Robert Devine opens chiropractic clinic in Wausau

Rachel Sankey

Past Staff

May 13, 2024

WAUSAU – Even before Robert Devine started chiropractic school, he said he knew he wanted to eventually own his own practice and be a business owner.

The Eau Claire native recently made that goal a reality in the place he now calls home – Wausau.

“I’ve been out of school and practicing professionally for more than four years,” he said. “I’ve worked for multiple different clinics within that time.”

Though he said the clinics each had their positives, he came across several different things he would have done differently had he owned the practice.

“I needed to branch out on my own, and life led us in this direction,” he said. “We decided to do it now.”

As of the beginning of March, Devine said he and his wife, Nicki, officially opened Wausau Spine & Rehab, located at 613 N 5th St. in Suite 103.

A unique offering

Devine said one of his main goals when opening the clinic was to be different and “offer something to the community they’re not getting elsewhere.”

“To me, that means, for the most part, quality time – one on one with me and the patient,” he said. “Ideally, I love to spend 20 to 30 minutes with a patient each time they come in.”

As a chiropractic clinic, Devine said everyone thinks, “‘you adjust people, what takes so long?’”

“It’s not just the adjustment,” he said. “I think many other things are important as far as their care goes.” 

Other important factors to discuss with the patient, he said, are the multiple treatment options available to them.

“I believe (it) is the best way to get people well and get them improved,” he said. “It’s not just a short-term fix, but more of a long-term fix.”

Each patient’s treatment plan, Devine said, is unique and different.

With that said, he said a typical treatment plan can range anywhere from one to two times a week for three to four weeks, or up to three times a week for two months.

“It’s not an, ‘okay, we’re doing these 30-minute treatments and that’s the only thing you can choose…,’” he said. “We try to meet patients where they’re comfortable, both physically and personally, and also financially, because that’s important, too.” 

Chiropractic care

When new patients at Wausau Spine & Rehab prepare for their first visit, Devine said they can expect to have an in-depth discussion – “especially someone who has not been to a chiropractor before.”

“(We will have) a one-on-one consultation, medical history review and then I can answer any questions or concerns they have in their first visit,” he said. “We’ll also do an examination – I have to examine the patient to ultimately determine what the problem or problems are and what the diagnosis is.”

From there, Devine said he and the patient will discuss how to proceed with treatment and provide some recommendations – which may include laser therapy, hands-on muscle work, stretching and exercise.

Wausau Spine & Rehab’s laser (made by Summus) he said, provides class four, high-intensity laser therapy.

“The laser is traveling below the skin into the tissues, and it doesn’t discriminate – so there’s muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves,” he said. “Whatever it is we need to work on, the laser can go up to two or three inches below the skin, and what it’s doing is signaling the cells to regenerate and to heal back to healthy cells and healthy tissue. When most people have an injury, or maybe they have chronic pain, the tissue is not healthy… so the laser is healing that.”

Though each patient has a different goal for their chiropractic care, Devine said it typically comes down to healing injuries or ridding of chronic pain.

“What (patients) can expect, if they follow through with what we’re recommending and follow through with the treatment plan, is either 100% resolution of the problem or, at worst, 80-90% resolution of the problem,” he said. 

Following through with the recommended chiropractic care, Devine said, is not only meant to fix problems short-term but also for the long run.

“I want to show them ways they can help themselves outside the clinic so the pain doesn’t keep coming back,” he said. 

Settling in

As Wausau Spine & Rehab settles into the community, Devine said he and Nicki are working to get to know more people in the Wausau area.

“We’ve been living in Wausau for four years, but I’ve been – for the most part – working in different cities and communities outside of Wausau,” he said. “We’re trying to network within the community, meet people, and… try to get our name and word out there so people realize we’re here and understand what we do. Once we get to that point, I think things will start to take off.”

To learn more about Wausau Spine & Rehab, visit wausauspineandrehab.com.