Tribeca Spine And Wellness Center

Frankly, I’d rather be writing a review on something fun but I need to flick my two cents over because 1) this family of doctors and therapists here have been taking really good care of me for three months since my accident in May and 2) what the hell is up with the 1.5 star rating.
When I saw their low rating, I was hesitant to even check this place out but a good friend of mine (and previous patient) insisted and I’m glad he did. On with my two cents and what I like here–
1. They cater lunch for patients MWF and they order from the better restaurants in the area (except for the one time they ordered pizza.) They order enough food to last all day. Unilocalers, need I go on?
2. Four treatments in one space– chiropractic care, massage therapy, physical therapy, and acupuncture.
3.The massage therapists and I’m pretty fickle about my massages– All of the therapists here use multiple techniques and they all «feel» my muscle pain and tension. Here’s a heads up so you know who to ask for–
Brian, their full-​time therapist– a happy reservoir of positive ENERGY and laughter. He does an amazing deep tissue/​swedish massage.
Tracy– I love talking to her because she teaches me how to do life well plus tips on great eats! She does shiatsu, deep tissue. She also does acupuncture. She just knows exactly where I’m hurting and how to alleviate pulsating pain.
Trish– Super relaxing from her persona to her swedish massage. Relaxing through and through in Swedish form yet somehow strong enough to break up the knots.
Kenny– His massages are a spiritual experience. He’s an artist. He has no one technique and creatively gets the job done like Anderson Silva. (Now why would anyone compare a message therapist to an MMA figher?)
Karen– She is also very intuitive in terms of energy and spirituality. She’s eclectic in training and is continually learning new techniques from various mentors. Her massages have definitely moved me forward in terms of my health.
4. The front desk– accommodating to my schedule, maximized my insurance benefits including an MRI I had no idea I was covered for, and friendly! I’ve paid nothing out of pocket. What more can you ask for then an office who understands what my insurance covers and sticks with the game plan?
5. Their physical therapy unit has a gym they’ll open up for personal use any time.
6. State-​of-​the art back decompression table. They put you on a plan and increase time and strength little by little. Use of this gadget isn’t covered by my insurance but they’ve been giving me access nonetheless.

I have been coming here for months and really enjoy the staff and doctors.
There location is great and I plan on being treated here more in the future.

I really, really wanted to love this place, and went back for several weeks to give them the benefit of the doubt. But it is just SOOO disorganized that it affects the quality of care. If you are looking for basically a spa that takes insurance, this might be fine, but if you have an actual injury or medical condition that needs treatment, go elsewhere.
Where to start? Most of the treatments aren’t done by the chiropractor, and the non-​doctor personnel is not supervised or instructed by the doctor AT ALL. In fact, even on my first visit, I was sent to the massage guy before the doctor even saw me. How did they know that a massage was good for my condition? They didn’t. How did the guy know what to work on? By asking me – like at a spa – not by any instruction from a doctor with knowledge of what I really need. And the difference can be major: often, «referral pain» makes you feel the pain from an injury in one place, where the actual damage is far away, at the other end of some muscle or nerve, so if I ask someone to work on where I think it hurts, I could be completely missing the root cause. And this lack of supervision is standard practice. On a typical visit, you see three different people: a massage therapist, a chiro, and a PT who does ultrasound and electronic stimulation (or acupuncture, depending on which specialist is in). Everybody gets these same three treatments – it seems to be the standard recipe for whoever walks in the door on a particular day.
The staff basically ushers you from one person to the next, and each time, you have to explain what you’re there for. YOU tell the masseuse where to massage, and the PT where to put the electrode pads and ultrasound. The doctor never hands them a chart, never says «do such and such.» Aside from the fact that it the doctor has a professional responsibility to oversee these treatments, it is really annoying to repeat yourself 3 times on every visit.
Second, there is NO PRIVACY. The appointment «rooms» are one big space separated off by reed curtains, so you can hear everything happening around you, including peoples’ consultations with the doctor (and they can hear yours). When you are getting PT, you are completely visible, lying there without your shirt on, to other patients and staff walking in and out, which seems to happen constantly.
Finally, and I feel bad saying this, but I never felt like I could trust Dr. T. Aside from all the bad practices at the clinic, she seemed to give the same advice to everyone (remember, you can hear other peoples’ consultations) and generally didn’t project a lot of confidence in anything she said that was personalized to you. She also needs to learn to tone it down a bit when she makes it seem like your condition is really dire and later tells you that you are «getting a lot better.» I know my condition. It is not dire, but a few weeks of treatment is not going to reverse it. It’s not even going to be the biggest factor – exercise is MUCH more important.
It’s not all bad, though. Everyone there, without exception, is very polite. The massage therapists are all really good at what they do (except one crazy lady with a lot of tattoos who I only had once, and she beat the crap out of me – stay away from her! pain!). The treatments they offer are the standard ones that good PTs everywhere use – their one-​size recipe is a pretty good one, even if it might not be right for everyone. Having the right medical staff is a great asset – they just need to run the place in a more professional manner.
As an alternative until this place gets it together, I recommend Dr. Richard Hui at 111 B’way. There, all the treatments are either done or supervised by a doctor.

I found this place and thought that they have all spine related treatment together as a package. But they are not forthcoming on the charges. They said they called my insurance and everything was fine only co-​pay. But after I told them I will bring my own x-​rays they raise the charge significantly. I am kind of sad to see this happen as I thought I found a good place that can bring all kinds of alternative treatments together in one place.

I have been a patient at TriBeCa spine and wellness for over a year and I can honestly say that they could not be more friendly, knowledgable and accommodating.
They totally will work with you to help figure out your insurance coverage and are extremely accommodating and flexible with scheduling.
I also love that there are many alternatives at this practice to helping to treat and help pain as well as promote spinal and back health
The staff is very friendly and knowledgable and I sincerely enjoy going there
I can not say enough for how much they have helped me with my back pain
Love the massage therapy and the chiropractors are amazing

I had the same experience as Julia S! I specifically asked them if they were covered by my insurance, and what the copay would be. The woman at the front desk called into my insurance, and then told me I would be fine and only have a $ 25/​copay. Imagine my surprise when I got a letter from my insurance telling me that they are NOT covered and I would be charged over $ 500 (for a massage nonetheless). I have left Tribeca Spine a voicemail asking for clarity on the situation, and hopefully they will make this right. Until them, I am a very unhappy customer.