. I’d love to go out there. Love horses. Yeah. Well, I did. My mom had horses all growing up, so used to it, but that’s how our relationship started back up again. Cool. So yeah, we, we got married. Right after we finished, , which was in December, about a week after she graduated, I was already done.

And then Christmas happened, two days later we moved to St. Louis, , for chiropractic school, and then she was starting, , speech path grad school, awesome, in a small university in, in St. Louis. Did you guys finish up at the same time? No, she, her grad school is two years and mine is a little less than four, not quite four, , for chiropractic school.

So we were there almost four years. Loved it. We were in Chesterfield, um, just as a little suburb on the west side of St. Louis. It was a lot of fun. Enjoyed the culture there. Um, So we were there, tried to figure out where we wanted to go. Felt like the Lord was telling us different things at different times.

But we finally just, we spent time in different places. It was Dallas, Denver, or Tulsa. And it was kind of neat, the way it kind of happened. We both were not really sure where we were going. And I said, let’s just pray about it for about a week. And then we’ll sit down and We’ll write down on a piece of paper where we feel like the Lord’s telling us to and then we’ll show each other and I Think both of us thought Denver was where we were gonna go because we both love the mountains But I knew Tulsa like that’s what the Lord was calling us to and so I was just like man This is gonna be hard when I put Tulsa in here Yeah, it’s Denver and she was thinking the same thing.

I mean flipped it over and was like, okay. All right, that’s cool So it’s a good way to do that. Yeah, so we came back and started working at Oxnard Chiropractic Center. She started working at St. John. , and then had three kids. I’ve got, , a 10 year old, an eight year old and a six year old. Yeah. One of them goes in the same soccer team.

Yeah. Yeah. The unstoppable defense. That is absolutely right. They’re so fun to watch. Yeah, that’s awesome. , well, so with your transition to, yeah, we were talking a little bit earlier about your. Interest in chiropractic and how it really wasn’t there at first until you were exposed to it Yeah, and so what how what was that journey for you?

Yeah, , you know coming out of high school Everyone’s asking you what do you want to do? What do you want to do? And you know, I wasn’t quite ready out of high school as my junior year, but I knew that You know, just need to start thinking about it, because people are always asking, you know, what college are you going to?

And my brother was, you know, the first one in our family to go to college, so it was kind of a new thing in our family. So, I started thinking about it, and just like, man, I don’t know, I want to use my hands, because I grew up, we grew up on land, and I , want to help people, and healthcare seemed like a pretty good field to be in, to get to help people.

But I didn’t really know what that looked like, to use my hands. I didn’t think I was, you know, smart enough to do certain things out there. So, I just started shadowing different people, whether it was PT, , orthopedic, and there’s a few other little things, dentist, dentistry, because they use their hand, they’re helping people.

, but a friend of mine was a pastor in town, Doc Blevins, he’s, since past But, , he asked me if I wanted to go shadow his chiropractor and I was like, no, sure. I’m happy to go. My mom had gone some growing up, but it , wasn’t something that we did regularly in our family. And, , we went to, , I think we went to lunch first.

And then we went over to, , Dr. Ochsner’s practice and we pulled up and I saw the name and I was like, Is this Kurt Ochsner? And he was like, yeah. I was like, I’m, I go to school with, , his oldest daughter, Hunter. Which, you have a good story about that. So we’re gonna, we can put a pin in that, or you can tell it right now.

I can tell it. So in fourth grade, we were in the same class together, and at a lunch table, she’d gotten up, I didn’t realize she’d gotten up, and I just came up, sat down in the chair. She came back, and she was like, you’re in my chair, and I was like, This is my chair. And she was like, I’m gonna pour this orange soda on your head if you don’t get up.

And I was like, well, go for it. She was a woman of her word , and she poured that on my head. So I got up Yeah. To clean up. And so that’s kind of how the relationship started with their family because, , they ended up , writing me a note in it as well as the teacher, I think, saying they were sorry and apologizing.

So, but I didn’t know that her dad was a chiropractor until, , we pulled in and I saw the name and anyways, so. So I was, he was going in just as a, friend with Doc to watch him get adjusted because I had never seen, you know, somebody get adjusted before that time and just how Dr. Ochsner communicated and, and talked with him and they were going over stuff in the relationship side of, um, of it was, , very intriguing to me, but when he started using his hands and working on him and talking through him some health stuff, it was like, I don’t know a lot about this, but that’s what I want to do.

