“I have had sich a great experience seeing Dr. Bergin. When other offices have told me I just had muscle damage or the only thing they could do for me was give shots, he said he had others ways to manage my pain and numbness, along with improving mobility. And he was right! I feel so much better! With such friendly staff and welcoming office environment, it makes for an amazing experience. I'll definitely continue seeing him!”
Service
Post-Surgical Recovery
in Lakeland and The Villages, FL
The operation fixed the structure. Getting the rest of you moving again is a separate job, and it is the one most people are left to work out alone.
- 22 years in practice
- Works with your surgeon's protocol
- $47 new-patient exam
Medically reviewed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC Updated September 26, 2026
Post-Surgical Recovery at ChiroMed
The operation went well, so why does something else hurt?
The follow-up appointment goes well. The scar looks good, the hardware is where it should be, and you are told the operation was a success. Nobody disagrees.
What nobody quite addresses is why the other knee now aches. Or why your low back seized up three weeks after a spine procedure. Or why you still walk as though you are protecting something.
Who tells the rest of your body to stop compensating?
The structure was repaired. The rest of your body spent months compensating, and nobody has told it to stop.
That is the work done here, inside the recovery and rehabilitation care at this clinic and always inside the restrictions your surgeon has set.
It is one of the treatments offered through our pain control clinic.
What post-surgical recovery actually does
Post-surgical recovery care is conservative, hands-on rehabilitation after an operation, delivered once your surgeon has cleared you. It addresses the stiffness, guarding and compensation patterns that built up before and after surgery. The tools are graded manual therapy, joint work away from the surgical site, and progressive loading.
Surgery solves a structural problem. It does not undo the months or years of limping, bracing and one-sided loading that came before it. It also adds a period of guarding on top.
Patients notice this in a predictable way. The operated part behaves, and something else starts complaining.
A repaired knee now loads the opposite hip. A fused segment leaves the level above working harder. A shoulder heals while the neck quietly takes over the job.
A StatPearls chapter on discectomy and post-operative rehabilitation describes a graded return to activity. Light activity comes within about two weeks, routine activity by around six, and strenuous work or contact sport considerably later. The same chapter notes that evidence on earlier unrestricted return is more forgiving than the traditional protocols assumed.
Catching the compensation before it becomes your next problem is the part patients most often arrive too late for.
One of the practice's listed categories is Physical rehabilitation center, alongside the chiropractic ones. A good share of the work here is recovery rather than new injury.
How it works
Motion above and below
The joints above and below the surgical site are usually stiff by the time you are cleared, and they are rarely looked at. Graded manual therapy and joint work give them their range back.
Settling the guarding
Soft tissue that has been protecting the area stays tight long after the wound has healed. Hands-on work settles it so it stops shaping how you move.
Graded loading
Tolerance is rebuilt in steps, so the repair is not asked for too much too early. Each step is tested before the next one is added.
Who post-surgical recovery helps
- Stiffness in the joints above and below the surgical site
- Soft tissue still guarding long after the wound has healed
- New pain in the opposite limb, the low back or the neck
- A recovery that plateaued after a formal therapy course ended
Who it does not help
- The surgical site itself, which stays with your surgeon
- The structural repair, the hardware or the graft
- Wound problems such as redness, heat, discharge or fever
- Anything your surgeon has restricted for now
- Pain medication management, which is not what happens here
Background reading from an independent authority: a StatPearls chapter on discectomy and post-operative rehabilitation.
Conditions we treat with it
You can read more about each one. The examination decides which of them applies to you.
Why patients choose it
Your surgeon's protocol leads
We ask for the operative report and the restrictions before touching anything, and we work inside them. If a timeline is unclear, we ask the surgical team rather than guess.
We treat what surgery did not address
The joints above and below the surgical site take load during recovery, and so do the guarding pattern and the opposite limb. None of them appear on the operative note.
Graded, measured progression
Tolerance is built in steps against markers that are re-checked, rather than by a schedule printed before anyone saw how your recovery was actually going.
One plan when recovery stalls
When a stalled recovery needs a different input, shockwave, laser and decompression are in the same building. They run on the same plan rather than three referrals away.
No referral needed for the examination
You can book an examination at either office without a referral. What we do need is your surgical clearance and any written restrictions.
