Category: Business

Given the potential for abuse of and addiction to opioids, Alex Pierroutsakos was determined after losing his arm in a serious car accident at the age of 23 not to become reliant on them.

So, to manage his pain, he searched for alternatives, such as exercise, diet, massage therapy and chiropractic care.

“Those are the four things that have helped me get myself to be able to live my healthy, active life,” Alex says.

While the first three of the four things were readily accessible, Alex found that finding good, affordable and available chiropractic care wasn’t. It inspired him to open The Joint Chiropractic Center in New Tampa (in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center shopping plaza, less than two miles south of the Pasco County line on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., at New Tampa/Cross Creek Blvd.).

The Joint’s New Tampa location is owned by Dr. Edward Leonard’s TJ Wesley Chapel PA, and managed by Alex and his wife Valerie.

While Alex is a businessman — he and Valerie recently opened a second The Joint location in Brandon — he also is devoted to helping patients find the solutions to the very problems he has encountered due to his accident.

The Joint was originally founded in 1999 by a Doctor of Chiropractic with a vision to transform the traditional, often misunderstood concept of routine chiropractic care by making it more convenient, friendly and affordable. In March 2010, The Joint was re-founded with the acquisition of the original eight franchised clinics. Today, The Joint has more than 425 chiropractic offices, more than 900 chiropractic physicians and has handled more than 12 million patient visits across the U.S.

Two Years In New Tampa!

The Joint, which as of May 21 has been open on BBD for two years, has licensed chiropractors to help you with spinal and joint function. It offers weekly adjustments to improve your body’s balance and relieve pain. It will hold its two-year anniversary sometime in June or July — with free food and beverages being provided by outside vendors, big raffle prizes, giveaways and a full day of free adjustments.

The Joint’s new patient special offers a $29 initial visit, which includes a consultation, exam and adjustment. Then, for $69 a month, you get four adjustments — less than $20 per visit — and each additional adjustment (if you need more than four in a month) costs just $10. For those 17 and under, the cost is only $39 a month.

For a single visit, the cost is only $39, but The Joint, which boasts nearly 400 members in New Tampa, also offers a number of packages for multiple visits, and recommends maintenance visits even after your pain goes away.

Pebble Creek’s Diane Seay joined in January when she was having issues with the sciatic nerve on her left side. Dr. Barney Bickerton, D.C., was able to relieve her pain, but he also discovered something else.

“He discovered that I have scoliosis in my shoulders,” Diane says. “That was a surprise. I always thought my one shoulder was lower than the other, but I thought that was from carrying purses and shoulder bags all these years.”

Diane is now having her shoulder treated by Dr. Bickerton, and says she can already notice the difference when she looks in the mirror. She also says she had back pain from sleeping on her side, but “Dr. B,” as many patients call him, diagnosed an issue with her lower spine, or sacrum, and is making improvements there as well.

“There’s no question I feel better,” Diane says, and so does her husband, Jerry, who started going because he saw the changes in his wife.

While Jerry says he didn’t have any back or neck issues, he started going once week (Diane goes twice a week) and says, “I feel more relaxed when I work around the house, in my yard, washing the cars and cleaning the pool. It just feels easier to do, and I feel more flexible.”

The Seays had high praise for not only Dr. Bickerton, but the entire staff at The Joint.

Qualified, Experienced Chiropractic Physicians

Dr. Bickerton, who received his Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees from Logan University, near St. Louis, MO, has 16 years of experience. Dr. B handles the weekday patients at The Joint. 

On Saturdays, Dr. Jennifer Wright, D.C., and Dr. David Mangano, D.C., share duties.

Like Dr. Bickerton, Dr. Wright also earned her D.C. degree from Logan College of Chiropractic in 2007, after attending Ohio State University for her undergraduate studies. Dr. Mangano is a Board-certified Chiropractic Physician in the state of Florida and in New York, with more than  35 years of experience. He also is an affiliate doctor with the Cancer Centers of America, and a wellness consultant and member of the nonprofit organization The Foundation for Wellness Professionals.

Most people seeking chiropractic care are suffering from back pain. According to WedMD.com, 22 million Americans visit chiropractors annually, and 35 percent of them (or 7.7 million) are seeking relief of pain in their backs.

While many medical doctors prescribe opioids for back pain, chiropractors rely on hands-on manipulations of the spine and other joints that can relieve pain and restore mobility. Dr. Bickerton says that if the 24 independent vertebrae aren’t functioning together properly, you can experience pain and discomfort.

“I would say the majority of our patients come in with some level of back and neck pain,” Alex says. “After that, people come because of headaches, or problems with an extremity, like a knee, ankle or shoulder.”

While most people associate chiropractic care with back pain, some studies, Alex says, have shown that routine care also can help with other maladies like relief from arthritis, bursitis, stress and tension disorders and even colds, allergies and sinus problems.

In fact, Alex says his lifestyle, which includes running and sports like basketball, has been helped immensely by keeping various body parts in alignment.

“We actually help a lot of young people, like cheerleaders and football players,” he says. “There’s a tremendous amount of study around ankle and leg adjustments to prevent injury for football players and other athletes. When my chiropractor does my ankles, holy cow…because I exercise and run a lot, the amount of build-up onto that ankle is unbelievable. It’s a significant adjustment.”

The Joint is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekdays, a convenience for those who work and would otherwise have no options. It also is open on Saturdays, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

In the fall, Alex says there are plans to open The Joint on Sundays as well.

Best of all, you don’t even need an appointment, and although The Joint doesn’t accept insurance,  you can still use Healthcare Flexible Spending accounts or Health Savings Accounts.

Alex says the focus of The Joint is to make people feel better, not their insurance companies and lawyers. “And we have a lot of motivated doctors that also want to be a part of that.”

For more information  about The Joint (19014 BBD Blvd.), visit TheJoint.com or call (813) 534-6415. The two-year anniversary party is open to everyone, whether they already are patients at The Joint or not, and we’ll let you know when it is scheduled.