Dr. Jay Greenberg opened the Red Wing Chiropractic Clinic 45 years ago this month and is pleased his practice has remained a popular, drug-free form of health care.
“I was busy from the first day I opened in 1977 — in fact, I was busy before that,” Greenberg said. “Somehow people had heard we were opening at Red Wing and were coming to see me before we even opened.”
At that time, Greenberg lived above the clinic, and patients would show up at his door for adjustments.
“I sometimes literally had patients in my living room who I didn’t even know had come in, waiting for me,” he said. “They would just be sitting on my couch. I did not refuse them and they became lifelong patients.
Greenberg was just offering chiropractic services at the time, treating a variety of conditions including chronic low back pain, neck strains, migraine, stress headaches, fibromyalgia, arthritic joints, carpal tunnel syndrome , heel pain, menstrual pain, pregnancy pain, premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms.
“Chiropractors weren’t well established in the medical industry when it was first established over 140 to 150 years ago and when I started I went with the basics,” he said.
Over time, other medical fields began to recognize chiropractic care as an important treatment option, and health insurance companies began to cover it.
“Slowly other doctors started to trust this work and are now even referring patients to us when they think our treatment might help them,” Greenberg said.
Now, chiropractic care includes therapies such as acupuncture and decompression, both offered by Greenberg.
He started acupuncture about five years after starting his practice and decompression in 2008.
Acupuncture involves inserting tiny needles into the skin at strategic points to stimulate the central nervous system.
“It promotes the body’s natural mode of healing,” Greenberg said. “Now decompression therapy works by gently stretching the spine to relieve built-up pressure. Patients can do any combination of therapies to relieve pain.
Throughout the clinic’s operation, Greenberg had other doctors working with him to manage the large number of patients.
In 2019, Dr. Barbara Kaiser started as the second current chiropractor.
“I have been practicing since 2009 and offer acupuncture, spinal decompression therapy and chiropractic services,” Kaiser said.
With Kaiser on board, the duo now see around 200 patients a week and recently introduced knee decompression to help people avoid replacements or surgeries.
The practice has nine treatment rooms, 10 tables and five assistants.
“We want patients to feel better and the rule of thumb for any therapy is that in about 10 days, if people aren’t moving forward with treatment and are feeling better, we look for other ways to help” , Kaiser said.
As Greenberg looks to the future of the clinic, he plans to step back in a few years to allow Kaiser to become the main supplier.
“We will transition eventually, but I plan to stay part-time to work with some of my clients who have been with me for a long time,” Greenberg said.
Kaiser said she thinks it will be an exciting prospect and she’s ready when the time comes.
“I have complete faith in Kaiser, and I know she’ll be fine,” Greenberg said. “She will be great for the clinic.”