John Girlando, DC

I’ve been a patient of Dr John for over 5 years & highly recommend him. Time & again he’s saved me from severe neck & back pain as well as migraine headaches. And to top it all off, he’s a great human being and cares a lot about his patients.

Dr. Girlando is terrific! I have been using his services for years. He’s a very upbeat, caring individual who obviously is good at what he does. If only he could create a magical parking garage across the street! :)

Fifteen years ago I fell 7 feet onto a wooden floor and hurt my back so badly i couldn’t stand up straight. The pain was excruciating. The doctor prescribed painkillers and bed rest, but Dr. Girlando warned me that that was the wrong approach — and it would all heal wrong if I didn’t put everything back in place as soon as possible. He was right, of course, and to this day I am problem-​free, and obviously very grateful.

I have been seeing John fairly regularly for about a year and a half now. I suffer from some pretty serious back pain and originally visited him when I could hardly walk. John X Rayed my back and did an initial adjustment. I have to say that I was a chiro skeptic at first, John has made me a believer.
I recently really tweeked my back on a trampoline and am fast approaching a marathon. After a couple weeks with regular pain I headed into see John, I should have gone earlier, but it’s been real busy. I walked out feeling much better, this is after adjustment attempts from a family friend who is also a DC, this guy has a magic touch. His adjustments are fairly firm and I think this is why I get the results that I want. He is personable and down to earth and wildly efficient, I cannot recommend him highly enough. He is also about half the price of some other guys in the area.

So far my experience with Dr. John has been terrific. I started seeing him during my last month of pregnancy. Obviously I couldn’t be x-​rayed but Dr. John knew exactly how to adjust me because if his experience treating pregnant women before. I trusted him immediately and walked out of the office feeling a million times better than when I walked in. I tried prenatal massage and yoga but chiropractic is the only thing that brought me real relief from the discomfort of preganncy.
The bonus to seeing a chiropractor this last month of pregancy was how it helped with my labor. Adjusting my pelvis helped my baby move into position and when it came time to push, he actually had already moved down half-​way on his own, leaving me to push for only thirty minutes, no stitches needed. I sincerely believe that the adjustments from Dr. John contributed greatly to my labor going so smoothly.
I continue to see Dr. John for postnatal adjustments. Now my back is all out of whack but what really hurt are my feet. After one adjustment me feet feel much better.
Dr. John is a nice guy who likes to help people. If you are having an issue with affordablity, it never hurts to have a conversation about it. I wouldn’t suggest discontinuing treatment without at least talking about it first.

I have been waiting to write this review after 4 months of having chronic neck issues, in the hopes that they would go away, and that I wouldn’t need to write this scathing review, in which giving Dr. John 1 star is way too much.
I went to see Dr. John back in September 2010 because I was suffering from migraines, and at the time I didn’t know what the source of the migraines was from. A friend had told me that I should go see a chiropractor, because she had done that, and it had helped her migraines to go away after several neck adjustments. Although when I went to see him, I was experiencing some discomfort in my neck, it was really the migraine which was the primary concern.
On my first visit, Dr. John told me he was going to take some X-​rays to see what was going on with my neck. I should have known when he was taking the X-​rays, and didn’t provide me with a Radiation Exposure apron, that this man is a quack. I asked him if he had a Radiation Exposure apron, and he said he didn’t think it was necessary. Really? If I get cancer, I know who to blame. :(:(:(
Then, he took the X-​rays out of the room, and said he was going to look at them. When he returned to the room, he told me he hadn’t really gotten a chance to «look» at the X-​rays, but that he could already tell what was going on with me. Then, he proceeded to touch the vertabrae in my neck in spine, and told me that my C-​1 was out of alignment, as well as another one in my back. He then informed me that he was going to need to do an adjustment on both of those vertabrae, and that in order to see some results, that I would need to come back the next day if I could, or as soon as possible.
He then proceeded to rapidly and aggressively «adjust» my neck. Mind you, I have NEVER had this done before in my life. The sound that my neck made was completely un-​nerving, but I chalked it up to being the norm, because I didn’t have anything to compare it to. Now, after talking to friends and hearing of their experiences, I realize that the adjustments that were done to me were WAAAY to aggressive.
I went back to see Dr. John several more times, and each time he adjusted those same vertabrae. And each time he adjusted my neck in the same rapid and aggressive way. He kept telling me to come back another time, so that I could «see the results» from the adjustments.
I never really saw any results, and after going to see him about 4 times and realizing it was not helping, I stopped going.
Now here’s the thing – it turns out that my migraines were being caused by 4 deeply and severely impacted wisdom teeth.
And you know what? Whereas before going to see Dr. John, I really hadn’t ever had problems with my neck, NOW I have chronic neck issues – my neck is constantly crunching and cracking, and I NEVER can get relief from it. In addition, the vertabrae in my back that he adjusted, in which I ALSO never had any previous problems, is ALSO constantly cracking now.
This man is a fraud. I swear to G-​d he maimed my neck, and created bodily harm to me where I hadn’t had it before.
He is like a bad mechanic who secretly creates another problem with your vehicle, so that you have to keep coming back for more repairs.
I would sue his ass off if I could for what he has done to me.
Buyer BEWARE. :(:(:(

