Meet Dr. Derek Farmen

Professional Background

Clinical Practice Since 2018

Experience evaluating and managing spine, musculoskeletal, and injury-related conditions.

Adjunct Clinic Doctor — Parker University

Works with chiropractic students in a clinical teaching environment focused on examination, clinical reasoning, documentation, and patient management.

Advanced Spine & MRI Training

Postgraduate education focused on spine MRI interpretation, biomechanics, trauma, rehabilitation, clinical correlation, and evidence-guided decision-making.

Fellowship Training in Spinal Biomechanics & Trauma

Advanced training that includes medical literature review, clinical guideline study, interdisciplinary observation, and exposure to how spine patients are evaluated and managed across different parts of the healthcare system.

Independent Medical-Legal Review

Reviews complex spine and injury records involving medical necessity, causation, diagnosis support, treatment response, imaging, documentation, and future-care questions.

Professional Teaching & Speaking

Participates in clinical education, professional panels, peer review, and speaking activities related to spine care, injury, documentation, and healthcare decision-making.

Education

Dr. Farmen earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic–Florida, graduating cum laude in 2018.

Prior to chiropractic school, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Health Science from the University of Wisconsin–Parkside.

Since graduation, he has continued advanced postgraduate education with a particular focus on the spine, diagnostic imaging, biomechanics, trauma, rehabilitation, and clinical decision-making.

Spine-Focused Training

Spine MRI Interpretation

Dr. Farmen has completed advanced postgraduate education in spine MRI interpretation and clinical correlation.

An MRI finding by itself does not always explain why someone hurts. Imaging becomes more useful when it is considered together with the patient's history, symptoms, examination findings, function, and response to care.

This training helps Dr. Farmen better understand imaging reports, communicate findings with patients, and determine when imaging may—or may not—help guide the next step.

Spinal Biomechanics & Trauma Fellowship Training

Dr. Farmen is completing advanced fellowship training in spinal biomechanics and trauma.

The fellowship extends beyond learning how injuries affect the spine. It is designed to develop a broader understanding of how spine and injury patients are evaluated, documented, treated, referred, and managed throughout the healthcare system.

His fellowship requirements include:

• Reviewing and critically evaluating medical literature
• Studying evidence-based clinical guidelines and standards of care
• Advanced education in spinal biomechanics, trauma, imaging, and clinical correlation
• Observational clinical and procedural experience with professionals across multiple areas of healthcare
• Exposure to the evaluation and management of spine and injury patients in primary care, emergency medicine, spine surgery, pain management, and neuroradiology
• Understanding when conservative care is appropriate and when additional diagnostic testing, procedures, consultation, or a different level of care may be needed

This broader training helps Dr. Farmen look beyond a single treatment or profession and better understand how different parts of the healthcare system fit together.

FSBT(c) indicates fellowship candidate status.

Clinical Teaching at Parker University

Dr. Farmen serves as an Adjunct Clinic Doctor at Parker University, where he works with chiropractic students in a clinical teaching environment.

His role includes helping students develop skills in examination, clinical reasoning, documentation, patient communication, and patient management.

He has also provided clinical lecture instruction at Parker University and has been selected as a panelist for Parker's Changing the Script seminar, participating in a professional discussion about conservative management of spine conditions and how appropriate non-opioid care can support efforts to reduce reliance on opioid medications.

Teaching reinforces an important part of his own clinical philosophy:

Good care should have a reason behind it.

A diagnosis should make sense.

A treatment should have a purpose.

Progress should be measured.

And when something is not working, the plan should be reconsidered.

Independent Medical-Legal & Case Review

In addition to treating patients, Dr. Farmen performs independent medical-legal and case-review work involving spine, musculoskeletal, and injury-related records.

His review work includes questions involving:

• Medical necessity
• Diagnosis support
• Causation and injury-relatedness
• Treatment duration and response to care
• Diagnostic imaging
• Documentation quality
• Procedures and referrals
• Future-care recommendations
• Counter-affidavit matters and related medical record review

This work requires careful review of whether the medical record actually supports the diagnoses, treatment, imaging, procedures, and recommendations being made.

It also requires separating what the documentation supports from what it does not support—and explaining that reasoning clearly.

Dr. Farmen brings the same standard to his own patient care:

Recommendations should make sense, be supported by the findings, and be clearly explained.

Professional Review, Speaking & Education

Dr. Farmen remains active in professional education and collaborative work related to spine care, trauma, medical documentation, and clinical decision-making.

SpineCAMP 2026 — Invited Panelist

Dr. Farmen has been invited to participate as a panelist at SpineCAMP 2026 in Dallas, joining a professional discussion focused on the evaluation and management of complex spinal ligament injuries.

American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC)

Dr. Farmen is a confirmed presenter for an American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) educational webinar series beginning in November 2026.

Parker University — Changing the Script

Dr. Farmen has been selected as a panelist for Parker University's Changing the Script seminar, contributing to a professional discussion on conservative management of spine conditions and ways appropriate non-opioid care can support efforts to reduce opioid utilization.

Becker's Spine Conference

Dr. Farmen has also served in a professional reviewer role associated with Becker's Spine Conference.

What This Means for Your Care

We Start by Listening

We take time to understand your symptoms, history, concerns, and goals before deciding what comes next.

We Explain What We Find

You should leave with a clearer understanding of what we found, what it may mean, and what options are available.

We Decide the Next Step Together

Your next step is based on the findings, your goals, and what makes sense for your situation.

Care may include treatment and rehabilitation at Strategic, or coordination of additional diagnostic testing or specialty care when that would help clarify the problem or change the plan.

Care Should Make Sense

Dr. Farmen believes patients should understand what is being recommended and why.

There is no predetermined treatment plan and no assumption that every patient needs the same type or amount of care.

The goal is to understand the problem, explain the options clearly, provide individualized care, measure progress, and help coordinate additional testing or specialty care when appropriate.

Clear answers. Individualized care. Measured progress.

Ready to Get Started?

If you are dealing with a neck, back, or spine-related problem, start by telling us what is going on.

We will listen, examine the problem, explain what we find, and discuss what makes sense next.

Call 469-224-1500

Online scheduling coming soon.