Pain, pain, go away, come again some other day
Brunswick Spine & Rehabilitation focuses on long-term health solutions
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK — Stan Nosal and Jignesh Patel are trying to prove that chiropractic medicine and physical therapy are more than just glorified medical practices and can be long-term solutions to ailments rather than just a temporary fix.

Nosal, of South Brunswick, is a chiropractic physician and Patel, of Union, is a doctor of physical therapy. Formerly working together at a practice in Westfield for four years, the two decided to open their own private practice, Brunswick Spine & Rehabilitation on Route 27 in North Brunswick, about six months ago.

Nosal graduated from the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic in Connecticut in 2003 and practices diversified techniques. He does manual adjustments of the spine and extremities and activator adjusting, which uses a tool to adjust a specific part of the spine.

He originally got into the field because he had hurt his back and went to see a chiropractor, combined with his background as a medic in the Army in the Persian Gulf.

"I literally crawled in and walked out," he said of his first experience in a chiropractor's office.

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER AMATO Right: Dr. Stan Nosal, a chiropractic physician, demonstrates a lower-back adjustment on physical therapist Dr. Jignesh Patel at their office, Brunswick Spine & Rehabilitation, North Brunswick. Left: Patel stretches the hamstring of office administrator Tobi Bladzinski.

Patel went to school at Kean University and received a bachelor's degree in biology. Through a joint program with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, he received his doctorate in physical therapy in 2004. He has worked in an outpatient orthopedic setting since that time.

Patel focus on sports-related injuries and treats neck and back pain. He uses the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy, as well as one-on-one manual treatment of stretching and therapeutic treatment versus just heat, ice and exercise.

"I take care of the problem first before exercise. I take care of the cause of the symptoms before I take care of the symptoms," he said.

Overall, the two doctors treat neck, sciatica and headache pain in patients of all ages, including pregnant women. The most common ailments are herniated or bulging discs, muscle spasms, joint pain, cramping, weakness and numbness or tingling in the arms and legs.

They said that patients usually come in two to three times a week for four weeks, so it is not necessarily an ongoing treatment.

They built up a patient base from five to over 100, and redecorated an existing chiropractor's office into their own space, adding more equipment, more televisions and a treadmill.

They accept most insurance plans and Medicare.

They also offer products such as Biofreeze, ice packs and braces.

"We saw a lot of patients in and out and it felt like a factory," Patel said of his previous work experience, "so we wanted to make [treatment] more personalized."

Part of that personalization is making patients realize that their treatments are legitimate and helpful. Nosal said a common misconception of chiropractic medicine is that people will have to come back for the rest of their lives.

"We want to see them get better," he said. "The majority of the time when we treat an injury, the pain is not the source of pain — somewhere else is the source of the pain."

Patel said that most people assume physical therapy is like massage therapy, whereas it is actually more about stretching and strengthening.

They both also warned of self-diagnosis, especially using the Internet, because without proper education, a person can injure him or herself even more or merely mask their pain with medication.

"The proper diagnosis is key," Nosal said.

Brunswick Spine & Rehabilitation is located at 2300 Route 27. The office is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon but is closed on Tuesday and Sunday.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 732-821-9979 or visit www.BSRHealth.com.

Contact Jennifer Amato at

jamato@gmnews.com.