Success Stories

We hope your experience at ChiroWorks Care Center was beneficial. If you are currently a patient, please feel free to complete the following Client Experience Questionnaire. The Questionnaire is in Adobe Acrobat format, and requires the free Acrobat Reader to view. You may also review us on Yelp.com, Google.com or Yahoo.com. Patient referrals are always welcome. We thank you for putting your trust in us for caring for a loved one. Download & Print Questionnaire

Dr. Anthony Tsai

Click Here to jump to Before & After Chiropractic Photos & X-rays


Some comments from our patients... Chiropractic Success Stories in San Jose

"Your service is so great.  I'll recommend your clinic to my friends."

"Your bedside manners are excellent."

"I've seen so many doctors in the past years and you are the only one who has treated me like you care about results and not just another patient. I appreciate that very much."



I went to Anthony with severe lower back pain and was worried I would never be able to work out again. I had never been to a chiropractor before so I was very skeptical. He was great at figuring out the cause of my pain then methodically treating it. I am now feeling great and have Anthony to thank. I highly recommend his services.

 Erica R of Palo Alto, CA - Oct 2014

 


I live in Santa Cruz and I had such severe pain and medical challenges several years ago, so driving over the hill to see a chiropractor was something that I really really did not want or capable to do.

Somebody highly recommended me to see Dr. Tsai for a urgent adjustment when I was in Los Gatos one time. I did that day and in our short session, he helped me to feel so muuuuuuuuuch better, as the result of it, I was able to teach a children class afterwards without feeling my next step would be the one that could make me collapse. It was a big relief for me.
I was so thankful.

I have been seeing Dr. Tsai for quite a few years now, I used to have severe pain, bulging L4 and L5, I was suggested by other specialist to have a surgery and etc. From time to time, my pain was so severe that I couldn't walk or drive.

Dr. Tsai knew my limitation and wanted the best for me, he taught me how to interview other chiropractors in Santa Cruz. I did for a while but really think Dr. Tsai is the best. He cares and truly want the best for his patients. One session with Dr. Tsai is like several combined sessions with other chiropractors. I decided the driving time is way worth the result.

If you are looking for a GREAT chiropractor, search no further.
Dr. Tsai constantly improves his knowledge and skill.
He has a beautiful office.
He is kind and intelligent.
He will give you the right exercise, so you can continue to become stronger.

I am happy to say. I am completely pain free now.
In my newest ex-ray, you can absolutely see no bulging disc!!!!!

Yelp  Cb O. of Cupertino, CA - Sept 2014
 



Excellent service, great hours (he saw me at 5:30pm on memorial day). Anthony focuses on correcting the problems. My wife goes to him for sports related therapy (Ironman). He worked me through my back issues and now I'm on a path to better posture and better back health.

Thanks Anthony!

Yelp  Kenton R of Palo Alto, CA- May 2012
 



Tony will change your life just as he changed mine. He has a unique approach to chiropractics that I had never encountered in all of my years of searching for relief from fibromyalgia and is the only doctor who has been able to help me. Normal chiropractics caused my back to ache constantly, but Tony's Graston technique took away my back pain as well as relieving the pain I had been suffering from daily for years. I don't know where I would be today without Chiroworks and Dr. Tony Tsai, but I'm eternally grateful to him for giving me my life back. If you're suffering, a visit to Tony is an absolute must.

Yelp  Kelly R of Cupertino, CA- May 2012
 



A series of treatments at Chiroworks Care Center by Dr. Tsai has restored the painful tissue in my low back and neck from years of working at a desk and poor posture. Each treatment improved the health of the tissue until I no longer needed to go back. The pain is gone and I am no longer reminded of the pain. Dr. Tsai is dedicated to his profession and a gifted healer.

MerchantCircle  Brigid R Formerly from Santa Clara CA - February 2011
 


My two experiences with Dr. Tsai have been excellent and unlike any other Chiropractic visit I have ever experienced.
I first sought treatment for a pinched nerve in my neck that made my life unbearable. Dr. Tsai used something called the Grafton technique which employed the use of metal bars to break up the knots in my neck. He was incredibly thorough and his prices are very reasonable. The pinched nerve pain quickly diminished. The treatment I received was more of a cross between physical therapy and Chiropractic. So if you are skeptical of traditional Chiropractic, Dr. Tsai's use of physical manipulation/therapy might be a better fit for you.

