Estner Injury Center opened its newest office in Warwick in the Care New England Wellness Center on Post Road Thursday. It was greeted with support from former patients, mayors and the hope for many of pain treatments that don’t require heavy medications.

Dr. Stephen Estner is a chiropractor and holistic health provider who has practiced for 19 years, 16 of which were in Rhode Island. He has achieved high marks from both patients and the state for his understanding of pain treatments. He is the Chairman of the Chiropractic Board of Examiners for the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Deborah Parente, Director of Operations at Estner Injury Centers, was emphatic about her belief that Estner is a “friendly, caring and thorough” doctor who cares deeply about his patients’ success within and outside of the practice.

“We work with massage therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture therapies to help patients,” said Parente. “If we can’t fix the issue, we send it out to other physical therapists and doctors.”

Parente loves her job and the approach that Estner takes to pain. The practice doesn’t use any heavy or opioid medications personally, as the staff has been personally touched by the opioid crisis.

“We won’t recommend drugs,” though other partner may prescribe them in extreme situations.

Estner is the first to say that his approach is something he’s done for years, and he’s not trying to make a statement about the opioid crisis. However, he sees his practice as a means of possibly preventing the use of painkillers and heavy medications.

“We treat a lot of acute and short-term injuries,” said Estner. “We pride ourselves in getting their pain resolved in a few months. Our practice doesn’t focus on opioids…but we do hope that our method is able to be an early intervention to prevent the use of heavy medications.”

Estner believes the secret to his practice is “treating people with respect and treating their needs.” And one person in attendance at the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Allen Fung, is a firm believer that Estner follows that consistently with his patients.

“Dr. Estner is a wonderful man and a great doctor,” said Fung, who said he was coming to the opening as a friend of Estner’s and not just as mayor. “I was actually a patient of his years ago, and he did wonders for me.”

Estner believes that making the decision to go to Warwick, instead of “jumping the border and going into Massachusetts” for his newest practice, was because of what Rhode Island and Warwick have to offer.

“I think people underestimate Rhode Island in general. It has a lot to offer,” said Estner. “[In Warwick] the airport is expanding and expanding the businesses around it. There was a high demand demographic match for this office.”

“From being a commodities broker on Wall Street to becoming a chiropractor, undoubtedly Dr. Estner has established one of the most successful chiropractic businesses in Rhode Island,” Mayor Scott Avedisian said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to see that the Estner Injury Center continues to expand their business bringing their specialized skills and extensive experience to Warwick. It’s truly a great opportunity for Warwick residents to receive the high quality of care and treatments that the Estner Injury Centers and their trained professionals have become known for. On behalf of the residents of Warwick, I extend my sincere congratulations to everyone at Estner Injury Centers.”

Estner called Rhode Island “a beautiful, thriving state with a great lifestyle and has a lot to offer that you can’t get anywhere else. And with what the Healthtrax building has to offer, we can do so much more for our patients. It’s great.”