“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.”
Service
Soft Tissue Therapy
in Lakeland and The Villages, FL
Manual and instrument-assisted treatment for muscle, tendon, fascia and scar tissue, delivered as clinical care inside a plan. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC, 22 years in practice.
- 22 years in practice
- Doctor of Chiropractic led
- Non-surgical
- $47 new patient exam
- 22 years in practice
- $47 new-patient exam
Medically reviewed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC Updated September 14, 2026
Soft Tissue Therapy at ChiroMed
The scan came back clean and it still hurts. That is the sentence we hear most often on this service, and it is usually a tissue problem rather than an imaging problem. Muscles that have splinted around an old injury, tendons that have thickened, fascia that no longer glides, scar tissue that formed in the wrong pattern: none of that shows up well on film, and all of it changes how you move. Soft tissue therapy at ChiroMed is clinical treatment, not a spa booking. It is delivered inside a plan, after an examination, aimed at a specific restriction that was found by hand. Sometimes it is the whole treatment. More often it is what makes an adjustment hold, because a joint that keeps sliding back out is usually being pulled there by tissue nobody addressed. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has 22 years of hands on this work and it runs through [the joint and tissue recovery side of the practice](/regenerative-medicine/) rather than sitting off on its own.
This page sits under sports medicine clinic, the ChiroMed sports medicine clinic pillar.
What soft tissue therapy actually does
Soft tissue therapy is hands-on treatment of muscle, tendon, ligament and fascia using sustained pressure, movement and instrument-assisted techniques. It targets restriction, adhesion and scar tissue that limit how a joint moves. No needles, no medication, no surgery, and it is delivered as part of a clinical plan.
Soft tissue injuries have two names in medicine and it helps to know which one you have. The National Library of Medicine defines a sprain as a stretched or torn ligament, the tissue that connects bone to bone, and a strain as a stretched or torn muscle or tendon, the tissue that connects muscle to bone. Both heal. Neither always heals tidily, and the residue of an untidy repair is what this treatment is for. **Manual work.** The clinician finds the restriction by hand, applies sustained pressure or a specific glide, and in many cases asks you to move the limb while the contact is held. That moving-under-tension approach is the principle behind Active Release Technique, and it is why tension gets treated where it lives, in the direction it actually runs. **Instrument-assisted work.** A smooth-edged tool is drawn across the skin over the tissue, the method most people know by the name Graston. The edge transmits what fingers cannot always feel, which makes a restriction easier to find and easier to work through, particularly in dense tissue like the plantar fascia or the outside of a thigh. You may feel tender for a day afterwards. That is ordinary, it is discussed before it happens, and it is not a sign something went wrong.
Background reading from an independent authority: the National Library of Medicine's patient guide to sprains and strains.
Conditions we treat with it
Each of these has its own page, and each one links back up to this service. The examination decides which of them applies to you.
Why patients choose it
It finds what imaging misses
An MRI reports structure. A trained hand reports behaviour: which band of tissue is tight, which direction it resists, which movement reproduces your pain. That is a different kind of information and it is often the useful kind.
It makes the rest of the plan hold
A joint that will not stay corrected is usually being dragged back by tissue. Treat the tissue and the correction lasts longer, which is why this work sits alongside adjusting rather than instead of it.
It is delivered as clinical care
You are examined, a specific restriction is identified, and the work is aimed at it. This is not a standalone relaxation service and it is not sold by the hour.
Nothing is introduced into the body
No injection, no prescription, no downtime beyond ordinary next-day tenderness.
Cost, insurance and financing
What this costs depends on whether it is part of chiropractic care or a standalone tissue program, and that is settled at the examination rather than over the phone.
