Last year I got fed up with my back being messed up all the time. I knew that I had two damaged discs because I had gone to a different doctor and received an MRI about 8 years before. The previous doctor acted like there was nothing that could be done and sent me on my way. My husband had heard about Dr. Valente through a co-worker and I decided to see if he could help me. I went through the motions getting X-rays and MRIs. Both Dr. Valente and Rudy (PA) were very nice. Dr. Valente said that I had a small tear in two discs in my lower back and that I wasn't a surgical candidate because my injuries were not that bad. Just enough to prevent me from being able to work out because of pain and fear of not knowing if I was doing any damage to myself and also doing the things I enjoy like gardening. My back would flare up and I would have serious tension in my muscles which would cause my back to "go out". Not fun. Hurts so bad that you cannot cry because breathing makes it hurt. I was very adamant about no narcotics, I didn't want addictive medication. So I was put on a prescription anti-inflammatory, a non-addictive muscle relaxer, sent to physical therapy and a chiropractor. Let me tell you, once I started gaining strength from therapy, I stopped having issues with my back. My back hasn't gone out for over a year now. Which is amazing! Well, I am a full time student and this semester I over did it on classes leaving me with no time to do my therapy. I was also tired of taking the pills and so I stopped when I ran out. Within two weeks my hip started hanging up and I started getting major muscle tension. During my last chiropractor visit the chiropractor wouldn't even do a full adjustment on me because I was so tense. He just hooked me up to the tens machine with heat packs to try and get my body to relax. Today I went back to Dr. Valente's office and saw Rudy. He is such a nice guy and I was surprised that he remembered so much about my last visit. Usually doctors and PA's don't remember anything even with the chart in front of them. He listened to my issues and reiterated that I wasn't a surgical candidate. He gave me a list of options, same things that worked so well for me last time. This time Rudy gave me a trigger point injection in the lower part of my back/right hip that was "stuck". It was instantaneous in relieving those muscles and joints in that location. So, I will continue to take the meds as prescribed, visit the chiropractor regularly, and start doing my therapy exercises again once this semester is over. I will also add massage therapy to my regime as a recommendation from Rudy. Everyone in the office is very nice and I saw some patients with some very severe back problems. While I can't personally vouch for the treatment those folks received, I can say that it seems like everyone is treated with respect and that they manage patients with spinal injuries of all severities. I would definitely recommend this doctor and his staff. If it ever came to the point that I needed a surgery (I hope that never happens!) then Dr. Valente would be my first call. read more