i always thought that chiropractic healing was a bunch of Mumbo– Jumbo. then i hurt my neck. My friend recommended doctor G and now Im a chiropractic convert. The mumbo– jumbo really does work.

I recently went to see Dr. John Girlando due to back and hip problems related to my profession.
I had such a great experience with Dr. John! He really listens and understands that my profession requires the need to stand for several hours at a time. He has developed a personal comprehensive plan specifically for my needs. He also has a extensive background in Yoga, and has given me some of these techniques to use on on my own.
Dr. John is attentive, caring and thorough. I highly recommend him!

I have one chronic issue and one acute one. He took care of the acute one and always monitors the chronic one. I started at three times a week for about a month, then went to two and now I’m down to one visit per week.
Dr. John is a great chiropractor and I always look forward to our visits. He’s friendly, knowledgeable and works with you as a partner in your care not just telling you what to do. I asked him for at home stretches and he took the time during our next visit to show me. I need a Dr. note for reimbursement and he handle that quickly and efficiently as well.
The Office
The are super flexible with your appointments as well, which I love! Billing is flexible as well, depending on what coverage you have. They try to work with your financial situation. They know what they’re doing (Dr. John and the staff) and they do it efficiently but if you don’t understand it you just need to ask questions and they’ll slow down to work with you. I had tons of insurance questions and they answered them all.

I do not have a lot of experiences to compare, but my intuition is enough for me to know when an experience is good and when it is not.
It is true that the doctor seemed to know what he was doing. I found him through Unilocal and I came in for my first visit — consultation and adjustment last week. Earlier that day I called to make an appointment and was told that the first visit will cost me $ 50. Okay. Going rate. Great. I don’t have insurance, so I already was prepared to bite the bullet.
The total visit was maybe fifteen minutes long. Dr. Girlando rushed me through it, without even having me take my big heavy boots off. He listened to me talk about a problem I was having but just told me that after the adjustment he performed my symptoms should just go away on their own. They didn’t.
At the end of the consultation he took out his price sheet and said «well since you don’t have insurance, I will only charge you $ 35 for the consultation.» (I am all like, great, what a nice guy.) and then he says «and the adjustment is $ 20. so your total is $ 55».
So he is acting like he is doing me a favor, charging me more than I was originally told I would get charged and the whole visit lasted about 15 minutes, when I was told he would spend a half an hour with me.
It’s not the extra $ 5. It’s the way I felt I was treated.
And then he told me he has to see me next week to see how the adjustments set in. No thanks.

100% five star reviews for a reason. Nothing more I can add here that hasn’t been said. Just wanted to show my support for Dr. John.

Lets get to the point John Girlando is ridiculously awesome at what he does! The man has mastered Chiropractic therapy and connecting your mind, body and soul. He is living proof of that.

John is such a easy going person and is fantastic at his work. the scheduling simple. He is a very professional person and is really effective in his work. He has worked on me many times and i now him personally. He has a gift helping people with pain and he is a health nut all the way… a little to nutty. He does teaches yoga and gives speaks about healthy living. He surfs and travels the world. I really recommend the dude!

John Girlando is awesome! Atlas Chiropractic was realy easy and friendly for scheduling. I went in with back problems and John was really clear and helpful. Strong recommendation!

Dr John is one of those very special people with a gift for healing. I go across the city to see him because he is worth the effort.
Dr John is very observant and a good listener as well as having big warm healing hands. I appreciate his holistic attitude; he is helping me contemplate different levels of my physical, emotional, and spiritual well being and how to integrate them better. He has helped me become more aware of how I hold my body and how I breathe and how that affects how my body feels. This awareness has helped me make needed changes to help myself.
I have learned for the first time in 12 years how to self-​relieve my chronic middle back pain with exercise, breathing, and relaxation.
My job as a photographer requires me to carry heavy equpment often for many hours at a time, and Dr John is helping me learn how to strengthen my body for my work and of course he gets me back aligned after bending myself all out of shape!
I have had many chiropractors over the years, and Dr John is the best.

