About Dr. John Nowak & Nowak Chiropractic

South Buffalo's Chiropractor for Over 40 Years

His Story

He Became a Chiropractor Because Chiropractic Changed His Life

It started with a wet floor.

In 1973, a young John Nowak slipped, landed hard on his back, and found himself in the kind of pain that doesn't go away on its own. He was struggling to get comfortable, struggling to function, and not sure where to turn. Someone suggested he see a chiropractor.

He went. And it worked — better than he expected.

But what stayed with him wasn't just the relief. It was what the chiropractor explained afterward. How the spine works. How the nervous system connects to everything in the body. How keeping that system healthy isn't just about avoiding pain — it's about how well you live. Nobody had ever explained it to him that way before, and it made sense in a way that stuck.

That conversation changed the direction of his life. He enrolled at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa — the school where chiropractic was founded, and still one of the most respected chiropractic institutions in the world. He graduated in 1980 with his Doctor of Chiropractic degree and returned to Buffalo ready to build something.

In 1982, he opened Nowak Chiropractic in South Buffalo. He spent his first year at a nearby location, then moved to the address where the practice still stands today — and where Dr. John has been seeing patients ever since.

That's over 40 years in the same community. The same neighborhood. The same commitment to getting people out of pain and back to their lives.

A lot has changed in chiropractic since 1973. Dr. John has changed with it — completing continuing education courses as recently as 2024, staying current on spinal manipulation, diagnostic imaging, and nerve entrapment treatment. But the thing that brought him to this work in the first place hasn't changed at all.

He knows what it feels like to be in pain and not know where to turn. That's exactly why he shows up every day.

NEW PATIENTS START HERE

Adjusting Patient Nowak Chiropractic - South Buffalo Chiropractor

Meet Dr. John

The Doctor Behind the Practice

Dr. John Nowak is not a hard man to describe. He's been doing this for over 40 years in the same South Buffalo neighborhood, he sees every patient himself, and he says what he means.

When you come to Nowak Chiropractic, you're not handed off to an assistant or cycled through a system. You see Dr. John. At your first visit and every visit after that. He does the assessment, he does the treatment, and he takes the time to explain what's going on and why — because an informed patient is a better patient, and because that's how his own chiropractor treated him back in 1973.

His approach is straightforward. He listens to what you're dealing with, figures out what's actually causing it, and treats it directly. He doesn't overcomplicate things and he doesn't oversell. If chiropractic can help you, he'll help you. If it can't, he'll tell you that too.

Patients call him Dr. John. Not because it's a policy — because that's just who he is. Approachable, direct, and genuinely invested in getting you better.

After four decades in practice, Dr. John has seen a lot. Back pain that's been going on for years. Neck injuries from accidents that nobody took seriously. Headaches that turned out to have a clear chiropractic cause. Patients who had been told to just live with it — and didn't have to. That depth of experience means he's rarely seeing something for the first time, and that matters when you're the one in pain.

Education & Credentials

Trained at the Best. Still Learning 40 Years Later.

Doctor of Chiropractic — Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, Iowa — 1980

Palmer College is where chiropractic began. Founded by D.D. Palmer in 1897, it remains the most recognized chiropractic institution in the world. When Dr. John chose Palmer, he wasn't just choosing a school — he was choosing to learn the profession from its original source.

New York State Chiropractic License — X002742-01

POST-GRADUATE EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS AND DIPLOMATES

Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain — Radnor, PA — 2024

Essential Clinical Diagnostic Imaging for Chiropractic — Niagara Falls, NY — 2024

Nerve Entrapments and How to Treat Them Successfully — Buffalo, NY — 2022

Soft Tissue and Rehabilitation — Garland, TX — 2018

The Cervical Spine Sagittal Plane Alignment in Human Health and Disease — Niagara Falls, NY — 2018

Role of IME in No-Fault Insurance — Levittown, NY — 2018

Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization — Depew, NY — 2016

Imaging of the Spinal Cord — Depew, NY — 2016

Mastering the Disc, Mechanical Assessment of the Spine and Extremities — New York Chiropractic College, Levittown, NY — 2015

