Brent Musolf was born in Southgate, attended the University of Michigan and went on to chiropractic school in Texas. He met a woman, got married and returned to Michigan to practice. After a few years in the Detroit area he moved to Bad Axe, had a couple of kids and worked at his chosen profession.

Things changed in April of this year. He didn’t see eye to eye with the company he worked for and decided to move on. As part of the separation contract, Musolf agreed not to practice in the area for a designated number of years. What to do now? Simple. Move his practice overseas.

“I had been practicing in Bad Axe since 2001, and loved it,” Musolf said.

He has made many friends in the area, including a man from Ubly who served overseas. Musolf treated him when he was on leave, and suggested he see a chiropractor when he returned to Afghanistan.

“He kept telling me there were none,” Musolf said. “So I researched the Middle East about chiropractic and found there were only a few in the entire region, and none in Afghanistan.”

He decided there was a need for chiropractic help in the region, but didn’t know if there was a demand for his services. After further thought and research, Musolf decided to take a leap of faith and open a practice in Afghanistan. He is currently there practicing his trade. He’ll return home shortly for a visit, then plans to return to Afghanistan for three more years before returning to Bad Axe.

“Through the advance in technology, such as Skype (an online visual instant messaging service), I am able to see and talk to the kids a couple of times a day,” Musolf said. “When I’m getting up, they are getting home from school. We can do homework over Skype, and see each other. When I’m in between patients in the afternoon they’re getting up, and I’m able to wish them a good day before they go to school.”

Treating patients in Afghanistan is quite different from what he was used to.

“Most people here wear body armor, and it causes many spinal issues,” Musolf said. “In addition, there is very little in the way of ergonomic office settings. Most of the people work from laptops on desks that are no better than a kitchen table, and the chairs are like dining room chairs. This creates other ergonomic issues.”

Another factor is that, since they are away from a family setting, there isn’t much for people to do except work.

“The average work week is 80 hours,” Musolf said. “There is no weekend.”

Being a war-town country, his patients in Afghanistan are subject to traumas not usually associated with those back home.

“We have the issue of injuries related to explosions, such as IED (improvised explosive devices) and car bombs,” Musolf said. “Unfortunately there is very little medical care available here. If you’re not on active duty, your care is relegated to a local clinic that provides medical care for the International community. The providers are paramedics and EMT’s. If you get sick and need to see a primary care doctor, you go to the paramedic who functions as such.”

Musolf provides services to civilians in the International community and to members of the Afghan government. He works alone, rents space for living and for his practice, and also hires personal security guards.

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