Smyrna Chiropractor
Dr. Shane Hierlmaier, D.C.
UD exercise science, Life University, eight years as a U.S. Air Force aircraft mechanic, then chiropractic in Smyrna.
Dr. Shane Hierlmaier brings a mechanic’s precision to chiropractic. After eight years as a U.S. Air Force aircraft mechanic and work as a certified personal trainer, he completed exercise science at the University of Delaware and his Doctorate of Chiropractic at Life University.
He is certified in Activator Methods and uses Diversified, Gonstead, SOT, Cox flexion/distraction, and myofascial release.
Smyrna patients with shoulder injuries, family scoliosis histories, and “I have many issues, please do not pick just one” first visits keep booking him. The public spelling is Hierlmaier.
Where Shane practises
Shane practises out of a single Pure Wellness office, which keeps your file, your imaging, and your treating doctor in one building rather than spread across the state.
What Shane treats
The complaints with the most reps on this schedule are precise personalized care; shoulder and spinal injuries; veteran-informed work ethic. Alongside those, Shane handles the everyday spinal and extremity work any general chiropractic practice sees — the stiff neck that will not turn, the low back that seized lifting something ordinary, the shoulder that has quietly stopped reaching overhead. Each link below opens the statewide write-up for that condition: what actually causes it, what an exam looks for, and when chiropractic is the wrong answer.
How Shane adjusts
“Chiropractic” is not one procedure. The methods below are the ones Shane is trained in, and the exam decides which of them you get. If a forceful adjustment is wrong for your age, your bone density, or an acutely inflamed joint, there is a low-force option that reaches the same joint a different way — you should be told which one you are getting and why before anyone touches you.
Diversified
The most widely taught hands-on adjustment in chiropractic, and the method most people picture when they think of seeing a chiropractor.
What it feels like: A quick, shallow thrust delivered by hand to a specific joint. You often hear a pop — that is gas releasing from the joint capsule, not bones cracking — and the whole contact lasts a fraction of a second.
Used for: Restoring motion to a spinal or extremity joint that has stopped moving through its normal range. It is the default starting point for most low back, mid back, and neck complaints.
Gonstead
A precision system that spends far more time on analysis than on the adjustment itself.
What it feels like: Before anything is adjusted, the doctor reads your posture, palpates the spine, checks skin temperature along the spinal nerves, and reviews films. The adjustment that follows is a single specific contact, usually with you seated or lying on your side.
Used for: Patients who want to know exactly which segment is being treated and why, and cases where a general adjustment has not held.
Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT)
A low-force system that treats the pelvis and the base of the skull as two ends of one mechanical chain.
What it feels like: Padded wedges are placed under the pelvis and your own body weight does the work over several minutes. There is little or no thrusting.
Used for: Pelvic torsion, sacroiliac pain, headaches that trace back to pelvic mechanics, and patients who do not tolerate a forceful adjustment.
Cox Flexion-Distraction
A gentle, non-surgical decompression method performed on a table with a moving lower section.
What it feels like: You lie face down while the table slowly flexes and stretches the lumbar spine. It is rhythmic and repetitive rather than a single thrust, and most patients describe it as a relief rather than a jolt.
Used for: Disc herniation, sciatica, spinal stenosis, and lower back pain that gets worse with sitting. It is the technique of choice when a disc is involved and a rotary adjustment would be too aggressive.
Myofascial Release
Sustained hands-on pressure into the fascia — the sheet of connective tissue wrapping every muscle.
What it feels like: Slow, deep, and held. Unlike a massage stroke, the contact stays in one place until the tissue softens, which can take 90 seconds or more. It is often described as a good kind of uncomfortable.
Used for: Chronic tightness that returns between adjustments, scar tissue from old injuries, and cases where the joint moves fine but the surrounding tissue keeps pulling it back.
Activator Methods
Instrument adjusting using a small spring-loaded tool that delivers a measured, repeatable impulse.
What it feels like: A light tap. There is no twisting, no popping, and no sudden movement of your body — which is why it is often the first thing we offer to nervous patients.
Used for: Older patients, osteoporosis, acute inflamed joints, children, and anyone who tenses up at the thought of a manual adjustment.
Education
- Life University — Doctor of Chiropractic
- University of Delaware — Exercise Science
Honors
- U.S. Air Force aircraft mechanic, 8 years
- Certified personal trainer
Associations
- Licensed in Delaware
- Certified in Activator Methods
Patients
“I have been seeing Dr. Shane for about a year now. He is very welcoming, knowledgeable, and professional. I finally got the relief I was looking for.”
“Dr. Hierlmaier answered every question I had and explained details so I could understand what was causing the pain. The atmosphere is great.”
“From when my husband tweaks his back to my child hurting their neck, they handle it all. Dr Shane is always there to help us get back on track. Highly recommend the Smyrna location.”
Articles
Booking with Dr. Shane Hierlmaier, D.C.
Where does Dr. Shane Hierlmaier practise?
Shane sees patients at Pure Wellness Smyrna, 699 S Carter Rd Suite 5, Smyrna ((302) 389-8915). Appointments are booked through the clinic, not through a personal line.
What techniques does Dr. Shane Hierlmaier use?
Diversified, Gonstead, SOT, Cox Flexion/Distraction, Myofascial Release, Activator Methods. Which one you get is decided by the exam — age, bone density, whether a disc is involved, and how much force you can comfortably tolerate all change the answer.
What does Shane treat most often?
Precise personalized care; Shoulder and spinal injuries; Veteran-informed work ethic. Beyond those, Shane sees the full range of spinal and extremity complaints that come into a general chiropractic practice.
How long is a first visit with Dr. Shane Hierlmaier?
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes. That covers history, orthopedic and neurological testing, measured range of motion, and a conversation about what the findings mean before any treatment starts. Follow-up visits are considerably shorter.
Does Shane take my insurance?
Pure Wellness works with most major plans and will verify your specific benefits before your first appointment so there are no surprises. Send your details through the insurance verification form or call (302) 389-8915 and the front desk will check it for you.
Can I see Shane for an auto accident or work injury?
Yes. Injury cases are documented to the standard that insurers and attorneys require, which means measured findings and scheduled re-examinations rather than a generic treatment note. Mention the crash or the incident when you book so the first visit is scheduled with enough time.