Yahoo  The eye guy of San Jose CA - November 2010
 



Dr. Anthony Tsai is professional, extremely knowledgeable and effective in what he does. He is unlike any chiropractor I've had the pleasure of knowing. He uses the Graston Technique, a leading edge practice that has been used on Olympians to accomplish results. He is committed to continuous learning, development, and knowledge sharing. I highly recommend Dr. Tony.

LinkedIn  Angie D of San Jose, CA - October 2010



My first visit to Dr. Tsai was in early 2009. I live in Santa Cruz and was just working over the hill that day.
I explained to my friend during lunch, "I feel my back is about to fail." and I've been feeling that way for at least a few weeks.
My friend insisted that I must see Dr. Tsai right away. Lucky me, he was able to give me a short appointment.
After the adjustment, I felt good, I felt right, I walked around happily knowing my back will not fail that Thursday and for the rest of that weekend.  I taught my class happily, I walked in with big smile and confidence.
I do have a chronic back pain problem and did have a chiropractor in Santa Cruz whom I like for 4 years.
Many times when I told her that my back was about to fail or in pain, she told me because I have little ones, it will persist till they become older.  She is a kind person, but I was not improving .... .... .   I was becoming depressed about my condition.
Several months later, I went back to Dr. Tsai with my new x-ray, he gave me a scientific explanation, he gave me advice on how to find the right chiropractors. He was concerned about my drive and said it would be too hard on my body. As he suggested, I went and interviewed a few more chiropractors (some seem really good) but I chosed driving over the hill to Dr. Tsai.
Dr. Tsai cares, he is responsible, have good bedside manner and is very considerate.
His method is gentle yet effective. The Graston method may be not be as gentle but it works.
Dr. Tsai would go extra miles for his patients, he has the golden heart of a great doctor.
I feel blessed to have him as my doctor and I hope you would feel the same.
Thank you Dr. Tsai and may all of you find good health.
Email  S. of Santa Cruz, CA - November 2009


I am a lifelong devotee to bodywork with a lifelong shoulder and headache problem...NOT ANYMORE. Dr. Tsai is nothing short of a miracle worker. Since I have begun my treatments with Dr. Tsai I have not suffered from the close to migraine headaches that I used to get on a weekly basis.

The incredible time and patience that he dedicates to your visit is unheard of and you WILL NOT find anywhere else. I have been to other Graston providers and they are a joke in comparison to Dr.  Tsai.

Dr. Tsai takes his Graston practice seriously and his goal is to never see you again. That may sound unsettling...but think about it...his goal is to give you immediate relief, provide you will long term tools that will free you from the "chiropractic" cycle.

If you are new to Graston, DO NOT BE AFRAID...IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Yelp  Tracy G of Palo Alto, CA- September 2009
 

Personally, I think it's too difficult to trust and to choose a chiropractor. There are so many kinds of chiropractors out there or on yellowpages. How am I gonna choose one who can help me with my pain? Referral or first-hand experiences by friends are important for me to make a decision.

Before I met Dr. Tsai, I didn't even know a chiropractor can improve my chronic shoulder and back pain so much. I though if I could get more rest on my shoulder/back, or if I could sleep better, maybe hopefully these pains would go away someday somehow. All those did not happen. I tried a treatment from Dr. Tsai.

Now I know chiropractic is not only about adjusting your spine, but also about your nerves and muscles. At least my chronic pain around shoulder and back are mostly from my muscle tightness rather than spine.

Dr. Tsai was careful about fully diagnoses before doing treatment. He was nice and gentle, and really cares about patients. He tried to help patients in different techniques, including instrument-assist massage therapy, and electrical stimulation, and ultrasound for deeper muscle therapy. I actually felt much better after first treatment. Then I had second and third and will keep going until my chronic pains go away. "Live your life without pain" is really what I want to experience after many years live with pains. I want to have something different. And it is definitely nicer.

Yahoo  GW of San Jose, CA - Feb 2008

Before & After Pictures & X-rays

 Pain is difficult to visualize and demonstrate on a webpage. I wish that I could show you some the patients with pain or peripheral nerve issues that I have helped. Here are some current patients that were easier to demonstrate on a website in some way. Their pain was a result of increased stress on a muscle due to a joint misalignment and muscle imbalances which is all that a chiropractor can do. Still, I hope you enjoy the pictures and see how much can be helped with joint corrections without "cracking the back" and addressing muscle restrictions.

