Dr. Craig Buhler, D.C., F.I.C.C. — Developer of the AMIT® Method
Dr. Craig F. Buhler is the chiropractor who developed the Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT®) and the founder of AMIT Clinics in Utah. Across more than 45 years of practice — including 23-plus years as team chiropractor for the NBA Utah Jazz, two decades providing care to the US Ski Team, and consulting roles with Super Bowl-winning NFL franchises and Olympic athletes — his work has reshaped how high-performance sports medicine identifies and resolves the real cause of injury.
Background and Athletic Foundation
Dr. Buhler graduated from Viewmont High School in 1967 with honors in both Track & Field and Speech & Debate. He attended Weber State College and then enrolled at the University of Utah on an athletic scholarship (1969–1972), where he again earned honors in Track & Field. He also served six years in the United States Air Force Reserves, leaving service at the rank of Staff Sergeant.
That early background, a competitive athlete who understood human performance from the inside, became the lens through which he later approached chiropractic care.
Education and Credentials
Doctor of Chiropractic - Western States Chiropractic College, Portland, Oregon (1974–1978)
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Physiology; focus on motor physiology (1990–1992)
Research Associate - University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Physiology; Training Grant NS07172 (1992–1994)
Fellow of the International College of Chiropractors (F.I.C.C.)
Board-Certified - National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
Member - American Chiropractic Association; Utah Chiropractic Physicians Association
Internships
Dr. Alan Beardall - Clinical Kinesiology (1976–1978). Dr. Beardall was the original developer of Clinical Kinesiology, and Dr. Buhler trained directly under him during chiropractic college.
Dr. Robert Shelton - Roseburg, Oregon (1978–1979)
A 45+ Year Practice in Utah
Dr. Buhler has founded and operated three chiropractic clinics in Utah across his career, each focused on integrating sports medicine with whole-body care:
1979 - opened Buhler Athletic Injuries Clinic in Salt Lake City, with an emphasis on athletic injuries and family practice.
2002 - opened a second clinic in Kaysville, Utah, focused on sports injuries and human performance. This is the original A.M.I.T.® Clinic.
2018 - opened the Buhler A.M.I.T.® clinic in Draper, Utah, extending care to patients across the Wasatch Front.
Where to See Dr. Buhler
Dr. Buhler primarily sees patients at the AMIT Clinics Kaysville office (447 N. 300 W. #5, Kaysville, UT 84037). Scheduling is handled through the AMIT Clinics line at 801.544.2355 or online.
No referral is required, and every first visit begins with a full functional evaluation before any treatment is recommended.
Professional and Athletic Appointments
Dr. Buhler’s clinical work has been built against the hardest test in sports medicine — keeping elite athletes available and performing. His appointments and consulting history include:
NBA: Utah Jazz Team Chiropractor (1980–2003)
NFL: Denver Broncos (1998 & 1999 Super Bowl Seasons)
Dr. Buhler consulted with the Denver Broncos during their back-to-back Super Bowl-winning seasons in 1998 and 1999. In 2022 he also worked with Odell Beckham Jr. through his Super Bowl-winning season.
US Ski Team and Winter Olympics
Other Athletic Consulting
World Cup Champion Speed Skaters (2002–2006)
World Cup Champion Snowboarders (2002–2014)
World Champion Swimmers (2002)
Stanford University Women’s Swim Team (2002)
Utah Jazz consulting role (2005–2007)
BYU Men’s Basketball Team Chiropractor under Coach Dave Rose (2015–2019)
PGA Tour golfers
Four Decades of Clinical Innovation
Dr. Buhler’s approach to human performance was not developed in isolation. Over more than four decades, his clinical work has evolved through hands-on experience with professional athletes, Olympic competitors, and patients with complex injuries, alongside research in motor physiology and continued study of neuromuscular function.
From his early work with the Utah Jazz in the 1980s to the development of A.M.I.T.®, his career has been shaped by a consistent pursuit: understanding how the body functions, identifying factors that may contribute to injury or impaired performance, and developing more precise ways to evaluate and address them.
The milestones below trace that evolution through contemporary media coverage, athlete accounts, professional publications, research, and other independent sources.
Early Recognition
“Dr. Buhler Fine Tunes Jazz”
One of the earliest documented professional profiles of Dr. Buhler appeared in The American Chiropractor in 1988, during the early years of his work with the Utah Jazz.
Utah Jazz Team Chiropractor
“Interview: Craig Buhler, D.C.”
A second feature in The American Chiropractor followed in 1989, focusing specifically on Dr. Buhler and his role as Utah Jazz team chiropractor.
