Darien Small Business Spotlight: Marsillo Chiropractic Office

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this exciting series — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: Marsillo Chiropractic Office
Owners: Dr. Robert J. Marsillo
Website: www.marsillochiropractic.com
Address: 484 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820

How did you come up with the name?

That was easy. I decided to use my name so people could associate the name of my practice with me.

Why start a business in this town?

I started my practice in Darien, CT in 1988. At that time there was only one other chiropractor in town, Dr. Jim Sullivan. He was in semi retirement and I knew Darien would be in need of another chiropractor. At that time I could see a paradigm shift in healthcare where people would be looking for natural alternatives.

What business are you in?

I’m in the “people business”. What I mean by that is I take care of people to help them get well and more importantly, stay well.

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

Chiropractic evolved in 1895, however, when I started my practice, chiropractic was still very new to the community. In order to “change this” I educated the community with complimentary seminars to civic groups, nursing facilities, schools and businesses. This allowed individuals to become familiarized with what chiropractic is and how it might help them.

What’s been your proudest achievement since opening?

Since I opened in 1988, I have treated many interesting individuals with diverse backgrounds and of various ages and conditions; including CEO’s, CFO’s, janitors, carpenters, medical doctors, lawyers, hair dressers, pregnant mothers and teachers to name a few. Chiropractics approach to healthcare is holistic. Over the years I have learned that there are many causes of a patient’s pain. Addressing the physical side alone is not enough, even if their condition was due to a trauma. Looking at a patient’s emotional and nutritional components are just as important, whether it be the cause of their condition or part of their recovery process. I have been fortunate enough to help people with pain get back to work, be able to lift and play with their children and grand children, help athletes get back to playing and reduce or eliminate the disabling effects that headaches can have on an individual with one thing in common……and that is reducing or eliminating their dependency on pain medications which over time can have devastating effects on the body. But my proudest achievements were diagnosing serious conditions that required an immediate referral for medical care such as cancer, aortic aneurysms and cauda equine syndrome. The latter was in a young male patient in his twenties. This syndrome is a result of severe spinal cord compression that causes bowel and bladder dysfunction.

How does your business give back to the community?

My practice has given back to the community over the years by running food drives for Person to Person and donating my time to organizations to help them become more informed about certain conditions that they can help avoid by simply educating them on the subject. When I came to Darien in 1988 I wanted to give back to the community so I joined the Darien Kiwanis Club, an organization that focuses on the needs of children. I have been past president and secretary and I am currently an active member, remain on the board and I have been the speaker chairperson for the past fifteen years We meet at the Country Club of Darien on Tuesdays at 12 noon and welcome anyone that would also like to give back to the community.

Would you like to see your small business showcased in this series? Email wendy.mitchell@ patch.com.