I think that’s what I want. I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s just, that’s all thoughts of, , looking more into it. So cool. Kurt was just a big part of helping me learn more about and was always really kind to let me come in shadow and be there more than just seeing one person adjusted. And that was when I kind of fell in, , for the love of wanting to help people in that way.

Yeah. You know, there’s lots of professions and lots of doctors out there that do a lot of really good , for people. That was just something I, I wanted to do. So you were in high school at the time. Yeah, it was, I was a junior at Bixby. Okay. And it really kind of started my physiology and anatomy class, just seeing how the body worked together and how God made our body with all these different, , systems in place that kind of depended upon one another and it works together.

It was kind of just interesting and wanting , to dive deeper into that. Yeah, for sure. So are there different philosophies of chiropractic and then, so, you know, touch on some of those and then hit on kind of your, your philosophy of chiropractic care. Yeah, there’s definitely lots of different philosophies out there as far as chiropractic goes.

, you know, I think if you put 10 different chiropractors in a room, you’re going to kind of get the same idea, but get a little bit different. , there’s, you know, there’s different techniques out there that, , Or trying to accomplish the same thing , as what Kurt would always say, and , I say now it’s, there’s some different methods, but the motive is the same.

And the motive out there, or the, the philosophy is to allow the body to do what it was created to do. And to try to create an environment within the body that allows it to function at its best capacity, whether that’s creating good movement, , a healthy diet, the foods that you eat, the things that you, you know.

Take in but there’s techniques that where they’re adjusting only the upper cervical which again is it’s a great technique It’s some people find that that works really well for people where they’re only doing that there at the school I went to Sorry about that. I’ll tell you. , Logan, um, H.

B. Logan, who started at school, he felt like everything started from the sacrum up, or from the ground up. So that technique was basic, where they do a lot of work with the sacrum and, , some ligaments that are attached to that area. Sacrum’s just in the pelvis. , so, That was taught at our school as a main, but they still taught a lot of the other, you know, there’s some , less hands on or what we would call Osseous.

types of therapies out there where they use like an activator, which is like a little kind of looks like a clicker gun that they are putting on different parts of the spine to, create movement. , and then there’s, you know, more hands on where we’re adjusting multiple areas of the body. , so I kind of land in that, ballpark of, you know, we have dysfunction in one area, whether it’s your neck or your mid back or your, your hips and pelvis.

And we’re looking to how does the, uh, how does the body. move in that area that’s, you know, not the correct way. So , how do we fix that or how do we attempt to fix that? And that’s going to be addressing the soft tissues, which is muscle, ligament, tendon, , the joint, but also how does that affect the neurological system?

Because they’re all interrelated. Um, it’s hard to have a single one of those alone. , you know, it’s acute injuries or something happens. You break a bone. It’s starts off as, as just a, as a joint issue. But given enough time, it’s going to create dysfunction in the muscular and the neurological. So I kind of look at it as I try to incorporate a lot of different things into that.

, so that’s where I kind of, it’s the technique would be called diversified, but we kind of do things, multiple different things, but yeah, that’s kind of where we’re at in our office. But when did you land on kind of where, and I’m sure it’s, constantly moving and as you’re learning and just constantly learning.

Yeah. , so in school you’re, , , you get exposure to multiple different techniques out there. And one thing I like about Logan was that they, there were certain, like some of the really big based, , techniques out there that made you take some of those courses. So you had a pretty good perspective as to , how that works.

, but for me, it was. He just kind of seeing it from a more, I guess, , technical way was like, man, this area is not moving well, it’s not functioning well, which in creating an issue, let’s focus on that. , so it’s just kind of where I landed. I think that , there’s good in all of those again, and it comes back to motive.

If we’re at the end of the day, we’re trying to help people move better, function better so that activities of daily living are, are better, you know, we can get there different ways. It’s not a single approach that. It has to happen. Yeah, for sure. So, how many other chiropractors are in your office? Right now, it’s just me.

Okay. So, yeah. , , when Dr. Ochsner was, I don’t know if you want to get into that right now. Yeah, yeah, we can, yeah. Okay. We can kind of talk how Dr. Ochsner is. You know, the story and how it all came about. And yeah, so this is, I’m in my 12th year at Ochsner Chiropractic. And when I first started, I was the fourth chiropractor in the office.

, , Dr. Ochsner was there, there were two other doctors, , a guy and a girl. And then I came in and then shortly after, , one of the other, the lady doctor, she left, and then wasn’t long after that, that the other doctor left, , to go start their own practices. , so it was just Dr. Ochsner and I for about two years.

