Dr. Deane Mink has been healing patients in Valdosta for nearly 50 years, after a doctor of chiropractic helped him recover from a sports injury.

“I went to a chiropractor in Macon when I was playing baseball, and he helped my neck and shoulder tremendously. I was impressed with it,” Mink, who played professional baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Minor League team, explained.

After playing ball for six years in the 1950s, Mink went to Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa, graduated in 1961 and set up his practice in Valdosta.

“Once I got into chiropractic, I couldn’t stand to do anything else,” he remembered.

In addition to helping patients, Mink served as the president of the Georgia Chiropractic Association in 1973-74 and helped establish GCA’s continuing education programming. He also was appointed to serve on the Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners by former President and Governor Jimmy Carter.

He remains active in growing both his practice and the profession to this day.“I’ve encouraged about 10 of my patients to become chiropractors themselves,” he said.

Mink, who sees patients three times a week, has one of the largest practices in the state, with four doctors on staff: Mink, his son Dr. Mitch Mink, Dr. Randy Griffis and Dr. Ken Register.

“We have a really diversified practice. I might adjust a two-week old infant, then a 93-year-old grandmother. It’s a neat place to be,” he said.