Dr. Tony

The following results are from actual patients are not guaranteed for you. Your results may vary due to multiple factors.*

*Your results may vary from any of the cases above depending on many factors such as patient compliance to complexity of the case such as having multiple issues and length of chronicity altering muscle function, some types of musculoskeletal bone or connective tissue diseases, etc..

Idiopathic Scoliosis / Functional Scoliosis

 

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Before Treatment

 

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After Chiropractic 
Other Therapies
 

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After Chiropractic &
Other Therapies

Here is a current patient with her x-rays from the year before with another chiropractor. I cannot say that chiropractic can cure scoliosis when the cause of scoliosis is unknown. Scoliosis can be caused by diseases of the bone or connective tissues. These pictures should speak for themselves for a patient who has had mild to moderate idiopathic scoliosis for most of her life. I have never seen a surgical patient or patient using a brace become 100% cured for scoliosis either. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong and read about my opinion about scoliosisHere is a brochure about scoliosis with the official word from a chiropractic organization or the online version of the ACA stance on scoliosis. Looking at her x-ray, the bones in her spine are not of abnormal shape just misaligned also known as a functional scoliosis. Until I can get post-x-rays, pay attention to the curve in the right rib cage, the musculature in the middle and the shadow of the spine bones to confirm the black line approximating the spinal scoliosis curve. The red line in the resulting photos is taken from the curve in the original x-rays. The final picture shows the leg length difference change with the right leg now appearing longer. The x-ray shows her right pelvis higher and the right tilt of the spine causing her right leg to be shorter when the patient first came to see me. As the spine curve straightens and the right pelvis drops, the right leg is appearing to be longer as a result. Unfortunately, this website started after her initial visit. Three weeks after these post-results pictures and I am happy to report that the scoliotic curve is stable along with her pain. Her treatment consisted of treating tight muscles with myofascial therapy, physiotherapy and joint misalignments with "no crack"/gentle chiropractic adjustments.  The goal for her treatments was to stop her back pain and reducing her spinal curvature may have played a part in accomplishing this by balancing the stress loads between left and right side.
Update: A mild scoliosis reduction example below with before & after x-rays.


"Cracking" Chiropractic vs. Low Force, "No Crack" Chiropractic Adjustments

Here are some pictures showing the gradual changes with traditional "cracking" chiropractic adjustment only once a week. I usually only ask patients for weekly treatments until they are stable because I address the muscle imbalance with myofascial therapy, stretches and exercises which is the other half of the equation in joint misalignments. This patient had surgery for his knee injury and had his leg in a cast which caused a mild but noticeable misalignment in his back as seen by the length in his legs. Besides injury, everyday activities such as driving and even muscle imbalance/tightness can cause misalignments. The leg difference fluctuates as the body adapts to an equilibrium or finds a balance, but the overall progress can be seen. I adjusted his pelvis regularly because it is the base & the foundation of the spine. The muscles will also relax more becoming less tight when the body is in alignment with the center of gravity. This is why posture is so important. The next section will look more into posture. The purpose of this section is to document how well the adjustments hold and the patient continues to make progress with additional adjustments. After a few years, I eventually stopped "cracking" patients' joints focusing on low force chiropractic techniques in conjunction with soft tissue myofascial therapy. I have pictures of another patient based purely on low force chiropractic techniques. These low force techniques are not non-force chiropractic which has less than a pound of pressure for only a second. When I adjust now, I slowly put pressure on a joint for short period of time and repeat as necessary.
 

"Cracking" Chiropractic Adjustments: Patient (A)

  Before Chiropractic Adjustment   After Chiropractic Adjustment Results 3rd Week: This is a before and after adjustment shot. This is the earliest picture I have of him showing the greatest difference. The subsequent pictures show white lines taken from the very first picture.
  After Chiropractic Treatment Results

4th Week: after adjustment shot only

  Before Chiropractic Adjustment   After Chiropractic Manipulation Results 5th Week: before & after adjustment
  Before Chiropractic Adjustment   After Chiropractic Adjustment Results 19th Week: The patient returned after about 2 and 1/2 months. The overall change is still better than the 3rd week picture and the change in leg length is stable. The after adjustment change is not dramatic so it is time to look at other areas.



