The short version
Dr. Joe grew up in northern Michigan playing every sport his town had a season for. He moved to Georgia for chiropractic school in 1999, graduated from Life University in 2002, and opened the practice in Buford the same year. Twenty-three years later he's still seeing patients in the same building.
He is the current team chiropractor for the Atlanta Dream (WNBA), the former team chiropractor for the Atlanta Falcons across 13 NFL seasons, and continues to treat a rotating roster of Olympic and professional athletes. He is a Professional Football Chiropractic Society Hall of Fame inductee. The Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the body that licenses every chiropractor in the state, appointed him to a term as a board member. The practice has been Best of Gwinnett every single year since 2012.
The level of care he gives a Buford schoolteacher with a herniated disc is the same level he gives a quarterback. The body works the same way regardless of who owns it. The diagnostic process is the same. The treatment plan is built the same way.
Education and licensure
- Doctor of Chiropractic, Life University, Marietta, GA (2002)
- Bachelor of Science in Health Fitness: Prevention and Rehabilitation, Central Michigan University (1998)
- Minor in Athletic Coaching, Central Michigan University (1998)
- Georgia State Chiropractic License. Issued by the Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
Professional appointments and memberships
- Past Appointed Member, Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the regulatory body responsible for licensing every chiropractor practicing in Georgia.
- Hall of Fame Inductee, Professional Football Chiropractic Society, recognition for sustained contribution to the health and performance of NFL athletes.
- Member, American Chiropractic Association, the largest professional association of chiropractors in the U.S.
- Member, Professional Baseball Chiropractic Society
Sports medicine experience
Most of what Dr. Joe knows about treating spines, shoulders, hips, and knees came from two decades of working with athletes who couldn't afford to be off the field for a single extra week.
- Atlanta Dream (current), Active team chiropractor for the WNBA franchise. Treats active-roster players for game-specific demands like lateral cutting, repeat jump-loading, and short recovery windows during the season.
- Atlanta Falcons (former), Team chiropractor for 13 NFL seasons. Treated active-roster players through every phase of the NFL season: training camp, regular season, playoffs, and rehab.
- Active MLB, NBA, and NFL athletes (ongoing), Treats current professional athletes from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Football League on an individual basis. Players travel into Buford for treatment year-round and during their respective off-seasons.
- Olympic athletes (ongoing), Continues to provide care for Olympic-level competitors across multiple disciplines, including those competing in track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and combat sports.
- Collegiate and amateur athletes, Including football, basketball, baseball, track and field, and combat sports.
Why this matters for the rest of us
An NFL season runs 18 weeks plus playoffs. Players who lose a week to injury can lose a roster spot. That kind of pressure forces a clinic to be efficient about diagnosis and treatment. The same approach gets used at Georgia Spine & Sports Rehab on:
- The Buford CrossFit coach with chronic shoulder issues
- The Atlanta Track Club marathoner whose IT band quit at mile 18
- The Mill Creek high school wrestler trying to make weight without losing strength
- The Lake Lanier retiree who can no longer get up off the floor with a grandkid
- The schoolteacher whose disc herniation is making her question whether she can keep working
Every patient gets the same workup, the same time, and the same straight answer about whether we can help. If we can't, we'll tell you who can.
Dr. Joe's approach
When patients walk in with an MRI showing a disc herniation, the first conversation Dr. Joe has with them is about what the literature actually says. The majority of disc herniations resolve with conservative care, meaning chiropractic, decompression, rehabilitation, and time. He has watched it happen with thousands of patients over twenty-three years. The pieces that often get missed in a typical fifteen-minute insurance visit are the things that decide whether a case resolves in eight weeks or drags on for two years. Surgery is sometimes the right answer, and when it is he says so and refers out. Most of the time, it is not.
The clinic does not sell prepaid packages of sixty visits. Some clinics do, and patients should walk out when they see it. The right number of visits depends on the diagnosis, the early response to treatment, and what the patient is trying to get back to. There is no honest way to know that number on day one, and pretending otherwise is how the profession lost credibility in many rooms. The work here is structured around evaluating progress, adjusting the plan, and ending care when the case is resolved.
Georgia Spine and Sports Rehab is cash-pay, and that decision was deliberate. Insurance dictates fifteen-minute visits, packaged plans, and care decisions made by reviewers who never see the patient. After twenty-three years figuring out the right way to practice, Dr. Joe is clear that insurance-driven care is not it. New-patient evaluations run sixty minutes. Plans match what the case actually needs. The clinic accepts HSA, FSA, credit, and cash, and provides members of the ChiroHealth program with an itemized superbill for out-of-network reimbursement.
The old turf war between chiropractic, physical therapy, and orthopedics is dated by at least fifteen years. Modern sports medicine is integrated. Chiropractors, physical therapists, strength coaches, and orthopedic surgeons work together because that is what produces the best outcomes for athletes. Every NFL team figured this out a long time ago. Dr. Joe refers to, and works alongside, specialists across north metro Atlanta on a routine basis, and is comfortable saying when another clinician is the better fit for a case.
The thing that matters most, on the first visit and every visit after, is an honest answer. If the team here does not think they can help, they say so on day one. If the patient would be better served by an orthopedic surgeon, a sports physiatrist, or a different chiropractor whose specialty fits the case, they refer them. The goal is the patient's outcome, not the clinic's visit count, and that is the standard the practice has held to for twenty-three years.
Press and recognition
- Gwinnett Magazine, feature on the practice and its pro athlete patient roster.
- Patch (Johns Creek), coverage of Dr. Joe's appointment to the Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
- Professional Football Chiropractic Society Hall of Fame, inducted for sustained contribution to NFL athlete care.
- Best of Gwinnett, Chiropractor, 14 consecutive years (2012 to present).
Common questions about Dr. Joe
Does Dr. Joe still treat NFL players?
His formal team-chiropractor role with the Falcons concluded after 13 seasons. He continues as the active team chiropractor for the Atlanta Dream and works with professional athletes across MLB, NBA, NFL, and Olympic disciplines on an individual basis through the Buford practice and through referrals.
Can I request to see Dr. Joe specifically?
Yes. When booking your first visit, request Dr. Joe by name. Some patients (especially pediatric and prenatal cases) are routed to Dr. Corie Terwilliger as the better fit; the front desk will help you choose if you're not sure.
What does a first visit cost?
A new-patient evaluation includes consultation, exam, imaging review when relevant, and your first treatment. Specific fees depend on the case complexity. We're cash-pay. We don't bill insurance. We accept HSA, FSA, all major credit cards, and cash, and offer itemized superbills through our ChiroHealth membership program so you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement on your own. Pricing & payment details →
Is Dr. Joe the right chiropractor for me if I'm not an athlete?
Yes. About 40% of his patient roster are people who don't consider themselves athletes, schoolteachers, retirees, parents, office workers, post-MVA patients. The protocol scales to any body type and activity level.