The Joint Chiropractic - South Orange Ave

Joel Manion, DC, MS, CSCS, joined The Joint Chiropractic team of holistic healthcare providers in 2019 with his arrival to LG Chiropractic Group, where he serves as the Director of Operations and Chiropractic Services. A graduate of University of Florida with a bachelor’s of science in exercise physiology, Dr. Joel received his doctorate of chiropractic from Logan University College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Mo.

“The thing I love most about being in the field is the power of the chiropractic adjustment,” he says, “the ability to improve a patient’s quality of life through chiropractic care.”

In addition to his role with The Joint, Dr. Joel serves as adjunct faculty at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange. A product of Orange Park, Dr. Joel worked previously in Peoria, Ill., as well as Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach Gardens, Miami, and Jacksonville.

“I enjoy the ability to provide chiropractic care to the masses and help continue to build The Joint brand in the communities we are serving,” he says.

In his spare time, Dr. Joel enjoys watersports, working out, and spending time with friends and wife Melissa. “We met in Jacksonville while she was managing a colleague and friend’s chiropractic office,” he says. “We share the same love for the chiropractic profession.”

His chiropractic journey was sparked by a first-hand experience.

“I was in a bad car accident in 2003 and referred over to a chiropractic physician in Memphis, Tenn.,” Dr. Joel says. “It was my first interaction with a chiropractor and went into it somewhat skeptical because I didn’t know a whole lot about the profession. Once I arrived at the office and realized how professional the doctor and the staff were, it was then I quickly became much more comfortable with the choice I had made.

“I was then blown away by how diligent and detailed the chiropractor was explaining my condition to me in a way that helped me understand how chiropractic care was going to not only improve my current status, but also how continued care would improve my overall quality of life. As I continued through the prescribed therapy plan, I realized how quickly the chiropractic adjustments were improving my pain levels and improving my overall quality of life. It was then that I made the conscious decision to research and apply to chiropractic college.”

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If he could bring together anyone from history to create the dinner party of his dreams, Dr. Joel would invite a group that could headline any convention of corporate CEOs. “I would include Howard Schultz because he is the genius mind behind the rapid expansion of the Starbucks brand,” he says. “Zig Ziglar because he is the original master at the art of sales. Tony Robbins because he is the ultimate speaker regarding personal persuasion and understanding self-improvement. Also, I would invite actor Gary Busey because of his prolific and crazy antics, but most importantly because of his famous one-liners in my favorite movie, Point Break.”

The coolest thing that Dr. Joel has ever done took place while he was on vacation. “I zip-lined on the longest and tallest zip line in the world over open ocean in Haiti,” he says. “What made it so cool was that I did this lying flat on my stomach traveling at speeds of up to 60 mph.”

Born and raised in Central Florida, Dr. Katie knows this community and how to serve it. Her time completing her Bachelor’s Degree was spread throughout Lake Sumter College, Valencia College, Southeastern University and the University of Central Florida. Finally, she graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic and joined The Joint team where she is the clinic director at the Winter Park clinic.

Dr. Katie has special interest in treating kids and mothers as well as biomechanical dysfunction, especially of the hips, knees, and feet. Her treatments are based on the FMS system and designed to restore patient’s natural movement patterns and keep them performing at their highest level. Dr. Katie has extra training from Palmer College in Cox Flexion Distraction, Sports, Gonstead and Graston techniques. Treating the body as a whole is at the forefront of her care.

Spending time at the beach, being on the lake fishing, and teaching patients how to care for themselves are all part of what makes Dr. Katie who she is. As a part of The Joint team she is excited to learn about her patients and treat them with the highest possible standard of care.

Dr. Nate Stegehuis joined the family of local healthcare providers at The Joint Chiropractic in 2019. A graduate of Central Michigan who earned a degree in exercise science, he got his doctor of chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida Campus.

Dr. Nate, as he prefers to be called, loves the hands-on nature of chiropractic. “The best thing about being a chiropractor is seeing patients achieve their goals,” he says. “It’s gratifying that I’m able to provide relief to patients with safe, effective treatments.”