Gentle, Low Force, "No Crack" Chiropractic Adjustments: Patient (B)

  Before X-ray   After X-ray Before & After Chiropractic Adjustments: Early results after 1 month. Pre-treatment x-ray taken by the previous chiropractor. Note: the head angle is the same but the individual neck bones are starting to form a more normal cervical lordosis or curve in the neck.
  Before X-ray   Before Chiropractic Before Chiropractic Treatment: X-ray and photo show an average of 12 mm leg length difference measured by X-rays due to misalignments in the pelvis and spine. Pre-treatment x-ray taken by the previous chiropractor. X-ray confirms finding in before photo.
  After Chiropractic After Chiropractic Adjustments: Leg length difference now shows a slight difference with the right leg now longer after 1 month. Only gentle chiropractic used in both the low back and neck.

Posture & Chiropractic Adjustments Case Studies

A person's posture is a global balance between 27 joints of the spine. Looking at leg length is a quick but incomplete view of the balance between left and right side. Fixing a global problem like posture is like peeling off layers of an onion. There are multiple areas of problems that contribute more or less with each other. Every patient's problems are unique so the patient's treatment will change to suit their needs. Chiropractic adjustments only address local joint restrictions. Soft tissue myofascial work addresses muscle tightness and adhesions. Physiotherapy and home exercises address the muscle weakness. They are all related and changes in all 3 areas affect globally as seen below.

Patient (A)

  Forward Head Posture - Without Any Treatments

Before Chiropractic:
Forward Head Posture / Anterior Head Carriage

  Forward Head Posture - Before Treatment Forward Head Posture - After Treatment

2 Months Later:
Before & After One Treatment Session

The patient is an active athlete.



Patient (B)

  Before Chiropractic Treatment   After Chiropractic Treatment Results

Before & After Chiropractic:
About 3 months later after chiropractic & postural therapy (Graston Technique, etc.)

  Posture After Chiropractic Adjustments

After Chiropractic:
Chiropractic adjustments & postural therapy 2.5 months later

This is a longer term look at a patient with posture problems. He was being treated for pain so he visits depended on the presence of pain in multiple locations. I advocate good posture and proper ergonomics for their relationship with the stress to muscles such as in the neck and shoulder. Originally, I drew a line parallel to the walls beginning at the ankles but as you can see, the patient tends to lean forward. I finally draw a box around his upper chest and use that as a reference for how far forward his head translates (anterior head carriage / forward head posture). This is an unconventional method but the best I can do without x-rays. Note the rounded shoulders and how the belly or abdomen translates forward with the weak core muscles. The abdomen also seems to indicate how far forward the lower spine curve goes forward as a result of how far backward the upper back translates. The body tries to find a balance between the upper and lower body. After stopping treatment for several months, the shoulders did become rounded again from working at the computer but that was fairly easy to treat with subsequent myofascial therapy treatments. I am personally happy how the forward head posture stabilized which might have played a part preventing his neck pain. With the last set of pictures, there were small noticable changes what were relatively consistent with each picture. Another important message I'd like patients to see is how important it is to make healthy changes to your life such as regular exercises and stretching. I find the patients that do this respond the best and keep the results of their treatments better. The postural changes seen with this patient is a cummulation of effects of both my treatments and the patient's efforts with regular exercises.


Updated 2013!

Patient (C) mostly Gentle Chiropractic
 
  Low Back X-ray - Before Chiropractic Treatments - Mild Scoliosis (9 degree Cobb Angle) Low Back X-rays (Lumbar X-rays) - After Chiropractic Treatment - Dramatic Reduction in Scoliosis Before Chiropractic Treatments:
Small S-Shaped Curves.
9° Cobb Angle = Mild Scoliosis

After Chiropractic Treatments: On & Off over 4 yrs, Dramatic Reduction**
  Low Back X-ray (Lumbar X-ray) - Before Chiropractic Treatment - Excessive Low Back Curve (Swayback, Anterior Pelvic Tilt) Low Back X-ray (Lumbar X-ray) - After Chiropractic Treatment - Normal Low Back Curve Before Chiropractic Treatments:
Excessive Low Back Curve (Swayback or Anterior Pelvic Tilt)