An NBA Star Travels to Salt Lake City
Charles Barkley Seeks Out Dr. Buhler
After continuing to experience problems despite rehabilitation, NBA star Charles Barkley traveled to Salt Lake City to consult with Dr. Buhler. A follow-up report several days later described Barkley’s response to the visit and the muscle testing performed during his evaluation.
Chiropractic & All That Jazz
Inside the Utah Jazz
A detailed Dynamic Chiropractic feature documented Dr. Buhler’s longstanding relationship with the Jazz and his work with players including John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, Bryon Russell, Adam Keefe, and Mark Eaton.
The article also provides a rare contemporary look at how Dr. Buhler approached athletic care: evaluating players before games, working to maximize function, and collaborating with the team’s broader medical and training staff.
Jeff Hornacek
“Battle on Wounded Knee”
With Jeff Hornacek continuing to compete despite severe degenerative knee problems, Deseret News documented the extensive care provided by the Jazz medical and training staff. Dr. Buhler was identified as one of the practitioners most regularly involved in Hornacek’s care.
World Cup Skiing
Steven Nyman Names Dr. Buhler
World Cup skier Steven Nyman, who had overcome multiple serious injuries during his career, specifically named Craig Buhler as one of the people who helped him along the way.
“Doctor to the Athletes”
Beyond the Jazz
A Deseret News profile of athlete Clay Aitken described Dr. Buhler as being known by many athletes as “Doctor to the athletes,” reflecting a reputation that had extended well beyond his work with professional basketball.
The 4-Hour Body
Dr. “Two Fingers”
Tim Ferriss traveled to Kaysville to work directly with Dr. Buhler and later featured his experience in The 4-Hour Body. Ferriss described Buhler’s approach to identifying and reactivating individual muscles, helping introduce his clinical work to a national audience.
“First Line of Defense”
Mark Eaton on Dr. Buhler
Former Utah Jazz All-Star Mark Eaton publicly credited Dr. Buhler with playing an important role in his career and in the careers of Jazz players throughout the 1980s and 1990s, describing him as a “first line of defense.”
A.M.I.T. Enters the Performance Conversation
Ben Greenfield Interviews Dr. Buhler
In a long-form interview, performance and fitness educator Ben Greenfield spoke with Dr. Buhler about A.M.I.T., muscle function, and his approach to injury recovery, extending the conversation beyond professional sports and chiropractic audiences.
TEDxSaltLakeCity
“An Integrative Approach to Healing Healthcare”
Dr. Buhler presented his perspective on integrative healthcare at TEDxSaltLakeCity, sharing ideas developed through decades of clinical practice and work with athletes.
Clinical Author
“Anatomy of Joint Pain”
Dr. Buhler authored Anatomy of Joint Pain in The American Chiropractor, adding to his body of professional writing and clinical education.
John Stockton
A Relationship Spanning Decades
A 2024 Deseret News retrospective revisited John Stockton’s long relationship with Dr. Buhler, including Stockton’s early skepticism, his eventual decision to seek Buhler’s care, and the longstanding relationship that followed.
From Experience to A.M.I.T.®
Across four decades, Dr. Buhler’s work has continued to evolve through clinical practice, professional sports, research, education, and the study of human performance.
What began as an approach developed through hands-on experience ultimately became A.M.I.T.®, a structured methodology that can now be learned and applied by trained practitioners.
Founder of the AMIT® Method
In 2009, Dr. Buhler launched the A.M.I.T.® certification program as its founder and lead instructor, a structured training pathway through which other chiropractors and clinicians learn the Advanced Muscle Integration Technique. AMIT is defined as an integrative biomechanical and neuro-proprioceptive approach to human performance analysis and treatment, designed to accelerate healing and maximize function.
Across the years since, Dr. Buhler has authored or co-authored a series of AMIT testing manuals covering the muscles of the ankle, cervical spine, low back and abdomen, pelvis and knee, lower leg and foot, and shoulder, arm, and hand; the technical reference set used to train AMIT-certified physicians.
Instruments Developed
Beyond the method itself, Dr. Buhler has originated and co-developed clinical instrumentation now used in performance testing:
Muscle Response Tester: a pneumo-electronic instrument for quantifying muscle response during manual muscle testing, originated by Dr. Buhler.
Hoggan FET system: co-developer of the software program for athletic profiling.
Neuro-Pro Tester: co-developer (Quest Medical).
Selected Publications and Research
Dr. Buhler’s academic contributions span more than two decades of peer-reviewed and clinical literature, including:
Burgess P.R., Buhler C.F., Cooper T.A., Jones L.F. - "The Relative Importance of Open-Loop and Error-Driven Mechanisms in Human Load Handling." Society for Neuroscience, Volume 22, 1996; Dept. Physiology, University of Utah School of Medicine.
Buhler C.F. - "Objective Neuro-proprioceptive Muscle Testing to Define Subluxations and the Effect of Chiropractic Adjustments on Aberrant Motor Function." D.C. Tracts, 1997.
