Dr. Erika Hamer always knew that she wanted to go into the medical field and that dream became a reality 18 years ago when she founded Ponte Vedra Wellness Center located at 100 Corridor Road S., Suite 220 in Ponte Vedra Beach.
“When I first went into college, I was a biology and pre-med major and really wanted to be a pediatrician,” Hamer said.
However, while in college, she started a Hippocrates club, which is a medically based club.
One of the areas she oversaw was bringing in different health care disciplines and alternatives to traditional medicine.
A chiropractor came in to speak with the club and at the time was also looking for someone to work in their office, which was nothing new to Hamer, as she worked throughout college, but saw it as a step up from the grocery store she was working at.
According to Hamer, the time she spent in the practice’s office helped verify that chiropractic work was where her passion was.
“The intention was to branch out and do something different,” Hamer said. “I saw all these patients getting well and thought, ‘This is pretty amazing.’ They took the time to teach me a lot of what went on in the office, and I eventually gravitated toward that path.”
Hamer graduated from chiropractic school at Life University in Marietta, Georgia.
What she loves most about the profession is the fact that she can really get to know her patients and discover who they are as people as well as the issues they are dealing with.
“I really enjoy the fact that it is such a hands-on profession,” Hamer said. “I get to know my patients, which is fun and definitely different from other settings.”
One of the ways she does this is by striving to make the patient experience as comfortable as possible, which includes having the walls painted in bright colors, having an inviting and open lobby and offering flavored waters as well as regular water.
“The little things make a big difference,” Hamer said.
Even though she did not become a pediatrician, she still gets the opportunity to work with children by seeing patients of a wide range of ages, from children to their parents and grandparents.
“We are really helping the entire community to get better,” Hamer said. “I’ve found that over my 18 years, I’ve been able to watch families grow up and now their families are coming here. Yes, you help people, and you get your patients better and might dismiss them from care, but ultimately people have new injuries as life happens and things come up, and they come back or refer others.”
Hamer expanded her practice six years ago by opening a practice in the Nocatee community located at 205 Marketside Avenue, Suite 200 in Ponte Vedra, which Hamer believes helped fill a void for that community at the time and it continues to this day.
She has a staff of eight employees between the two offices and has strived to find people that are just as passionate about their job as she is.
Although chiropractic care is the primary focus, the facilities offer several services and are equipped to heal any part of the body that a patient needs help with.
Some of the services offered are cold laser therapy, spinal decompression therapy and massage therapy, each of which are non-invasive practices.
Cold laser therapy is designed to improve blood circulation and speed up the healing process. It is recommended as a safe treatment for tendonitis, sprains and strains.
Spinal decompression therapy realigns a person’s spinal joints and discs to improve pain and reduce inflammation in the process.
