Dr. Nicholas Hoffman, DC
a VA Community Care Network Provider

• Calendar

Online scheduling
Unhurried treatment time with same-day or next-day appointments available.

Education
Understanding your injury is critical to your recovery!
Your doctor will explain not only how they can help, but also how you can help yourself. Your condition report and treatment plan will be available in your online portal.

• Plus

Structured, integrative care
Your doctor will work with you to design a practical, individualized treatment plan to fit your life and schedule and will coordinate with any other providers as necessary.

• Question

Transparent billing
Billing question? You will be provided with a Good Faith Estimate for treatment before your rehab begins!

Chiropractic

Spine and joint adjustments to improve mobility and function.

Acupuncture

Orthopedic acupuncture and trigger-point needling to reduce tension, improve circulation, and complement your recovery.

Active Rehab

Feeling better only matters if you're doing more! Most post-injury symptoms improve with the right level of evaluation and early, appropriate movement. Your individualized therapeutic exercise program is designed to get you back to life and moving better!

Conditions Treated

Concussion & mTBI Care

At Tallahassee Injury, concussion and mild traumatic brain injury cases are approached through a functional, evidence-informed rehabilitation model focused on measurable recovery.Many patients experience headaches, dizziness, visual strain, balance problems, cognitive fatigue, neck pain, and exertional intolerance after an injury. Our goal is to identify the underlying functional deficits contributing to those symptoms and address them directly.Evaluation may include:
• balance and vestibular assessment:
The mCTSIB is an objective, standardized tool to evaluate sensory organization deficits post-concussion. By breaking down the composite score across the four conditions, we can identify specific sensory dependencies (e.g., visual vs. vestibular dependency). This objectifies rehab decisions by ensuring the player or patient's balance is driven by clean neurologic integration, rather than superficial compensations.
• cervical spine examination
• visual tracking and oculomotor screening
• functional movement testing
• symptom and activity intolerance tracking
• objective ROM and strength measurementsTreatment is individualized and may include:
• cervical rehabilitation
• vestibular and balance therapy
• visual-vestibular integration exercises
• graded return-to-activity protocols
• proprioceptive and sensorimotor retraining
• headache-focused treatment strategies
• manual therapy and rehabilitation exercise
• Electroacupuncture or taVNS when appropriatePatient progress is monitored using repeat functional testing and validated outcome measures to objectively track recovery and guide treatment decisions.When necessary, we coordinate referrals for advanced imaging, neurology, neuropsychology, neuro-optometry, or additional specialty care.

Acupuncture

Orthopedic Acupuncture
(Trigger-point needling / Ashi Point acupuncture)

If you suffer from deep, aching muscle pain or stubborn tension that stretching and massage just can't seem to reach, you are likely dealing with myofascial trigger points—commonly known as muscle knots.
Many patients today seek out services like "dry needling" to find relief for these tight bands of tissue. At our clinic, we provide a time-tested, specialized approach known as Orthopedic and Ashi Point Acupuncture. This technique uses the same small needles and targets the exact same painful muscle fibers to release tension, restore mobility, and eliminate pain at its source.What is Ashi Point Acupuncture?In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ashi points translate literally to "Ah yes!" points. These are tender, hyper-irritable spots in the muscle that cause localized or radiating pain.During an Orthopedic Acupuncture session, we insert ultra-thin, sterile, disposable monofilament needles directly into these active Ashi points and trigger points. Needles may also be applied to traditional acupuncture points.How It WorksDeactivates Muscle Knots by eliciting a microscopic local twitch response, allowing the tightly bound muscle fibers to immediately relax.Improves Blood Flow by stimulating a localized healing response, drawing fresh, oxygenated blood to the tight tissue.Resets the Nervous System, disrupting the pain-signaling loop between your muscles and your brain, often providing rapid and lasting relief.

taVNS

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) is an innovative, painless therapy that uses a small clip on the outer ear to send gentle electrical pulses directly to your brainstem. The vagus nerve acts as your body’s main information highway, connecting your brain to your heart, lungs, and digestive system.When you experience a physical injury, your nervous system can become stuck in a chronic "fight-or-flight" state. taVNS gently flips the switch back to "rest and repair". This non-surgical approach delivers the therapeutic benefits of traditional implantable vagus nerve stimulators without the associated risks or costs of surgery.How It WorksCalms Systemic Inflammation: Activating the vagus nerve triggers your body's natural "inflammatory reflex," which rapidly lowers tissue-damaging inflammatory chemicals.Blocks Pain Signals: By stimulating your brain's natural pain-relieving chemicals (like endorphins and serotonin), taVNS dampens hyper-reactive pain pathways.Safety: The safety profile of taVNS is exceptionally high. A comprehensive systematic review published in the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) found no causal relationship between taVNS and severe adverse events, with minor reactions limited to transient local skin tingling or mild earache. Because it is non-invasive and non-pharmacological, it safely pairs with traditional physical medicine.

TMJ & Jaw Pain (TMJd)

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJd) refers to a cluster of conditions that cause pain, dysfunction, and clicking in the jaw joint and the surrounding chewing muscles. Because the jaw joint contains a sensitive cartilage disc and is surrounded by dense muscle groups, it is highly susceptible to wear, tear, and biomechanical stress.