After Chiropractic Treatments: On & Off over 4 yrs, Normal Low Back Curvature
  Neck X-ray (Cervical X-ray) - Before Chiropractic Treatment - Reverse Neck Curve (Reverse Lordosis) Neck X-ray (Cervical X-ray) - After Chiropractic Treatment - Noticable Improvement in Abnormal Curve Before Chiropractic Treatments: Abnormal Neck Curve (Reverse Cervical Lordosis)

After Chiropractic Treatments: Reduction in Abnormal Cervical Curve. Neck pain was not regularly treated like the low back.
**9° Cobb angle on before treatment full spine x-ray. No full spine x-ray with after treatment x-ray to confirm results. Thoracic spine x-ray was not taken and the x-rays were taken by different chiropractors. The cause for scoliosis is unknown so chiropractic treatment cannot cure scoliosis from a disease. Chiropractic treatments only address local joint restrictions and the soft tissue / postural therapy address muscle tightness and imbalance. The patient was treated for primarily low back pain and the scoliotic reduction was a pleasant surprise.


Miscellaneous Case Studies:


Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome
Chronic exertional compartment syndrome is a condition where exercise such as running causes numbness and tingling to the feet. It can be so severe and painful that the athlete cannot continue their exercises. Acute exertional compartment syndrome can be serious causing muscle necrosis (tissue death). This involves symptoms such as severe pain with lower leg swelling and muscle weakness that does not go away with a few minutes of rest. Go to the ER immediately, if you experience this. This patient is not an acute case but a stable chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the posterior compartment. It is a shame that I did not think to take pictures of the first week in which the feet were completely pale or the skin was very white in color. Seeing such a big improvement in the second week, I had to make the patient stand and do 1 minute of calf raises to induce paleness in the skin. The normal capillary refill (return to pink skin) is after 10 seconds for the fingers or toes in general.
 There are conditions in the arms & hands that I deal with in which some soft tissue such as a tight muscle or fascial restriction that impinges an artery or nerve. This patient happened to be something similar for the legs based on the response, but it does not mean all cases of chronic exertional compartment syndrome can be treated as compartment syndrome is not fully understood. The last picture seems to be an anomaly also. I only remember being in a rush and skipping the picture after the calf raises. Overall, there is a general improvement in skin paleness immediately after 1 minute of calf raises which is very noticable. 
 
  Compartment Syndrome: Before Treatment  Second Week: Before Treatment
  Compartment Syndrome: After Treatment  Second Week: After Treatment
  Compartment Syndrome: After Treatment  Second Week: After Treatment and After
 Calf Raises. A quick change in skin color.
  Compartment Syndrome: Before Treatment  Third Week: Before Treatment
  Compartment Syndrome: Before Treatment  Third Week: Before Treatment Immediately
 After Calf Raises
  Compartment Syndrome: Before Treatment  Third Week: Before Treatment, An
 Additional 10-20 Seconds After Calf Raises
  Before X-ray  Fourth Week: Before Treatment
  Before X-ray  Fourth Week: Before Treatment
 Immediately After Calf Raises. Very little
 change in skin color.
  Before X-ray  Fourth Week: Before Treatment, Another
 10-20 sec After Calf Raises. Quick return
 to normal skin color.
  Before X-ray  Fourth Week: After Treatment.
 Unfortunately, the picture taken seconds
 after lying down for a long period of time.

Bell's Palsy
A facial nerve paralysis with symptoms from eye dryness, altered taste to muscle weakness and slurred speech. The cause is unknown and this patient had already tried a full course of anti-viral medication treatment with no change.
 
  Before Bells Palsy Treatment Before Treatment: Photo shows obvious assymetry of facial muscles. The patient also had eye dryness, altered taste and numbness of lips. This photo was after a full course of anti-viral medication.
  After Bells Palsy Treatment After 3 months: Besides, the dramatic muscle tone increase, eye dryness, taste, numbness and pain mostly resolved. Note: The patient also had nutritional supplements & cold laser therapy.***

***The cause for Bell's Palsy is unknown so the treatment for nerve inflammation may not work on everyone especially when nerve damage is caused by a viral infection or other causes. One thing to consider is that there are other causes of inflammation in general. Please keep an open mind to other causes than a viral infection. This patient also had never had any sign of any rash or shingles symptoms so my approach was to target musculoskeletal issues for the facial nerve.


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