The one published price
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47
What moves the cost
- Whether the work is delivered inside a chiropractic plan or as a standalone tissue program
- How many regions are involved, and whether one is driving the others
- Whether the tissue problem is recent or years old, which changes how much work it takes
- Whether it is combined with adjusting, shockwave or rehabilitation
What a course includes
- The consultation with Dr. Justin Bergin, DC
- The hands-on examination and range testing
- The written report of findings and the recommended course
- Home movement instruction and reassessment as care progresses
Payment: This one is genuinely mixed. Soft tissue work delivered as part of chiropractic care bills insurance, and our team verifies your benefits before your first visit. Standalone tissue programs and device-assisted care are 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. Payment plans are available for self-pay care. Ask the front desk which plan fits your course of care. The starting point is the same for everyone: Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47.
Why ChiroMed
Most places that offer hands-on tissue work offer only hands-on tissue work. At ChiroMed it sits inside the stack Dr. Justin Bergin, DC built over 22 years: chiropractic adjusting, spinal and knee decompression, Omniwave shockwave, Neuromed electroanalgesia, and the regenerative, metabolic and vitality lines, all on one plan under one roof. That matters because a stubborn shoulder is sometimes a neck, and a plantar fascia that keeps flaring is sometimes a hip. One clinician holding all of it is how those connections get made instead of missed.
Where you would be treated
Lakeland patients come to 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13, on S. Florida Avenue in South Lakeland, a short drive from Southgate Shopping Center, Lakeside Village, Dixieland, Cleveland Heights, Grasslands and Highland City, and only minutes from the Polk Parkway if you are travelling from Winter Haven or Bartow. In the north, the office at 929 US-441 #404 in Lady Lake sits just above CR 466 and serves The Villages, Summerfield, Wildwood, Oxford, Fruitland Park and Leesburg. The same hands-on techniques are available at both addresses.
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.
This page links up to its parent hub only: sports medicine clinic.
Compare your options
Real alternatives exist, including ones this practice does not perform. Here is the honest set.
| Criteria | Our approachSoft tissue therapy | What it is | Typically considered when | Invasive? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft tissue therapy | Yes | Hands-on and instrument-assisted treatment of muscle, tendon, fascia and scar tissue. | Pain, stiffness or restriction traces to tissue rather than to a joint or a disc, or tissue is holding a joint out of position. | No. Worked through the skin with hands or a smooth-edged tool. |
| Chiropractic adjustment | Yes | A specific, controlled movement applied to a restricted joint. | The joint itself is not moving through its normal range. | No. Manual, no instruments entering the body. |
| Omniwave shockwave | Yes | Acoustic pressure waves delivered through the skin into stubborn tendon and ligament tissue. | A tendon problem has stayed put despite hands-on care. | No. Delivered at the surface. |
| Relaxation massage | Not performed here. A worthwhile thing to book elsewhere when the goal is stress relief rather than the treatment of a diagnosed restriction. | General massage for relaxation and overall tension, usually sold by the hour. | You want to unwind rather than to treat a specific clinical finding. | No. |
| Corticosteroid injection into a tendon | Not performed here. Appropriate when a medical provider judges that an irritable tendon has to be quieted before anything else can be attempted. | A steroid placed near or into the irritated tissue by a medical provider. | Pain is severe enough that conservative treatment cannot be tolerated. | Minimally. A needle is used. |
| Surgical release or tendon repair | Not performed here. Genuinely the right call when a tendon is fully torn, or when compression is structural and conservative care has been given a fair trial. | An operation to divide, release or repair the affected tissue. | Imaging confirms a structural lesion and function has not returned. | Yes. Surgery, with a recovery and rehabilitation period. |
The line that matters here is between relaxation and treatment. Both are legitimate. Only one of them belongs inside a clinical plan, and only one of them is what this page is describing.
Is soft tissue therapy 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
- Pain or tightness that keeps returning to the same spot after it eases
- A tendon problem such as plantar fascia, elbow or shoulder tissue that has not settled
- Old scar tissue from an injury, a car accident or previous surgery that still limits movement
- An adjustment that helps and then slips, suggesting tissue is pulling the joint back
- Reduced range of motion with clean imaging and no structural explanation
We will point you elsewhere if
- An open wound, an active skin infection or a rash over the area to be treated
- A recent fracture or an unhealed surgical site
- Unexplained swelling, lumps or symptoms that have not been medically worked up
- A bleeding disorder or anticoagulation that makes bruising a genuine risk, without medical clearance
- Pain with fever, weight loss or night pain, which needs investigation before any hands-on care
When we’re not the right answer, we say so , and connect you with someone who is.