Cost, insurance and financing
Recovery care is paid for in two ways, depending on what is being delivered. The front desk sorts out which applies to you before the plan starts.
The one published price
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47
What affects the cost
- Whether the care qualifies as a billable chiropractic plan under your policy
- How many regions are involved, for example the knee alone against the knee, hip and low back
- Whether device-based therapy such as shockwave or laser forms part of the plan
- How long the staged plan runs before you are discharged
- Whether your surgeon has restricted a region, which changes what can be treated and when
What a course includes
- Consultation with Dr. Justin Bergin, DC
- Whole-body examination including the compensating regions
- X-rays if they are clinically indicated
- Report of findings with a staged plan and review points
Payment:
Payment for post-surgical recovery is mixed. Chiropractic care bills insurance, and our team verifies your benefits before your first visit. Device-based therapy in the plan is self-pay.
Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, and our front desk will tell you exactly what applies before you commit to anything.
New patients start with the consultation, exam, X-rays if needed, and report of findings for $47. Payment plans are available for self-pay care, and the front desk tells you which plan fits your course of care.
Why ChiroMed
Who looks at the whole chain rather than the scar?
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has 22 years in practice and a straightforward view of recovery. The operation is one event in a much longer story.
Most of what goes wrong afterward happens somewhere the surgeon was never looking. The concierge model gives the appointment enough room to examine the whole chain rather than the scar.
What happens if the recovery stalls?
Chiropractic care, spinal and knee decompression, Omniwave shockwave, Neuromed electroanalgesia and the functional and metabolic lines all run on one plan here.
A recovery that stalls has somewhere to go that is not another referral and another waiting list.
Sometimes a recovery turns out to be a disc problem rather than a soft-tissue one. In that case the pain control clinic pathway for disc-driven recovery picks it up without you starting again.
Where you would be treated
How hard is the drive to the Lakeland office?
Recovery plans mean regular visits during a period when driving is often the hardest part of the week.
Suite 13 on S. Florida Avenue keeps the trip short for patients in Highland City, Scott Lake, Grasslands and Cleveland Heights. There is parking by the door, and the Polk Parkway takes the strain out of the cross-county drive.
Is the Lady Lake office closer for follow-up visits?
In the northern market, the Lady Lake office on North US-441 sits just above CR 466. It serves Summerfield, Oxford, Wildwood and Fruitland Park.
It is a practical alternative to driving to a Leesburg or Ocala campus for follow-up care.
In Lakeland that is 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13, Lakeland, serving Polk County. In the Villages market the office is at 929 US-441 #404, Lady Lake, serving Lake County, Sumter County, Marion County. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC performs the examination personally at both, 22 years into practice.
More on pain control clinic.
Available at our 2 locations
Treatment at our Lakeland office, and also at:
Post-Surgical Recovery in recent research
These sources are independent of this practice and none of them endorses it. They are listed so the reasoning behind the care can be checked rather than taken on trust.
- Rehabilitation after lumbar disc surgery
Exercise starting four to six weeks after surgery reduced pain and disability faster than no treatment, with no increase in reoperation rates across the trials.
- Effects of early exercise and immobilization after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Early movement improved range and lowered stiffness risk after shoulder repair, while gains in pain and function were less clear, so timing follows the surgeon.
Compare your options
Real alternatives exist, including ones this practice does not perform. Here is the honest set.
| Option | What it is | Typically considered when | Invasive? | Offered at ChiroMed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative post-surgical care at ChiroMed Our approach | Manual therapy, joint work around the surgical site and graded loading inside surgeon restrictions | You are cleared, but stiff, guarded, or developing pain somewhere new | No | Yes |
| Formal outpatient physical therapy | A prescribed course of supervised exercise rehabilitation | Your surgeon has ordered a defined protocol, particularly after major joint or spine surgery | No | Not provided here as a formal course. We support it and coordinate around it |
| Omniwave shockwave or low-level laser therapy | Acoustic or light energy into tissue that has stopped progressing | Soft tissue around the site remains reactive after the expected recovery window | No | Yes, once your surgeon has cleared treatment of the area |
| Cortisone injection into the recovering joint | Corticosteroid placed into or around the joint | Persistent post-operative inflammation that has failed conservative care | Minimally | Not performed here. A decision for the surgical team, who know what was done to the tissue |
| Revision surgery | A second operation to correct or complete the first | Imaging or testing shows the structural problem was not resolved | Yes | Not performed here. Where the findings point this way we send you back to your surgeon promptly |
Three of these five belong to other providers. In some cases the most useful thing we can do is send you back to your surgeon early. That beats spending two months on conservative care that was never going to work.