Burgess P.R., Jones L.F., Buhler C.F., et al. - "Muscular torque generation during imposed joint rotation." Somatosensory & Motor Research, Vol. 19, Issue 4, 327–340, 2002.
Podlog L., Buhler C.F., Pollack H., Hopkins P.N., Burgess P.R. - "Time Trends for Injuries and Illness and Their Relation to Performance in the National Basketball Association." Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
Carrier D., Buhler C.F., Keteyian C. - "A Closer Look at Aberrant Muscle Function." University of Utah, Department of Biology, 2021.
Buhler C.F. - "A New Paradigm in Load Management: Working with Professional Athletes." Chiropractic Economics, July 30, 2025.
Speaking, Teaching, and Media
Dr. Buhler has been a featured lecturer at chiropractic and sports-medicine venues for four decades, including the Rocky Mountain Revue Sports Medicine Conference, Parker College of Chiropractic, ICAK Winter Symposium, the South Carolina Chiropractic Association, and most recently the Luz Innovations Medical Academy in Münster, Germany (April 2025). He is also a TEDx speaker (Salt Lake City, 2012) and a guest lecturer in the University of Utah Department of Biology.
His work has been profiled in national media and in long-form documentary, including:
Featured in The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss (2010), a #1 New York Times bestseller.
Featured in Men’s Journal, July 2003.
Featured in the documentary films Doctored and Bought by filmmaker Jeff Hays (2012), and Backbone by filmmaker Bobby Sheehan (2019).
Athletic Injuries Columnist, Deseret News, Salt Lake City (1981).
Awards
CHP Meritorious Service Award
Fellow of the International College of Chiropractors (F.I.C.C.)
Clinical Focus
Dr. Buhler treats patients across the full range of musculoskeletal complaints, with particular depth in the cases other approaches have not resolved:
Sports injuries — acute and chronic, across competitive and recreational athletes
High-performance athletic assessment and accelerated healing protocols
Post-surgical rehabilitation where function never fully returned
Predictive and preventative care via Clinical Kinesiology and AMIT®
Complex chronic pain — including patients who have cycled through PT, injections, and standard chiropractic
General family chiropractic care
Research Interests
Dr. Buhler’s ongoing research and clinical interests include articular neurology and tissue proprioception, predictive and functional medicine, accelerated healing strategies, the role of proprioceptive inhibition in injury and poor surgical or rehabilitation outcomes, evidence-based chiropractic practice, and building scientifically grounded multi-disciplinary care teams.
Learn more about AMIT Clinics and the Advanced Muscle Integration Technique behind our care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed the AMIT method?
The Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT®) was developed by Dr. Craig F. Buhler, D.C., F.I.C.C. He founded the A.M.I.T.® certification program in 2009 and continues to serve as its lead instructor.
How long was Dr. Buhler the Utah Jazz team chiropractor?
Dr. Buhler served as team chiropractor for the NBA Utah Jazz from 1980 to 2003 — more than two decades — focused on load management, accelerated healing, and injury prevention. He continued in a consulting role with the Jazz from 2005 to 2007.
What teams and athletes has Dr. Buhler worked with?
Dr. Buhler has worked with the Utah Jazz (NBA), Denver Broncos during their 1998 and 1999 Super Bowl-winning seasons (NFL), Odell Beckham Jr. in his 2022 Super Bowl season, the US Ski Team (2002–2022), BYU men’s basketball (2015–2019) under Coach Dave Rose, Olympic speed skaters, snowboarders, swimmers, the Stanford Women’s Swim Team, and PGA golfers.
What is Dr. Buhler’s educational background?
Dr. Buhler earned his Doctor of Chiropractic from Western States Chiropractic College (1974–1978) and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Utah School of Medicine in motor physiology (1990–1994). He also studied at the University of Utah on an athletic scholarship and trained directly under Dr. Alan Beardall, the developer of Clinical Kinesiology.
Has Dr. Buhler been published in peer-reviewed journals?onditions does Dr. Buhler treat?
Yes. Dr. Buhler is a co-author on peer-reviewed publications in Somatosensory & Motor Research, the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, and Society for Neuroscience, among others, with research focused on neuro-proprioception, load handling, and injury patterns in the NBA.
What is the F.I.C.C. credential?
F.I.C.C. stands for Fellow of the International College of Chiropractors — a distinction awarded for sustained contribution to the chiropractic profession through clinical excellence, teaching, and research. Dr. Buhler holds this credential.
Does Dr. Buhler still see patients?
Yes. Dr. Buhler continues to see patients at AMIT Clinics in Kaysville, Utah. Appointments can be booked by calling 801.544.2355 — no referral is required.