Ryan Engelhardt: The Veteran Behind Mission Ready Chiropractic

His Army career totaled 10 years, with seven in the National Guard and three on active duty.

“It was fun. It was frustrating,” he said.

What he misses most is the people. He compares the camaraderie to belonging to a sports team, a feeling familiar to the former college wrestler.

“You don’t miss the circus, you miss the monkeys, I guess,” he said.

When asked whether he would join again, he said yes.

A Patient Experience That Changed His Direction

During the latter half of his deployment, Engelhardt was dealing with a hip problem that sent pain through his lower back when he ran. He says the care he had received had not resolved it.

He credits a chiropractic adjustment with helping him return to running. That personal experience gave him a reason to consider chiropractic as a career. The way he was treated during the visit also stayed with him.

“The doc was just super kind and friendly and upbeat,” he said.

He had wanted a profession that would let him work with his hands and help people directly. As a patient, he had found an example of what that could look like.

“I wanted to be able to offer that to other people,” he said.

After leaving the Army in 2010, Engelhardt entered chiropractic school. He went on to earn a doctorate in chiropractic and a master’s degree focused on sports injuries, then worked at a clinic for about a year before opening his own practice in Colorado Springs.

Bringing His Experience Home

In Colorado Springs, Engelhardt primarily served the military community. From 2017 to 2020, he volunteered as a chiropractor with the 10th Special Forces Group. He later contracted as an external provider through foundations supporting the military community.

Family prompted his return to North Dakota in 2025. His two children have 18 first cousins between Bismarck and Alexandria, Minnesota. He wanted them to grow up closer to that extended family and “not constantly feel like they were out of the loop.”

“So I sold my practice and moved up here,” he said.

His first stop after the move was a friend’s practice focused on pediatric and pregnancy care. He appreciated that experience, but found himself missing the patient population he had worked with in Colorado. Veterans, first responders, and athletic adults were the people he wanted to return to treating.

That focus helped shape Mission Ready Chiropractic, along with a desire to make accessing care easier.

Building a Practice Around Access

Engelhardt’s thinking about the patient experience comes from working in health care and navigating it himself, including as a patient within the VA. He had frustration with barriers and bureaucracy, and with encounters that left too little room for meaningful interaction between patients and the people responsible for their care.

When he established Mission Ready, he deliberately kept the operation lean. Patients communicate directly with him, he says, and appointments typically last between 20 and 45 minutes. He wants that time to allow for a fuller understanding of the person’s concerns and goals.

Keeping those appointments affordable meant paying close attention to the expenses the practice would carry. Engelhardt says he keeps overhead low and operates without business debt.

“My business doesn’t have any debt,” he said.

What It Means to Be Mission Ready

The name of the practice reflects the question Engelhardt wants to ask each patient.

“What’s your mission? What do you want to do?” he said.

For him, the answer once meant being able to run again. In a follow-up to the interview, he described the range of goals he has in mind: a firefighter maintaining the physical ability to protect the community, a veteran reclaiming abilities they once took for granted, an athlete working toward peak performance, or a parent keeping up with their children.

“My job isn’t simply to get someone out of pain. It’s to help them build the physical capacity, resilience, and confidence necessary to continue doing the things that give their lives purpose,” he wrote.

Engelhardt says that philosophy informs his approach to chiropractic care, rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, injury prevention, and patient education. He offers corrective exercises alongside chiropractic care, and the clinic also provides soft tissue treatment. What he recommends depends on the person’s needs.

Individualized care also means recognizing when another provider should be involved.

“It might not be me,” he said.

He points to a recent patient with a history of head injuries whose needs called for evaluation by a different provider. Understanding what a patient needs, in his view, includes being willing to look beyond his own services.

Serving Beyond the Clinic

Engelhardt also wants Mission Ready to become a resource for organizations serving the community. He is particularly interested in developing relationships with the military, veterans, firefighters, law enforcement, and other first responders.

He sees possibilities in working with fire departments on movement and injury prevention, helping schools develop concussion protocols, and collaborating with local coaches and fitness professionals. These are areas where he hopes to contribute as he builds relationships in the community.

He believes health care professionals have an opportunity and a responsibility to help their communities become healthier and more resilient.

Mission Ready Chiropractic

465 32nd Ave E, West Fargo | 701-369-2444

Ryan Engelhardt is one of 10 local veterans profiled in Fargo INC!’s November 2026 Veterans in Business issue. Read his story as it ran in print below.