Is post-surgical recovery right for someone like you?
Candidacy is decided at the examination, not on a web page. These are the general lines.
Likely a good candidate if
- Your surgeon has cleared you for conservative care or manual therapy
- Stiffness and guarding that are not improving on the expected timeline
- New pain in the opposite limb, the low back or the neck since the operation
- You finished a course of formal therapy and plateaued short of where you wanted to be
- You want someone tracking the whole body rather than only the operated part
We will point you elsewhere if
- You have not yet been cleared by your surgeon, or you are inside your restricted period
- There is redness, heat, spreading swelling or fever around the wound, which needs same-day surgical review
- The wound has opened, is discharging, or the hardware area is acutely painful
- You have new, progressive weakness or numbness since the procedure
- You are seeking pain medication management, which is not what happens here
When we are not the right answer, we say so, and connect you with someone who is.
Your first visit
What to expect, step by step
Bring the operation notes and anything your surgeon has told you. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC examines how you are moving now, not how you moved before surgery.
He then looks at what the rest of the body has been doing to protect the repair, and builds a plan that works alongside your surgeon's advice rather than against it.
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01Surgical history and clearance
What was done, when, by whom, and what you have been told you may and may not do. Bring the operative report and any written restrictions to the first visit.
- 02
Whole-body examination
The operated area is assessed, and so is everything that has been compensating for it. That usually includes the opposite limb, the pelvis and the spine, which is where the new complaint tends to come from.
- 03
Report of findings and a staged plan
Dr. Bergin shows you what is stiff, what is guarding and what is overworking, then sets a staged plan that respects every restriction you arrived with.
- 04
Graded care and reassessment
Manual therapy and loading progress in steps, re-tested at set points. If something is not moving, the plan changes. Where the findings raise a surgical question, you go back to your surgeon.
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An adjustment that is not aimed at a specific finding is just noise. We treat what the exam and the X-ray tell us to treat.
“Dr. Bergin was instrumental in relieving my back pain which I had for many years. The techniques he used on relieving my back pain were impressive. I been going to chiropractors for years and Dr. Bergin is the best. Thank You Dr. Bergin :)”
“Took a good amount of time going over my preliminary results and going over potential care plan. Great adjustment and doesn’t sugarcoat when discussing. Would recommend”
“The environment is incredible at this office with the staff and also both doctors are extremely friendly and great at what they do”
“Amazing, Super friendly and talented Staff and Doctors! My back was a hot mess after a semi hit my car on my first day moving to Florida. But after going through the treatment program I was able to get my neck, my back and my life in alignment. It was a total transformation. Thank You New City Chiropractic!”
“Hands down the best chiropractic office out there! They are super friendly and make me feel comfortable to tell then what’s wrong. They always ensure the best treatment for their patients!”
“I absolutely love this place , it is like going to visit family. They are always so pleasant , happy , and professional. I always enjoy seeing the ladies , they always put a smile on my face and even if I am having a bad day. The doctors are always so friendly and concerned with my well being. I actually look forward to going there and miss them on the days that I don't go.”
“I only wish it was closer. You are welcome it's definitely a compliment and I have read the great comments people made about the facility and staff! Amen Open one in Auburndale please!!”
“HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend coming here if you have any pains in your back or neck!! These guys are AMAZING at what they do!! Just a few months into coming here, I feel a change in the way I walk, the way my head sits on my shoulders, and I just feel GREAT; ALL THE TIME!! Crazy what some little adjustments did for me!!”
“This is an awesome chiropractic!! They are all nice and kind! Ever Since I have been adjusting my back, I don't need to take medicine before I go to bed. Also, I have been sleeping without waking up in the middle of the night because of the pain!! I really recommend the chiropractic 😊”
“Dr. Bergin at Chiromed Wellness Centers is the best chiropractor in town. I no longer have to take pain meds. If you still have pain, you’re not seeing to best chiropractor.”
“Love this place!! Cynthia and Angie are amazing! So nice and helpful!! The chiropractor’s are also amazing!! Just a great place overall! I highly recommended it!!”