Almost two years, , which was fun, but also like we were still wanting somebody else. Um, so we brought in another doctor and , he was fantastic and loved having him there. , but in, , August of 2021, we found out Kurt had malignant melanoma. And, , it was about three weeks to the day from the time we found out his diagnosis to the time he passed.

So it was a, it was just a real shock and a struggle. , walking through that, you know, because , we still had patients to see. Yeah. , we have a fantastic staff. I, I’d be remiss if I don’t say anything about our staff. They handled that situation really, really well and helped us walk through that.

, so then it was the other doctor and I there for about a year. And then he decided he wanted to go start his own practice. Yeah. And I ended up staying at Ochsner Chiropractic, and we’ve had a couple of interns come in that, you know, we were hopeful it would work out. , but, as you know, like, you gotta have the right fit.

Yeah. I’m trying to find that person that fits well with your staff, fits well with the philosophy of what you’re doing, , and your patience. Cause, at the end of the day, I wanna, If I’m not there, I want to know that I can tell you, Hey, Roderick, I’m not there, but I know this guy or this girl is going to be able to take care of you just as well as I would be if I was there.

So , we’re still looking for that person. So we’re actually just getting ready to put out a, a job posting trying to find somebody. So we’re excited. Well, so if you’re, if you’re interested. Yeah. If you hear a no,, yeah, if you’re listening, Yeah. Kind of fit what we’ve just been talking about. Yeah.

this is the place for you I mean, I just can’t believe that it happened so quickly within three weeks and with this passing and then And it just had to have been a whirlwind for everyone involved. It was, , it was one of those things that, so, a little back story, in 2006, Dr. Ochsner got hit by a train in his truck. He was headed out to a hunting lease and it’s a pretty blinded area to cross the train tracks and this is out, you know, middle of nowhere, there’s no like, gates there or signs that are flashing.

Yeah. And it was just kind of one of those things that he got hit and ejected him from the car. And so he had about a year of not being able to practice because of broken pelvis and lots of different things. So fast forward, , he’s always had issues and you know, something that we were regularly treating him in the office.

He was getting massage therapy every week and I’m treating him and he was doing well. , but leading up to that August, he was starting to have some more, You know, health issues that I think he was attributing a lot of that to the years and years of, you know, of struggle of the train wreck that I think that the cancer was just kind of taking over everywhere.

He attributed to that, but it got to a point where we’re like, hey, Kurt, , you got to go get checked out. Like, something’s not right more than just the musculoskeletal issues that we’ve been dealing with for so long. And I think when you think about Kurt, you know, he’s tough as nails and you know, not many people survive a train wreck like that.

, so I think he just powered through for a good while. You know, I mean, I don’t think it would have mattered if it was a month earlier or two months earlier, cause it was, everywhere. So just sad deal, man. We all miss him a lot. I’m glad it wasn’t a long drug out thing either. So yeah. So , , do you have plans for Ochsner in, , I know you mentioned you’re, you know, looking for that next person to hire.

, are there, do you guys do events or do, , things that, , how can people connect with you and in the practice? Yeah. , so our, our, I think our big goal would be to provide a single place that, I say a single place, uh, a place where multiple things can be treated in an area. So I brought in, , a PT about, I guess this is almost two years ago.

No, a year ago. I’m not sure exactly how long it’s been, but Dina Bronk, she’s a PT. She’s been in practice for 21 years. She’s fantastic, but she is her own business within our practice, and it’s so great having her there, , because, you know, so much of what we do is It’s helping to restore function movement.

But I would say one of the weaknesses that we have as chiropractors or is in our office, there’s some chiropractors that do a really good job at this. But one of my personal weaknesses was strength and stability long term. , so I wanted to be able to help people and be able to have someone , close by that I can be like, Hey, this is.

 Dina. She was going to be able to come alongside us and help you get better for more than just symptoms for today or next week, but how do we create long term health, you know, something that we can look at, you know, from this year to the next that we’re building on creating a , um, better foundation and lifestyle.

So that was another part of, we also have several massage therapists in the office that we work with. But ideally I’d like to bring in, I bring obviously another chiropractor, but I don’t know who that person is yet, but you know, , I like the idea of, , having some type of other clinician, whether that’s a dietitian, a nutritionist, or even a, uh, a doctor.

You know, a medical doctor or D. O. in the office that we could kind of work together from a, you know, full body. A holistic approach, yeah. Because, you know, there’s not a single profession out there that can help everybody. Yeah. You know, chiropractic doesn’t fix everything, you know, it’s just a matter of how can we get the right patient with the right doctor at the right time.

