Tacoma Chiropractor Dr. Tony Velickoff

“I was first exposed to chiropractic care following an auto accident while serving in the US Navy 16 years ago.”

Meet Dr. Tony Velickoff

This accident was one of many that followed and changed the course of my life. I was so impressed with the results I received from chiropractic care and massage therapy that I decided to become a Licensed Massage Therapist and take prerequisite classes for medical school. In 1998 I graduated from Seattle Massage School, n.k.a. Everest College and began practicing as a Licensed Massage Therapist. It was not long after I began practicing that I realized that I would be able to do more for people with a medical degree. I pushed forward to get my pre-med degree at Pacific Lutheran University but I wasn’t sure what kind of doctor I wanted to be. I was strongly encouraged by many friends, one of whom I married, to become a chiropractor because it was a “natural extension of who I already was”.

Chiropractic College

I finished the four-year Chiropractic program at Western States Chiropractic College in three years. I was able to remain accident free during my time at WSCC but my wife and one of our daughters were not. They both were having very bad headaches and a family friend referred them to Dr. Lyter at Simmons Chiropractic Clinic. Shortly after beginning treatment with the Atlas Orthogonal Percussion Instrument their headaches began to go away. I have always looked for better ways to help people so I decided to learn the Atlas Orthogonal technique. I began taking seminars while I was a chiropractic student. During my last quarter at WSCC, I was fortunate enough to do an internship with a doctor who specialized in spinal and extremity adjusting. Following my internship I was invited to help him teach his seminars to other chiropractors and students.

Joining Simmons Chiropractic

After I graduated from WSCC I worked in another clinic for a year but remained a patient at Simmons Chiropractic Clinic. I was the recipient of three more car accidents. Once again, I was able to experience firsthand the benefits of the Atlas Orthogonal technique and the quality of the work of the doctors. In December, 2007 I was offered a position at Simmons Chiropractic Clinic. I jumped at the opportunity and began working as the newest team doctor that month. This has been an exciting opportunity. All of the doctors have multiple backgrounds in techniques and we share these with each other to continue to provide a wide variety of supportive spinal and extremity treatments. These supportive techniques are based around the initial correction of the cervical spine and brainstem region with the Atlas Orthogonal Percussion Instrument. Our clinic is one of only a few in the world to provide this type of advanced technique. When we combine our specific percussion cervical instrument adjusting with our multiple supportive techniques, I believe we offer the best of all worlds for our patients.

Continuing Education

In the summer of 2008 all of the doctors at Simmons began certification in Advanced Orthogonal Percussion Technique in Tampa, Florida. We now provide even greater precision to the correction of the neck and brainstem region. This allows for even greater correction and stability of the neck as well as the correction of the entire spine. This matches up with our philosophy that a patient doesn’t get well from adjustments, but rather, a patient gets well from holding their adjustments.

On a Personal Note…

I have now been in 15 car accidents and a work-related accident involving a Christmas tree. Only one has been my fault! It is because of these injuries that I have a deep level of experience and understanding of the trauma and healing of soft tissue and extremity injuries. My recovery from these accidents is a direct result of Advanced Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic care, massage therapy, an active lifestyle and a regular yoga routine. I bring this strength to our team at Simmons Chiropractic Clinic and I look forward to serving our community to the best of my ability. I live in Tacoma with my wife, Shelley and we have three lovely daughters. We enjoy doing things that keep us active and connected to our community.

Thank you for visiting our site. Give our Tacoma office a call. We look forward to meeting you and determining if we can help coach you and your family to a healthier lifestyle.