By Celeste McLaughlin
If you’re experiencing pain, Dr. Nick Venturino knows how you feel. As a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), he’s been treating patients in the New Tampa area for 13 years at his practice, Healing Hands Chiropractic, located just off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (south of Bearss Ave.), in the University Cove Professional Park. ”Dr. Nick” also is a chiropractic patient himself. In fact, his inspiration for becoming a chiropractor traces back to his own life story.
Dr. Venturino earned his D.C. degree from the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City, MO, in 2001. He also previously earned a B.S. degree in Human Biology from Ohio State University in Columbus in 1997.
But, before that, he was a young dad in Columbus, supporting his family with a construction job. He says that pouring concrete and running a jackhammer took its toll on his body, and he hurt his back on three different occasions. Each time, he went to a chiropractor for care.
“It’s an all-natural way to get your body working right,” he says. “I didn’t have to have any surgeries, and I don’t have to take pills the rest of my life.”
He adds, “I have a permanent back injury that I’ve had since 1994. But, I still go to the gym, ride dirt bikes, go snow skiing and play golf. My injury doesn’t keep me from doing the things I want to do.”
After his third injury, Dr. Venturino’s chiropractor told him he needed to look for a new line of work. He suggested Nick visit his alma mater, Cleveland Chiropractic College. And, it didn’t take Nick long to make the decision to change the trajectory of his life, and start helping others the way his chiropractor had helped him.
He enrolled at Ohio State as a full time student with a part time night job.
“When I went to college at age 25, I got my four-year degree in two and a half years. But, I had running a jackhammer and pouring concrete in my rear-view mirror, , and I knew I couldn’t afford to screw up,” says Dr. Venturino. “Because of that, I have a fundamental appreciation for the value of education, and I consider it a blessing that I had to work hard and do it right (to have this career).”
After graduating from Ohio State, he and his family moved to Kansas City and he started to work toward his D.C. degree, which he received in 2001. Dr. Venturino and his wife, Tiffany, then moved to Florida with their kids, Nick and Aly, who were 13 and 10 at the time.
“I didn’t have a job, didn’t know anyone, but I knew I wanted to live somewhere with great weather,” he says.
He adds that in part, this was because his father was sick and shut-in back home in Ohio. The plan was for his dad to move to Florida, where he wouldn’t have to stay indoors half the year because of the cold. Unfortunately, Nick’s dad passed away before he could join his son in Florida, but Nick’s mom and brother did end up making the move.
After working briefly for a chiropractor in New Port Richey, Dr. Venturino opened his own practice near the intersection of BBD and E. Bearss Ave. After nine years, he moved a few doors down to a larger space and, in June of 2013, had the opportunity to purchase a building and move his office to its current location, across the street from his original office location.
Today, Dr. Venturino’s daughter, Aly works as his office manager, and he credits Tiffany with making his office feel homey and comfortable.
Between his treatments and the stress-free atmosphere, Dr. Venturino assures you that, “You will walk out more relaxed than when you walked in. I treat all my patients like they’re going to be my patients for life. We treat you like family.”
Benefits Of Chiropractic Care
Dr. Venturino offers chiropractic care, therapeutic modalities, massage therapy, physical therapy for the spine (including for the neck, mid-back and lower back), decompression therapy and some nutritional counseling. He also provides X-rays at his office.
The staff at Healing Hands Chiro also includes a full-time, licensed massage therapist (LMT), Suhail, who has 19 years of experience and specialized training in prenatal massage, sports injuries, traumatic injury and reflexology.
According to Dr. Venturino, most patients visit him when they are experiencing pain, such as headaches, back, hand, foot or neck pain, but he says he can provide relief for virtually any type of pain you’re having.
“If your body’s not working right, we can get it working right by attacking (and fixing) the problem, not numbing the symptoms,” he says.
And Dr. Venturino says virtually everyone can benefit from chiropractic care, even if you don’t currently have pain. “Our spine, by nature, is flexible and unstable,” he says. “There is tremendous opportunity to stress, strain or injure it.”
He likens a chiropractic examination to a physical exam you might have with a medical doctor to detect cancer, heart disease or other ailments. Often, you don’t have symptoms until the problem has progressed into late stages, but treatment is easier and more effective in early stages.
“We correct structural problems and help people become consciously aware of them,” he says, explaining that people often lean or slouch in a way that’s comfortable for them, but that slouching itsef indicates a problem with the spine.
But, Dr. Venturino doesn’t limit his concern to just caring for your spinal column. He says he also is concerned with the holistic treatment of the entire body, to ensure wellness.
“My job is educating people,” he says. “As well as I can deliver chiropractic services, it pales in comparison to what you actually can do for yourself when you’re properly educated.”
To that end, Dr. Venturino’s website at MyHealingHandsChiropractic.com is full of great information and videos. For anyone who has kids ages 10-14, Dr. Venturino highly recommends his series of scoliosis videos. By investing a few minutes of your time, you will learn how to find subtle changes in your child’s posture, and that info can help a chiropractor fix the problem so it doesn’t become a lifelong issue.
If you’re stretching all the time, or always popping your neck to make it feel better, Dr. Nick says you should see a chiropractor for an adjustment.
“We adjust everyone differently,” Dr. Venturino says. As an example, he says he’s been treating his grandbabies (now 18 months and six months) since they were born, and that a spinal adjustment was beneficial to his granddaughter in relieving constipation. He says he firmly believes in the importance of these adjustments to help tiny spines grow correctly.
Healing Hands Chiropractic accepts many insurance plans and Dr. Venturino says that insurance will often cover licensed massage and other services, too.
Michael Crochet, a Tampa Palms resident, was experiencing back pain so he came to see Dr. Venturino. In-house X-rays revealed a herniated disc in his back. He was treated with chiropractic adjustments on a decompression table, which, he says, provided complete relief for his pain and eliminated the need for surgery. He says that occasionally (every six months to a year), when something happens, he will feel pain again. For example, Michael recently spent a couple of hours hunched over while cleaning out old files, and the next day his back hurt.
“When I do something that messes up my back, then I’m back on the table to get pain relief,” he says.
He adds that he appreciates Dr. Venturino’s commitment to educating his patients. “Dr. Nick spends a lot of time explaining what I need to do to,” says Michael. “And, he’s always hands-on, showing me what to do.” He adds, “on a personal note, he is just a fine man. No one is more ethical, so I have no qualms about trusting my body and treatment to him. He always has his patients’ health in mind, and is just a tremendous person.”
Healing Hands Chiropractic is located at 14491 University Cove Pl., in the University Cove Prof. Park, which shares an entrance with the Grand Pavilion apartment complex. The office is open Mon.- Thur., 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and 9 a.m.-noon on Friday. For more info, visit MyHealingHandsChiropractic.com or call 977-2383.
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