So, I’ve always been pretty skeptical when it comes to chiropractors. I’ve heard that once you start going, they adjust you so that you always have to come back and get re adjusted. So, when i woke up the other morning, not being able to turn my neck, I was hesitant to get it fixed. By the next morning, it still hadn’t improved, so I hit up
to find me a doctor.
Dr. John had the most good reviews, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I called in the afternoon, and was told that the office was closed at 2pm because he usually does volunteer work at the VA Hospital. I made an appointment for the next morning and called it a day. The receptionist called back about 20 minutes later and said he would come back to the office when he was finished, at around 6pm. The office was closed, and he came in anyways!
I woke up feeling about 95% better this morning, and went in for a checkup. He did one other adjustment on the neck, and even worked on my lower back. Since I have no insurance, he even worked with me to find an affordable (WAY affordable, even cheaper than my veterinarian!) solution so I could get more treatments if needed, since I have some back issues as well.
I can’t say enough, this guy is extremely friendly, very professional, and very accomodating. I would see him again (and am), in a heartbeat.

I’ve been seeing Dr John for a year now and feel he is one of the greatest Dr’s I’ve been to. I’ve had a couple bad experiences. Who hasn’t. Dr’s that never even make eye contact while zooming through your visit like it’s some sort of pit stop, leaving the wind blowing through your hair on their way out with a «Book your net visit with my receptionist on your wait out» which is basically Medical speak for «Don’t let the door hit you on your ass on the way out» as they zip down the hall to their next patient.
Dr John takes the time to listen to what you are feeling, asking questions until he’s sure he knows what the problem is before he even begins. Then makes sure you know how to prevent the problem from happening again through posture, exercise and yoga.

Dr. John is amazing!
I woke up with a bizarre kink in my neck this morning so I called to see if I could be seen later on in the day. The receptionist (she is SUPER sweet) informed me that he was out of the office for the day (Thursdays) but she would call him and see if he’d be willing to come into the office to see me.
He called me back, personally, within the hour and said he could come by the office later that afternoon! John’s adjustments are gentle and painless yet extremely effective. My neck is already feeling 5000x better.
In addition to being a fantastic doctor, John has a great beside manner and gave me tons of helpful tips of stretches/​exercises/​treatments to do at home when my neck and shoulder flare up.
Thanks, John! :)

11÷19÷07 Update: Seriously, if I could give him more than 5 stars, I would. Dr. John is such a saint. He is beyond patient with me and my 1 million injuries. I beat myself up working out– and he does his best to fix me back up every time… I can’t say enough good things about his practice. He is just a genuine guy who cares about helping his patients feel well. I am glad to have him on «my team.»
6÷17÷06 Update: been going to Dr. John since the original injury back in March– going strong and feeling good. Really glad I found him to help whatever’s hurting from my relentless exercising: o)
Two weeks after my awful back injury: I probably had about 8 visits with Dr. John– and who knows what has healed me but I’m guessing it was a good combination of chiropractic adjustments, exercises (mostly gentle yoga poses and stretches Dr. John showed me) and time without being in the gym. Regardless of the reason, I am feeling MUCH better and am ready to get back into the gym after hardly being able to move without pain 2 weeks ago. So thanks Dr. John for helping nurse me back to health.
Second Visit: Ditto from my original review. Glad I found this Doc– thanks Unilocalers for posting reviews.
First Visit: I feel like he listened to what I was saying, took the appropriate measures to rule out any major problems (x-​ray) and was fair about pricing since I’m paying out-​of-​pocket. I’ll be going back very soon as my lower back injury is keeping me out of the gym and I’m going to make an effort to help myself heal as quickly as possible.
I like that he works yoga techniques and exercises/​stretching into the treatment and Rx for care. It seems fitting that back problems should be cared for as such.
Will post more after subsequent visits.

«I walked into Dr Johns office a few months ago with some serious sciatic pain. I avoided getting treated for a long time… because, let’s face it… I am a yoga teacher and a procrastinator, so I thought I could work it all out with practice. When practice started making it worse… I decided it was time for intervention… OK OK enough with the life story, I know… then along came Dr John. After the first session, I felt much better; after several sessions, I felt incredible and was practicing yoga like the good olé days. I now pop in for „maintenance“ which is so helpful since I spend a lot of time sitting on airplanes for hours.
Regardless, the Atlas Chiropractic Office is great. Soraya is sweet and friendly and always remembers who you are. Dr John always makes me laugh and truly cares about the health of his patients. For all of you holistic peeps out there… this guy is the one. Added bonus… he is totally into yoga too! GO SEE DR. JOHN!»

John is a fantastic healing influence in my life. I can count on him in a jam and I am definitely healthier and better aligned because of John. I recommend his services for anyone wishing to improve their spinal health.
Great Job John!