Your first visit
What to expect, step by step
You know the plan and the cost before anything begins.
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01History and hands-on examination
What hurts, what you did to it, what has already been tried. Then Dr. Bergin works through the area by hand, testing range and pressing on tissue until something reproduces the pain you came in with.
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02Report of findings
You are shown which tissue is involved, whether it explains your symptoms, and what a course of care would look like. If imaging is needed before anyone treats you, that is said plainly.
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03Treatment
Manual contact, instrument-assisted work, or both, usually with you moving the limb while pressure is held. It can be uncomfortable while it is happening and you are asked to say so, because the pressure is adjusted to you rather than to a protocol.
- 04
Reassessment and what you do at home
Range is retested against the first visit and the plan changes with it. You leave with specific movement to do at home, because tissue that is freed and then never used tends to tighten again.
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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.
“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!”
“I have had pain in my right upper back quadrant by my shoulder blade for at least a year now and the doctors have been unsuccessful in making the pain go away. I came to Dr. Bergin looking for some help. Within 3 to 4 weeks. My pain in that area is completely gone.”
“Dr. Bergin is phenomenal. Chronic lower back issues led a different doctor to mention back surgery to me. That was not an option I wanted to entertain. After a consult with Dr. B, he was confident that he could help resolve my back issues. I’ve been seeing him weekly to resolve the issue, and I am so pleased with the results so far! More mobility, less pain, and a great customer experience.”
“I bless the day that Dr. Bergin started working on me. I have had long standing pain for so long. After just a few visits my pain left and I feel so good. He is very patient oriented and caring. I regard him highly.”
“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.”
Get in touch
Book your soft tissue therapy evaluation
Tell us what the problem is and which office is closer. A member of the ChiroMed team follows up within one business day.
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Send the form
Two minutes. Tell us what hurts and which office is closer.
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We call you back
A real person, within one business day, 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
Soft Tissue Therapy questions
Tap a message for the honest answer. Call Lakeland (863) 940-3444
Do you offer Active Release Technique or Graston?
Both approaches are part of the soft tissue work done here. Active Release Technique describes holding a precise contact on restricted tissue while the limb moves through its range. Graston describes instrument-assisted work with a smooth-edged tool. Which suits your tissue is decided at the examination. Call and ask about specific certifications before you book.
the clinic teamIs soft tissue therapy the same as a massage?
No. Massage is generally sold by the hour and aimed at relaxation across a whole region. Soft tissue therapy here is clinical treatment aimed at a specific restriction found during an examination and delivered inside a written plan. ChiroMed does not offer a standalone massage booking, and if relaxation is your goal we will say so.
the clinic teamDoes soft tissue therapy hurt?
It can be uncomfortable while it is happening, particularly over tissue that has been guarded for a long time. Pressure is adjusted to you rather than to a protocol, so speak up. Tenderness the next day is ordinary and is discussed beforehand. Sharp pain or bruising is not part of the treatment.
the clinic teamWill insurance pay for soft tissue therapy?
Sometimes. Work delivered as part of chiropractic care bills insurance, and our team verifies your benefits before the first visit. Standalone tissue programs and device-assisted care are self-pay. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service. The front desk confirms what applies before you commit, and payment plans exist for self-pay care.
the clinic teamWhat is a red flag in chiropractic?
A red flag is a sign that the problem is not musculoskeletal. Unexplained weight loss, fever with back pain, night pain unrelieved by position, loss of bowel or bladder control, progressive limb weakness and a cancer history all qualify. Any of them means examination first and referral second. A clinic that treats before asking is the real red flag.
the clinic teamSame-week appointments
Find out whether soft tissue therapy is the right tool.
One examination tells you which discipline the problem actually needs.
- 4.8 out of 5 on Google
- $47 consultation, exam and report
- 22 years in practice
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47