A Ghanaian chiropractor who left a comfortable life in the United States to establish a career in her homeland has revealed that her decision was driven by a desire to bridge a major gap in healthcare and educate Ghanaians on the importance of spinal health.

Dr Naa Asheley Ashietey, Chief Executive Officer of Nova Wellness Centre, said she chose to return to Ghana about 15 years ago despite having family members who continue to live in the United States.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Personality Profile programme on Thursday, June 25, the healthcare professional explained that her return was motivated by a combination of patriotism and a strong conviction that she could contribute meaningfully to the country’s healthcare system.

“Even till today, they still live in the US. But for whatever reason, I wanted to come back home. Patriotism? Maybe patriotism. And again, the sense of, you know, I want to come and do something different,” she said.

Dr Ashietey disclosed that at the time she relocated to Ghana, there were virtually no Ghanaian female chiropractors practising in the country.

According to her, chiropractic care was largely associated with expatriate practitioners, particularly white professionals and African-American specialists, making her entry into the field both pioneering and challenging.

“I think I felt that as a Ghanaian woman, I should come and do this because at the time when I moved to Ghana, I don’t think there were any Ghanaian female chiropractors,” she said.

“This is about 15 years ago. But at the time when I started practising in Ghana, yeah, I was the only Ghanaian female. So people would come to the clinic then, and they’re looking for the ‘obroni’. That’s what everybody knew,” she added.

She noted that while the profession has since witnessed the emergence of more Ghanaian practitioners, particularly women, the landscape was very different when she began her journey.

Beyond establishing a professional practice, Dr Ashietey said one of her primary motivations was to educate Ghanaians about chiropractic care and the role spinal health plays in overall wellbeing.

She explained that many people were unaware that a wide range of health conditions could be linked to spinal misalignment, leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

“I think knowing that I wanted to come home and come and speak the local language, I felt people needed to hear that, look, a lot of ailments can come from spinal misalignment,” she stated.

Dr Ashietey said communicating health information in familiar languages and within local cultural contexts was essential to improving public understanding of chiropractic treatment.

The chiropractor also highlighted the philosophy that underpins her profession, stressing the body’s natural ability to heal when properly aligned.

“One of the popular sayings we always say in chiro is, ‘We move the bone, and God heals the body’,” she noted.

She explained that chiropractic care focuses on correcting musculoskeletal and spinal dysfunctions that may affect the body’s nervous system and overall functioning.

According to her, many people continue to underestimate the impact of spinal health on general wellness, making public education a critical component of her work.

Over the years, chiropractic care has gradually gained recognition in Ghana, with increasing numbers of practitioners entering the field and greater public awareness of non-invasive treatment options for musculoskeletal conditions.

Dr Ashietey said she remains committed to expanding awareness about spinal health and wellness while encouraging more young Ghanaians, particularly women, to explore careers in specialised healthcare fields.

Reflecting on her decision to return home, she indicated that despite the challenges of pioneering a relatively unfamiliar profession, she remains convinced that it was the right choice.

“I just felt that need to come back home and educate people about how chiropractic can help in so many different ways because I felt we were not getting that information to a lot of people,” she said.