Dr. Tyler Wright

Tyler grew up on Dutch Lake in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, where movement, competition, and time outside were part of everyday life. His family spent their summers competing in three-event waterskiing, and Tyler became accomplished in slalom, jumping, and trick skiing—getting into the 35-off slalom pass and jumping more than 100 feet. In high school, he competed in football, basketball, baseball, and track, where sprinting and jumping were his favorite events. He was voted the most athletic male student in his graduating class and, to the best of his knowledge, still holds both his school’s gym-class shuttle-run record and track long-jump record.

Tyler initially attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks—still his personal definition of cold—where he studied commercial aviation. Flying ran in the family, but watching the effects that years of travel, prolonged sitting, and time away from home had on his father made Tyler realize that life as a commercial pilot was not the future he wanted. He wanted an active career, the ability to help people directly, and a way to remain connected to sports and human performance.

Chiropractic was not an obvious choice. Tyler had never visited a chiropractor and knew very little about the profession until researching complementary and alternative medicine for an online course through Kaplan University. That project prompted him to compare chiropractic with physical therapy and other healthcare paths. He was drawn to chiropractic’s broad scope, hands-on nature, entrepreneurial culture, and the flexibility to incorporate rehabilitation, refer for diagnostic imaging, and build a practice around the needs of the people it served. He ultimately chose chiropractic sight unseen—his first real exposure to it came when he arrived at chiropractic school.

Tyler completed his biology studies and earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minnesota. His own history as an athlete shaped the kind of clinician he wanted to become. After a lumbar stress fracture was diagnosed during his sophomore year of high school, he remembers being given a rehabilitation program that felt disconnected from his goals and did little to help him return confidently to sport. That experience stayed with him. He wanted to offer people more than passive treatment or generic exercises; he wanted them to understand what was happening, rebuild meaningful physical capacity, and leave care better prepared for the activities they valued.

Tyler originally imagined spending his career primarily with young athletes. Over time, however, he developed an even greater appreciation for working with middle-aged athletes, weekend warriors, parents, workers, and active adults who refuse to give up the pursuits that make life interesting. Their goals may involve returning to competition, but they may just as easily involve skiing with their children, hunting in the backcountry, lifting without fear, finishing a race, working without pain, or continuing to explore Alaska.

His approach reflects the belief that movement should progress logically through mobility, stability, strength, and power. An adjustment, exercise, or hands-on technique is a tool—not the entire plan. Tyler tries to practice without ego, remaining willing to change course, collaborate, or refer when someone needs something different. The objective is not simply to reduce symptoms for a few days; it is to help people understand their bodies, interrupt recurring pain patterns, and build the confidence and physical capacity to keep moving.

Before Ascent, Tyler and Laura built a highly successful practice in Jackson, Wyoming. Moving their family and practice to Anchorage was a significant change, but reimagining the business as Ascent Health & Performance felt natural. The brand reflects how they actually want to live: beyond pain, in pursuit of adventure. Alaska offered room to grow their practice, raise their children, challenge themselves, experience the wild, learn new skills, and launch into the rest of the state—all while remaining connected to the outside world through Anchorage.

Outside the clinic, Tyler’s interests continue to evolve, but movement remains the common thread. He enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, fishing, lifting, and exploring Alaska with Laura and their children. His next goals include running a half marathon, competing in a powerlifting meet, and returning to golf—proof that even the person encouraging everyone else to keep moving should always have another challenge on the horizon.