Establishing a chiropractic center in downtown Miami Lakes was a full circle moment for Dr. Denis Chang.
Last fall, Chang, 30, opened his Optimize Health Chiropractic Center 15450 New Barn Road.
“I’m pretty familiar with the area, Main Street, the movie theater specifically is where I would go every weekend,” Chang said of
growing up nearby. The sense of community is what drew him to the area.
“I think it’s so tightly knit, all the business owners help each other out,” Chang said.
Having such connections has been vital to building his business, which boasts about 300 patients and is growing.
Chang is so busy he’s brought in a chiropractor in training, Nicolas Trujillo, to join the practice.
Chang treats everyone -- from babies to athletes to elders -- in his office in the Arbor Place Building, a block from Main Street.
He was curious about the profession and in 2016, he apprenticed with another doctor.
He earned a doctor of chiropractic degree from Life University in Marietta, Ga., becoming licensed in Florida in 2023.
“In reality there is more that we do than just crack bones,” Chang said. “The reason we crack bones is because we’re affecting the nervous system.”
The goal of having chiropractic work done is to help the nervous system be able to send messages to different parts of the body, which isn’t possible if a nerve is pinched, Chang said.
He described it as being like a water hose with a kink in it that doesn’t allow water to go through.
“So, if there are no proper signals going to that area, then there is dysfunction that gets created in the body,” Chang said.
His goal is to help the patient find relief, and gradually scale back on treatments to have a maintenance routine. He said his specialty is caring for patients who have bulging or herniated discs along the spine.
“Most people that come in here have lower back pain or pain in the neck area, where [pain radiates] down to their hands or into their feet,” Chang said.
Chang starts with an X-ray and a consultation to figure out where the patient is having pain or discomfort. Then he takes them to a table to massage the spine before he performs a physical adjustment or other treatment.
Procedures may involve using vibrating plates or a machine that makes sound waves.
Chang also has a decompression table that gently stretches a patient’s spine.
He said clients come to his office because they have not found relief with other treatments or may need surgery, and are looking for an alternative, less invasive way to lessen pain.
He welcomes anyone for a consultation and said he is willing to work with patients to help pay for treatment.
He offers packages of services and payment plans to help people get the care they are seeking.
“My number one mission is just to change the viewpoint of chiropractic,” Chang said. “For those who are nervous or anxious about seeing a chiropractor, it is a natural approach.”