That’s kind of the goal at the end of the day. So not that we’re ever going to have all those things in a single building, but if we can get them closer, that’d be the goal. Yeah. , as far as connecting with us, , My staff, they love doing funny videos, so they’re regularly doing that. I saw, I saw one during the Olympics.

Yes. We will add a link to them. Oh, yes. They’re one of the gymnasts. Yeah, there was a gymnast. , that apparently looks a lot like me. I, I don’t see it personally, but I had so many patients that were like, Hey, you look like this guy. It was one of the guy was on the pommel horse. So they were like, , you need to like, try to do some of these things.

So that was, that was a good one. That was one of my, uh,

It’s so hard to watch any of those, but I can’t watch them because they’re just like like an idiot, but they’re fun. So different social media, I don’t expect our outreach areas, but, um, I do a decent amount of stuff with Fleet Feet as well. Doing some screenings for them, just to, you know, volunteer time during their training events.

Fleet Feet has been in Tulsa for, they just celebrated 21 years here in town. , So, but they’re a great resource and trying to, again, at the end of the day, how do we create a healthy lifestyle? So in their weekend, , training groups after they’re done running, I will go and help out with those.

So something fun to do. Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. And then going off of the Tulsa’s home theme. , we’ve talked a little bit about, you know, family and growing up and being in, in the Tulsa area, but what does Tulsa mean to you? , how is Tulsa home to you? Yeah. Growing up in Bixby, it’s just so interesting to see the changes of Tulsa over the years.

, all the, continual growth, , to see, but I’m a, I’m a country kid. I grew up in the country, enjoy country life. And I think that Tulsa as it is growing and getting a lot of these bigger things, it still has that real, like, I still know you and that. Tulsa’s getting bigger, but it’s still that small town, and it’s, you know, you run into somebody and they know this somebody, and they know your mom, or your dad, or, you know, your brother, and they work together, and it’s just still that, , you know, we live out.

A little ways out and south of Bixby now and, you know, you still get the people that wave their hand at you and go into a quick trip or whatever and people are going to hold the door for you. Like, you know, I’m not a big world traveler, so I haven’t seen different places, but I still really enjoy that Tulsa has kind of maintained that.

And we may not know each other, but we’re, gonna be kind and humble towards one another. And I love that about Tulsa. Yeah. I love that we do a lot of things , in Tulsa, , that’s, one of the, it’s MEO Made in Oklahoma. I love that, , that we have a lot of, you know, It’s, it’s here. Yeah.

It’s, um, Tulsa, um, Tulsa brand. Mm-Hmm. . I love, I love it. We have a, our own flag in Tulsa now. I think that’s just cool. There’s a unity Yeah. That’s here. And lots of things that have, I think, brought Tulsa together from the gathering place to, , so many different things that I just, I love it. Yeah. Even in the intro with our, our podcast, we say it’s the, the biggest town you’ll ever experience and, yeah.

Mm-Hmm. , I mean, it’s, it’s one of the common things that we hear over and over again. It’s, you know, has. All the big city amenities and, , you know, the different scenes and restaurants and, , different areas of, you know, Midtown , , and then, yeah, just used to have everything. And then kind of the outskirts, not too, everything is 20 to 30 minutes away at a max.

That’s one thing I love about just with the highway system. Like you, if you live on this side of the town and you can come up 75, but you can cut over on 44. If you live on that side of the 169 and cover, cut her over on the BA expressway. Yeah. You can get most anywhere pretty quickly. That’s true. But then I, I heard last week, or maybe two weeks ago, that, , Tulsa was rated number 14 in the most dangerous places to drive.

Oh. I don’t know. I think we all grew up in the country and still think that way. And we just drive like crazy. I don’t know. That’s all that is. Yeah. I don’t know. Maybe I can trade it to that. Try not to. That is funny. Well, I really appreciate you coming on and sharing your story and the background and how you got started and, , yeah, so I know the viewers are gonna be interested in this and we just appreciate your time today.

Yeah, man, I really appreciate you having us on here. I love what you guys do. Yeah, so check out Ochsner Chiropractic. Where is it located? 78th and Sheridan, so it’s a stand alone building there on the east side of the road, , just north of 81st and Sheridan. Awesome. So it’s been there for,, the 80s, the late 80s is when Kurt started the practice, so one of the few that are still in town.

Mm hmm. Um, from that time period anyways. Yeah. So there’s a lot of great chiropractors in Tulsa, a lot of them. Well, good deal. I appreciate it. Absolutely, man. Thank you. Yep.

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