By Sue Baldani

After receiving his Doctor of Chiropractic degree, Dr. Steven Maffei appreciated the knowledge and experience he gained while working in a high-volume, multi-doctor clinic in Hoboken. However, he also wanted to establish his own practice and treat patients in the way he thought best. So, in 1996, Dr. Maffei opened the Chiropractic Center of Warren.

“I went into a health-related profession because I wanted to help people, and I obviously wanted to try to help as many people as possible,” he says. “That's why I do this, and one of the things that I pride myself on with my office is the personalized attention that every patient receives.”

Thirty years later, some of his original patients are still with him. “When I was in Hoboken, I treated this young girl who later moved to Somerset County. Fast forward - she's still my patient, and now her husband and two grown kids are also my patients!”

Although Dr. Maffei specializes in lumbar disc injuries and sports medicine, he treats various issues. Most people think chiropractors only deal with spinal injuries, but chiropractic treatments are helpful with strains, sprains and injuries all over the body.

The Chiropractic Center of Warren has the latest innovations to offer patients the best treatments possible. One of these is the ProAdjuster.

“It’s such a great modality that was developed by a chiropractor in collaboration with NASA,” says Dr. Maffei. “It’s an instrument with a specialized sensor that I use to examine the spine and correct what’s wrong without any hands-on manual adjusting. We get great results with it.”

Another impactful treatment is spinal decompression therapy. “It’s a very effective technique that helps to minimize disc herniations and takes the pressure off of pinched nerves,” he says. A patient lays very comfortably on a decompression table for a 12-minute session, and the amount of sessions depends on the severity of the injury.

Dr. Maffei learned about this amazing table after he suffered a herniated disc. “I was in a lot of pain,” he says. “I had sciatica down my leg and it was really bad. I went to a colleague who was using this therapy table a couple of times a week, and by the fourth week, the pain was gone. It was unbelievable how effective it was and I knew I had to get one for my patients.”

As a doctor, he believes that if something comes along that will help a patient more effectively than what is currently being used, then it needs to be implemented. “Technology is always changing and getting better – we must stay on top of it.”

While many patients look to surgery or pain medication to help solve or ease back and body injuries, Dr. Maffei explains that chiropractic medicine actually tries to address and correct the problem instead of just masking it. Unfortunately, some are fearful of chiropractic therapies.

“Some people are afraid of having their bodies adjusted or manipulated, but when I finish they actually seem surprised that it was so painless and easy,” he says. “What I do is so rewarding because I see people who are not well who then get better, and it's such a good feeling.”

To find out more and to make an appointment, go to ChiroOfWarren.com.