Evidence-Based Practice and the Orthopedic Clinical Examination — D'Youville College, Buffalo, NY — 2014

The Neurologic Basis for Chiropractic Care — D'Youville College, Buffalo, NY — 2014

MRI and Post-Traumatic Upper Cervical Subluxation — New York Chiropractic College, Levittown, NY — 2013

Cervical Spine Care: An Evidence-Based Approach to Whiplash and Cervical Radiculopathy — D'Youville College, Buffalo, NY — 2013

Medical Record Documentation, Workers' Compensation and No-Fault Updates — Palladain Musculoskeletal Health, West Seneca, NY — 2013

Understanding Whiplash: Mechanisms of Injury During Low-Speed Impact Collisions — Life University College of Chiropractic, Marietta, GA — 2012

Diagnostic Imaging in Clinical Practice — D'Youville College, Buffalo, NY — 2011

New York State Workers' Compensation and Functional Assessment — New York Chiropractic College, Levittown, NY — 2011

Ethical Practices of No-Fault and Workers' Compensation — New York Chiropractic College, Levittown, NY — 2010

Annular Tear of a Cervical Intervertebral Disc — New York Chiropractic College, Levittown, NY — 2009

Chiropractic Orthopedics: Disability Evaluation and Rating of Physical Impairment — Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, Canada — 2003

CT and MRI Comparative Evaluation — New York State Chiropractic Association, Niskayuna, NY — 2002

New York State Chiropractic Association Certified Insurance Program — New York Chiropractic College, Levittown, NY — 2002

Cervical Whiplash: Analysis of Neck and Cervical Spine Trauma Mechanisms — New York State Chiropractic Association, Niskayuna, NY — 1999

Motion Palpation of the Spine — Motion Palpation Institute, Cincinnati, OH — 1981

Certification in Chiropractic X-Ray — Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA — 1980

SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS

Community Beautification Award — South Buffalo Business Association — 1993

SELECTED COMMUNITY SERVICE

East Clinton Community Council Member — Buffalo, NY — 1982

Exterior Nowak Chiropractic - South Buffalo Chiropractor

About Nowak Chiropractic

A South Buffalo Institution Since 1982

Nowak Chiropractic opened its doors in South Buffalo in 1982 — the same year the Buffalo Sabres made the playoffs and two years after Dr. John graduated from Palmer. He started a few blocks away, moved to the current location after his first year, and hasn't moved since.

That kind of staying power means something in a neighborhood like South Buffalo. Patients who first came in with a bad back in the 1980s have sent their kids. Those kids have sent their friends. The practice has grown almost entirely on word of mouth and reputation — not advertising, not gimmicks, not a rotating cast of providers. Just consistent, honest care from the same doctor in the same place for over four decades.

Nowak Chiropractic is a focused, no-frills practice. There's no large staff, no upselling, no pressure to commit to a treatment plan you don't need. You come in, you see Dr. John, you get treated, and you leave feeling better than when you walked in. That's the model and it has worked for 40 years.

The practice serves South Buffalo and the surrounding communities of West Seneca, Lackawanna, and Cheektowaga. The office is located near Cazenovia Park, just south of Mercy Hospital, and is easily accessible from the surrounding neighborhoods.

Recognized by the Community

Nowak Chiropractic has been rated one of the Three Best Chiropractors in Buffalo by Three Best Rated for over 11 consecutive years. With more than 284 Google reviews and a 5.0 rating, the reputation Dr. John has built over four decades speaks for itself.

Ready to Feel Better?

New Patients Are Welcome at Nowak Chiropractic

If you've been dealing with back pain, neck pain, headaches, or injuries from an auto accident, Dr. John is ready to help. With over 40 years of experience and a practice built entirely on trust and results, you're in good hands.

New patients are accepted by phone appointment. Call us today and let's get you started.