The Joint Chiropractic - Tyler

Dr. Mark Osborne became part of The Joint Chiropractic’s team of local healthcare providers in 2016 and began serving Tyler residents in 2020 doing the work he finds so rewarding.

“The thing I like most about being in the chiropractic field is that patients improve without drugs or surgery,” he says. “The body is a self-healing organism. Chiropractic unlocks that healing power.”

Dr. Osborne grew up in Iowa and has worked previously in Tyler, Pearland, Arlington, Richardson, Mesquite, Garland, Kilgore, Houston, Spring, and The Woodlands. He and wife Anita -- “an amazing cook” -- have been married more than 25 years and have raised two sons and a niece. The family also includes a mixed pit bull named Malachi “that takes his guard duty seriously.”

In his spare time, Dr. Osborne enjoys gardening, mostly with blackberries, and loves home remodeling and working with wood. He also likes board games.

Dr. Osborne attended three community colleges -- in Iowa, Utah, and Missouri -- before attending Logan University in Chesterfield, Mo., where he earned his doctorate of chiropractic and a bachelor’s degree in human biology.

“I injured my low back in high school as a competitive diver,” he says. “Chiropractic helped resolve my condition. I have been a patient ever since. That helps me to understand the difference that chiropractic can make. It’s truly life changing.”

In Case You Didn’t Know

Dr. Osborne says that if he could bring together any figures from history for his ideal dinner party, he would love to sit down with presidents Donald Trump and George Washington, and fitness icon Jack LaLanne.

One of the coolest things experienced by Dr. Osborne was serving a two-year humanitarian church mission in the Philippines. “Living in a third-world country, where the average person walking down the street lives in a bamboo house with dirt floors and no plumbing, is humbling,” he says. “It was a lesson in how much you can live without. It puts life into perspective. That is something I need to remember every day. It’s even better when Filipinos come to The Joint as patients so that I can practice my Tagalog.”

Some of his favorite reading comes from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

Dr. Timothy James Stiff has worked throughout Texas, but he is excited to work in Tyler as part of The Joint Chiropractic’s local healthcare team.

“Chiropractic is who I am, an innate part of me,” he says. “Chiropractic is healing with the hands and no medications. I grew up in a medical family: Dad was head of pathology, Mom was head of microbiology, so my passion for healing has always been my heart’s desire.”

“Among the best things about chiropractic is that handshake or hug from a patient who finds relief from chronic or acute pains. Yet that student/athlete who finds that something extra from my treatments is pretty special, as well.”

A child of Baytown who grew up in Jacksonville “shaped by the warm welcome of the south in East Texas,” Dr. Stiff is married to a retired teacher and they have three adult children, including one who took third place in the World Karate Championships.

An owner of two farms in central Texas, the Stiff clan includes a 100-pound pit bull and a Chihuahua named Bean who is recognized as the master of the house. When he’s not working or enjoying lake life, Dr. Stiff likes playing with the grandkids, golfing, cooking, and smoking BBQ.

He earned his doctorate of chiropractic from Texas Chiropractic College after having received his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at Sam Houston; he worked on his master’s degree at UT-Tyler, and also attended Tyler Junior College.

He knew his life calling was validated while working occasionally in Baytown with Dr. David Littner and assistant Bobby Kinsley. “These two were the doctors to the Astros and other sports teams in the Houston area,” he says. “Before Christmas one year, Bobby asked me if I could assist them the next few days with the Radio City Rockettes.

The many thank-yous and great accommodations was overwhelming. I was never so thankful and blessed by God to do what I do. I still have the playbill signed and framed on my wall to this day.”

In Case You Didn’t Know

If he could bring together any group of people from history for his ideal dinner party, Dr. Stiff would send invitations to an eclectic group: “Michio Kaku is an American theoretical physicist, and I’ve read all his books and love his theories,” he says. “One of the things I remember sharing with my dad was John Wayne’s straightforward gumption, and Khalil Gibran, a writer, poet/artist, also considered a philosopher, who has inspired me with his positive attitude for treating humanity.”

Dr. Stiff loves to golf, but one of his best experiences on the links is that he once caddied for Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman at a pro-am golf tournament.

Among the most gratifying things in Dr. Stiff’s life is his work as a coach for youth soccer, flag football, basketball, and baseball. “There is just something about seeing the lights come on when it all comes together,” he says. “Teamwork, either being on the team in my youth, or being part of a team as a coach while an adult, is rewarding. Success in fellowship.”

The Tyler clinic location is proud that Dr. Lance M. Potter joined its team in 2022 to provide important healthcare services to the local community.

“The best thing about being in the chiropractic field is being able to give patients their lives back,” he says. “For me, it’s all about restoring maximal function. It is exciting when patients are able to do functional activities they didn’t think were possible again. I love that we are able to do what we do without any equipment. All we need is our hands, in most cases. I get to see lives changed on a daily basis without the use of drugs, surgery, or other interventions.”

A native of East Texas, he and his pharmacist wife have a son, daughter, and a goldendoodle. When not working, Dr. Potter enjoys grilling by the pool, watching Texas Tech athletic events, beach vacations, watching his daughter’s gymnastics and his son’s soccer and basketball games. He also likes to bowl. “I’ve been bowling since I was 8 years old and had the chance to bowl competitively at Texas Tech on their intercollegiate team,” he says.”I continue to bowl in a league every Tuesday night, and generally participate in several tournaments with my teammates every year.”