Common symptoms of TMJd include:

How We Can HelpWe don't believe in masking jaw pain. Clinical research demonstrates that a multi-modal conservative approach combining chiropractic care, soft tissue mobilization, and acupuncture yields high success rates for TMJd patients.

Our evidence-based treatments target both
the joint mechanics and the muscular system:

External Muscle Work & Manual Therapy: We utilize precise, hands-on soft tissue techniques to reduce chronic hypertonicity (tightness) in the primary muscles of mastication (chewing), including the masseter and temporalis muscles.Intraoral Pterygoid Release: Often, the root cause of jaw deviation and locking lies in the lateral and medial pterygoid muscles located inside the mouth. Using specialized, hygienic intraoral protocols, we perform direct manual releases to restore normal tracking to the jaw joint.
Exercises & Rehab: We also focus on jaw-tracking exercises and posture retraining to stabilize the joint, balance muscle contribution, and prevent future symptom flare-ups.
Targeted Acupuncture Therapy: Clinical studies show that acupuncture is highly effective at reducing pain and muscle spasms in the myofascial structures of the jaw surrounding the TMJ. By stimulating involved nerve pathways, acupuncture promotes blood flow, down-regulates local pain signals, and relaxes deep jaw tension.

While many patients seek out 'dry needling' for TMJd and other localized muscle tightness, our clinic uses an advanced form of Orthopedic Acupuncture targeting Ashi points. This time-tested approach inserts sterile monofilament needles directly into hyperirritated muscle bands to release tension, boost local blood flow, and alleviate pain, delivered safely by your certified provider.

A Collaborative Approach to Your RecoveryWhile conservative physical medicine resolves the vast majority of muscular and structural TMJ issues, long-term success sometimes requires a team approach. Some patients may benefit from a steroid injection or mouth guard. If your jaw pain is driven by nocturnal bruxism (severe teeth grinding or clenching at night), we will seamlessly collaborate with your dentist—or refer you to a local specialist—for the evaluation and fitting of a custom dental night guard to protect the joint while you sleep.

Pregnancy / Postpartum Care

Billing & Financial

Our Financial Philosophy: Patient-Centered, Transparent CareAt Tallahassee Injury, we believe that healthcare decisions should be made by you and your doctor—not by an insurance company adjuster. To provide the highest quality of unhurried, personalized care, our clinic operates as a direct-pay, cash-based practice.Payment is due in full at the time of your visit. We accept all major credit cards, cash, and Health Savings Account (HSA) / Flexible Spending Account (FSA) cards.Why We Choose a Direct-Pay ModelBy stepping outside of restrictive insurance networks, we can eliminate the artificial caps, strict visit limits, and heavy paperwork burdens that insurance companies place on modern chiropractic care and acupuncture.Your Time is Valuable- No Waiting Room, No Rushed Care:
We respect your schedule and your time. Your appointments are never rushed. We spend dedicated, hands-on time with you during every single session. Our strictly appointment-based schedule is meant to get you directly from the front door into your private treatment room with less wasted time.No Surprise Bills: You will never receive an unexpected bill in the mail months after your visit. Pricing is completely transparent. Under the federal No Surprises Act, you have the right to receive a written Good Faith Estimate explaining exactly how much your medical care will cost before you receive it. We provide a transparent breakdown of all standard adjustments, exams, and acupuncture fees prior to your first visit, ensuring you are fully informed every step of the way.Tailored Treatments: Seamlessly combine chiropractic adjustments, manual therapy, rehab, and needling/acupuncture in the same visit based strictly on what your body needs that day, without waiting for insurance pre-authorizations.Out-of-Network Insurance & "Superbills": While we do not bill insurance companies directly, your insurance policy may still help cover your care. If you have out-of-network benefits (such as with Florida Blue / Blue Cross Blue Shield), we are happy to provide you with an itemized medical receipt called a Superbill. You can submit this Superbill directly to your insurance company, and they may reimburse you directly depending on your specific out-of-network plan details.Medicare Patients: Please note that federal law prohibits Doctors of Chiropractic from opting out of the Medicare system. Original Medicare strictly limits chiropractic coverage to acute spinal adjustments and explicitly excludes coverage for acupuncture when performed by a chiropractor. For wellness, maintenance, or acupuncture care, we will guide you through a standard Medicare Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) form to ensure your care is legally and compliantly documented on a self-pay basis.

*Special Insurance Exceptions: Auto Injuries & Veterans AffairsWhile our general wellness and family practice operates strictly on a direct-pay basis, we recognize that certain medical situations require direct insurance handling. We accept and bill the following specialized programs directly:Auto Accident Injuries (PIP):
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, Florida Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance typically covers medical and chiropractic care. We can bill your auto insurer directly for your accident-related treatments so you can focus entirely on your recovery.VA Community Care Network (VACCN):
We honor and serve our veterans. If you are a veteran enrolled in the VA system, you may be eligible to receive fully covered chiropractic and acupuncture care in our office. This requires a formal referral from your VA primary care physician prior to your first visit. Once authorized, we bill the VACCN directly on your behalf.Learn more

• VA Community Care Network: Chiropractic & Acupuncture Coverage for Veterans