Dr. Doug Davison

Welcome to my site.  I am a chiropractor at Belmont Medical Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our practice is part of the Mount Auburn Hospital practice group, which is affiliated with the Beth Israel Lahey Health system. I use this space to introduce myself and to explain my approach to the treatment of your musculoskeletal conditions.  I also share information that seems helpful to my patients.
 
About Me:
My legal name, and therefore the name on my chiropractic license, is Robert Douglas Davison. I've always gone by Doug. This causes occasional confusion because I am listed in insurance provider directories as Robert Davison. I grew up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas and spent a significant amount of my youth in and around Austin.  I started my undergraduate training at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.  After three years I transferred into a dual degree program at Texas Chiropractic College, where I finished my baccalaureate degree in Human Biology and completed a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree program in 1991.  Following graduation I completed a post-graduate program in sports medicine.
 
Chiropractic licensure requires successful completion of three rigorous National Board examinations, which cover basic sciences (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, microbiology, and public health) as well as clinical sciences (orthopedics, neurology, physical examination and diagnosis, radiology, physiotherapy).  In addition, each state has written and practical examinations in the areas of physical examination, diagnosis, treatment, and radiology.
 
My chiropractic training was unique in that it included significant clinical training through the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in the Texas Medical Center.  My time with the residents and attending physicians fostered my desire to practice in a multi-disciplinary setting and eventually led me to my current practice at Belmont Medical Associates.
 
Prior to moving to Massachusetts I practiced at the Houston Sports Medicine Clinic where I treated athletes of all levels of accomplishment including collegiate baseball and football players, elite gymnasts, Olympic athletes, runners and cyclists from around the world, and professional body builders.  I served on the Wrangler Pro Rodeo Sports Medicine Team where I treated amateur and professional rodeo cowboys. I worked the sidelines at high school football games and the finish line at the Houston Marathon. I have held faculty appointments at two different chiropractic colleges. I was an Assistant Professor as well as Dean of the Clinical Sciences Division at Texas Chiropractic College. I then served as Associate Professor and Executive Dean for a new chiropractic program in Denver, Colorado that was being developed through Marycrest University under an international grant from the Okinaga Foundation of Teikyo University in Tokyo, Japan. I started my practice in Massachusetts in 2003 and then joined Belmont Medical Associates in 2004.
 
I am married with three children and live in Burlington, MA.
 
About my Practice:
  • The practice of chiropractic is as broad in scope as the practice of medicine.  My practice focuses on the alleviation of pain and the restoration of function.  I work primarily with musculoskeletal pain, that is, pain that originates in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints.  I also treat many people suffering with nerve pain as it relates to musculoskeletal conditions such as disc herniations and nerve entrapment syndromes.
  • It is my goal to treat my patients as few times as possible in order to return them to their best possible level of activity with as little discomfort as possible.
  • I am happy to treat people for "maintenance care" because it makes them feel better and helps them be more active. A recent study shows significant benefit from chiropractic care for chronic back pain patients. My patients will not receive high pressure sales pitches and will not be pressured to return to the office repeatedly after they are feeling better.
  • Getting to know my patients is the highlight of my practice.  I feel fortunate that I have the opportunity to spend time with them during treatment.  Without this interaction my practice would be much less fulfilling than it is.
  • I am proud of the fact that I have built a practice based on referrals from other health care professionals and on referrals from my patients as opposed to heavy advertising.  I believe that referrals are the highest form of praise and I respect that my patients trust me with their family and friends and that my colleagues trust me with their patients.