Dr. Potter earned his doctorate of chiropractic at Parker College of Chiropractic after getting a bachelor’s of science in general studies with minors in chemistry, biology, and English at Texas Tech, and a bachelor’s in nursing from UT-Arlington. He worked previously in Mount Vernon, Marshall, Pittsburg, and Longview.

“I knew chiropractic was my calling when I saw how it had impacted my mom’s life,” he says. “She was told at a young age that she needed to have a major spinal surgery due to her scoliosis or it would impact her ability to walk as she aged. She has been receiving regular chiropractic adjustments for several years now and continues to be mobile without any surgical intervention at this point.”

Dr. Potter has had memorable moments of his own as a practitioner, citing a couple of heartwarming examples in which a father was able to play with his son again, “and an elderly patient able to walk far enough to see his grandkids’ sporting events,” he says. “Chiropractic is truly a way to change and improve lives.”

In Case You Didn’t Know

If he could bring together any four people from history for his ideal dinner party, Dr. Potter would send invitations to Texas baseball legend Nolan Ryan, Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight, former HUD secretary Dr. Ben Carson, and Jesus Christ.

He says one of the most important books of his life was his Boy Scout Manual. “It taught me many of the skills I use today,” he says. “I was able to obtain my Eagle Scout at age 15. I would say that book guided and shaped me most as a teenager.”

His mentor from chiropractic school, Dr. John Dinofrio, gave him some of the best advice of his life. “He often told us the difference between winning and losing was ‘one more step,’” he says. “I have found that to be true in life.Those who succeed take one more step than those who do not. Always be willing to take that one extra step toward success.”

Dr. Damian Cata joined The Joint Chiropractic in 2022 when he became part of the team at the Tyler clinic, where he does the rewarding work of helping people as their local healthcare provider.

“What I like most about being a chiropractor is unlocking the innate potential within my patients with just my own two hands,” he says. “I enjoy helping people every day to achieve their optimum wellness.”

His patients call him Dr. Damian, and is a product of Albuquerque, N.M., who enjoys spending time with friends and family in his spare time.

He earned his doctorate from Life College of Chiropractic and knows first-hand how valuable and adjustment can be. “Chiropractic resolved my sciatica, which I had intermittently, for years,” he says. “I knew how far-reaching chiropractic was when I had a kid thank me for taking care of his dad because, now that he wasn’t in pain, he didn’t yell at him or his mother anymore.”

In Case You Didn’t Know

If he could sit down with any four people from history, Dr. Damian would love to have a roundtable with notables in the chiropractic field: founder Daniel David Palmer and his son who is credited for developing chiropractic, BJ Palmer; Reggie Gold, a pioneer of objective straight chiropractic; and Sid E. Williams, co-founder of what was then Life Chiropractic College that later became Life University in Marietta, Ga.

One of the more influential books read by Dr. Damian is The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. “It taught me how to build a daily routine to set myself up for success,” he says.

The doctor says the one thing he always keeps stocked in his refrigerator is hot sauce.

Dr. Jennifer Murphy joined The Joint Chiropractic in 2022 when she joined the team at the South Hulen clinic to continue doing the gratifying work of providing local healthcare service.

“My favorite part about being a chiropractor is when I help a patient realize they don’t have to live in pain,” she says. “So many people assume, ‘Oh, just normal back pain,’ or “just normal headaches every once in a while” is normal. I love talking to my patients after having chiropractic care and their new normal is pain-free.

“It’s rewarding to make a difference in people’s lives naturally, and possibly prevent an invasive procedure that might not make as much of a difference as I could make with a chiropractic adjustment.”

Dr. Jen, as she is known to her patients, is a product of a military family who lived in seven states, though North Carolina and Virginia are where she spent most of her youth. It was there that she was first exposed to chiropractic care as part of her parent’s appointments.

Her husband loves writing, playing music, and learning new instruments, and they have two children who “love anything messy.” In her spare time, Dr. Jen loves reading, hiking, and rock climbing.

She became a doctor at Palmer Chiropractic College West Campus in San Jose, Calif., where she worked previously. She earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

“As a teenaager, I dealt with almost daily tension headaches that were resolved within a few adjustments, and after that, I knew that chiropractic would always be a part of my life,” she says.

One of her favorite stories was treating a patient who had two previous pregnancies. “She thought pregnancy always had to be painful, but she decided to try chiropractic during the third pregnancy and she said it was night and day, she could actually enjoy her pregnancy without constant pain,” Dr. Jen says.

In Case You Didn’t Know

Dr. Jen backpacked through Thailand after her graduation. “It changed my perspective because I encountered some of the nicest and happiest people despite them having very few worldly possessions and very little money,” she says. “I learned happiness is a daily mindset and not a goal to achieve later. Every day can be full of joy if we appreciate the little things.”

She says her ideal dinner party with any four characters from history would include “Oscar Wilde because I love his sense of humor, Liane Moriarty because she’s my favorite contemporary author and I would love to chat with her about her novels, Tom Hanks because I love his movies and everyone says he’s so nice, and Betty White because I would love to hear some of her stories.”

As a reader, Dr. Jen loves historical fiction novels, “especially The Century Trilogy series by Ken Follett because I learned so much about American and European history.