He worked in Tampa and Jacksonville before coming to Orlando. “The people of Orlando have been very welcoming to me and our clinic,” he says. “I like that there is a wide variety of patient populations, which has helped me become a better clinician. Getting to work with professional athletes in the area has been fun as well, given my sports chiropractic background.”

Dr. Nate grew up near Detroit. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his dog, a shiba inu named Lana, as well as kayaking and traveling.

First-hand experience led him down the chiropractic path. “Prior to getting out of the Army in 2012, I was working out at the brigade gym,” he says. “During a routine box jump, I felt a deep stabbing pain in my lower back. That minor event resulted in a herniation of my L5 disc. After rehabbing my low back, I began to feel better but would still occasionally feel burning sensations running into my leg and foot. I received my first chiropractic adjustment several years later, which made my back feel brand new. I knew if one adjustment could help me feel this good, then surely I could help others feel similar.”

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Hot sauce is one thing Dr. Nate also keeps in his refrigerator: “I like my food spicy.”

If he could bring together any four people from history, Dr. Nate would lean heavily on his passion for sports and send invitations to retired Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew, wrestler Chris Jericho, and former UFC analyst and current podcaster Joe Rogan. “These guys are some of my favorite personalities in the worlds of sports and entertainment and I feel it would be a very entertaining evening having the four of them in one spot,” he says.

Dr. Nate’s time in the military was an extraordinary experience. “For a year, I was basically the town doctor of this small village in southern Afghanistan because I was the only one in the immediate vicinity with any medical training,” he says. “Villagers would come in for treatment and even bring their children for checkups.

“Riding in the Chinook helicopters overlooking the mountains in Afghanistan was also a breathtaking experience I’ll always remember.”

Dr. Allan Petrilak joined The Joint Chiropractic in 2020 with his arrival at the South Orange Avenue clinic location. A graduate of Florida Atlantic with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, he received his doctorate of chiropractic from Palmer College.

He’s happy to be called Dr. Allan, and he’s excited to be serving the Orlando community. “The thing that’s most gratifying about doing what I do is bringing relief to the patient on the very first visit in a way that is also going to help their long-term function,” he says. “It’s very unique in the world of healthcare.

“The other thing that I appreciate is the never-ending amount of growth that you can achieve as a practitioner. There is always more to learn.”

Dr. Allan grew up in south Florida -- West Palm Beach and Deerfield Beach -- and has worked previously in Maitland and The Villages. When he’s not working, he likes to play basketball, watch sports, lift weights,and go to the arcade.

His pets include a cat named Larry, fish Zeke and Perry, and a blue crab named Fred Lobster. It was in college that Dr. Allan discovered his passion for chiropractic.

“I wanted to be a conditioning coach in undergrad but my very first class in exercise science was an intro where a chiropractor came to speak,” he says. “I always loved studying anatomy but when I made my rounds to shadow, a chiropractor was the only one I didn’t shadow. After knowing everything that I didn’t want to do, I finally came across a friend who knew a part-time chiropractor who was also a detective in south Florida; he was such a wealth of knowledge and so impressive that I knew it was for me.”

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Although there are “a ton of food options around” the South Orange Ave., location, the doctor says the one thing he always keeps stocked in his refrigerator is a carton of egg whites. “I can survive on egg whites,” he says. “They are an easy protein to digest and if I’m in a time pinch, I will drink them as a protein shake.”

Dr. Allan would love to be able to bring together basketball players Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, wrestler Andre the Giant, and comedian Chris Farley for the dinner party of his dreams. “I know I would be laughing nonstop at Chris Farley, and he and Andre would definitely keep the party going by putting down food,” he says. “Michael and Steph are my favorite childhood and current basketball players, so it would be interesting to hear them go back and forth a little about basketball, and both are good golfers as well, so the party may end up on the court or the green.”

If he could recommend any bit of advice to others, it would be to travel. “The coolest thing I’ve done so far, outside of accomplishments, would be going to Europe,” Dr. Allan says. “It’s a big world and cool to see things from the other side.”