“Look them up I waited so long to see a chiropractor and I found this place and am so happy that I did . Love the Drs they are so helpful and make feel like family.”
“The staff is super friendly and they walked me through the whole process. I’ve been going for a few weeks now and I’m already feeling results! The treatment the offer is very hands on and informative. I’ve never had manual adjustments until coming to this office and the staff makes you feel comfortable and takes care of your needs. Highly recommend !”
“The best Chiropractic center in South lakeland! love it here the Doctors are very urged to help with any of your needs, the beautiful assistants are nice and helpful they really make you feel welcomed. Most highly recommended Chiropractic Center. :)”
“Muy profesional la atención es formidable todos los empleados son muy amigables.Y muy efectiva sus terapias..Los recomiendo 100x100%”
“My pain has decreased dramatically, I’m no longer stretching and moving my neck in every angle trying to find relief. Every part of my body I can feel is finally getting closer to symmetry! All I can say is you should give new city a try!”
“I love this place!! They're very caring for their patients and strive to help you feel better. I strongly recommend giving them a try. I promise you won't regret it”
“The staff is very knowledgeable and organized, they get to know you and are flexible about fitting your treatment in to your life. They use proven methods to treat the root of your issues and the results are incredible. I was in a lot of pain after a car crash and within a few weeks I was able to go back to my normal routine with no discomfort.”
“I have seen and feel the change in my body since I started, I use to have major pain in my knees and neck ache. I'm an athlete and constantly need more adjustments, and every time I come I always without a doubt feel welcomed and important.”
Get in touch
Book your post-surgical recovery evaluation
Tell us what the problem is and which office is closer. The front desk answers during office hours; leave a message after hours and they call back the next open day.
- 1
Send the form
Two minutes. Tell us what hurts and which office is closer.
- 2
We call you back
A real person, during office hours, to find a time that works.
- 3
Exam and answers
History, orthopedic and neurological testing, imaging on site when it changes the plan.
- $47 consultation, exam, X-rays if needed and report of findings
- Payment plans available on the self-pay programs
- 4.8 out of 5 from 225 Google reviews
- Choose Lakeland or The Villages on the form
Post-Surgical Recovery questions
Tap a message for the honest answer. Call Lakeland (863) 940-3444
How soon after surgery can I start?
When your surgeon clears you, and not before. Different procedures carry very different rules. A repair that needs protecting for six weeks is not negotiable because you feel ready at three.
Bring your written restrictions and your operative report to the first visit. Where anything is unclear, we send the question back to the surgical team, and the answer usually takes a day rather than a month.
Do you replace physical therapy?
No. Where your surgeon has ordered a formal therapy protocol, follow it. What happens here is different and complementary.
We do joint work above and below the surgical site, and manual therapy for tissue that is guarding. We also look at the compensation showing up in the opposite limb or the spine.
A good number of patients come to us after finishing therapy, having plateaued short of where they wanted to be.
Why does something else hurt now that the surgery is done?
It has been doing extra work, often for far longer than you were aware. Months of limping loads the other hip. Protecting a shoulder recruits the neck. A fused spinal segment leaves the level above working harder.
These patterns do not switch off when the structural problem is fixed. They are much easier to unwind in the months after surgery than in the years after it.
Will insurance pay for this?
Partly, in many cases. Where care qualifies as a chiropractic plan of care under your policy, it bills insurance, and our team verifies the benefit before your first visit. Device-based therapy within the plan is self-pay.
Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, and the front desk will tell you exactly what applies before you commit to anything. Payment plans are available for self-pay care.
What if my recovery has genuinely stalled?
Then you need an answer rather than more of the same. At each review point the plan is judged against the markers set at the start.
One of three things happens. It continues because it is working. It changes because a different input is needed. Or you go back to your surgeon because the findings raise a surgical question.
That third outcome is what the review points exist to catch.
Do I need a referral to be seen here?
No referral is required to book an examination at either office. What we do want is your surgical clearance and any written restrictions, because those shape everything about the plan.
If you have not been cleared yet, book the appointment for after your next surgical follow-up. Use that follow-up to ask exactly what manual therapy and loading you are permitted.
Same-week appointments
Find out whether post-surgical recovery is the right tool.
One examination tells you which discipline the problem actually needs.
- 4.8 out of 5 on Google
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47