35 Years+ Experience- Best Chiropractor in Decatur GA

No, you do not need a referral to see a chiropractor. Chiropractors are educated, trained, and considered professionally competent, and responsible, to evaluate any healthcare problem, and treat you, or make an appropriate referral to another healthcare specialist.

I, specifically, worked in orthopedics, physical medicine and physical therapy for 18 years, and spent another 5 years in a neurosurgical practice, part-time, learning surgical indications and procedures. And I make frequent referrals to other healthcare providers, including surgeons, primary care doctors, physical therapists, and pain specialists.

In fact, it is better to see a non-surgical provider first, because surgery is seldom necessary for spinal problems. And if you can find a non-surgical provider that knows a lot about surgical indications and procedures, that is the best case scenario.

This varies widely. My objective is to get patients better or resolved of their pain ASAP. In fact, if patients don’t improve quickly, it is unusual and warrants further consideration. I have treated many patients just once or twice, to their resolution. But that is not the norm. Other times I have treated patients 15-20 times for a certain problem, but that is also unusual. If, however, a patient requires more treatments, it is because they are improving- just slower than usual. Slow progress can be for a variety of reasons. For example, they may have severe spinal degenerative changes.

In my clinical experience since 1987, this newer treatment that I have used since 2006, i.e. spinal decompression treatment, gets more patients better, faster, and longer-lasting, than any other treatment I have seen or used, clinically. It often quickly improves intractable problems that patients have had for years, despite other treatments, from other providers.

Fifty dollars per session. That’s about as much as most people’s co-payments for a spinal specialist.

I will note, as I have in other sections of this website, that Medicare has long decided that spinal decompression treatment is “investigational and experimental”, hence not covered as a service.  Conversely, I long ago decided that this superior treatment for neck and back problems would be my focus, because I care about patients, not insurance companies.  And I also care about my enthusiasm for practice.  Getting patients better is the best part of practice, and I never compromise that objective.  My clinical practice is so much improved with this method of treatment, I would not practice without it.  

Because this treatment is more effective, that means that the total cost of treatment will be many-fold cheaper than other treatment from chiropractors, physical therapists, pain management and surgeons.  

This varies with the severity of the problem. Rarely, for very severe pain, I have treated patients daily, until their pain is much improved.  As soon as possible the frequency of treatment for these patients will be reduced, commensurate with their improvement, until resolution. 

For more common problems, of moderate severity, patients will often come 2-3 times per week, initially. For less severe pain, you may come once a week or even less frequently. For most patients, once they improve, I will not see them again for many months to several years, until they have another problem, or, perhaps, recurrence of the same problem.

Insurance does not cover spinal decompression treatment. They consider it to be “investigational and experimental”. But since the treatment is no more expensive than most people’s co-payments for a specialist, it doesn’t cost you anymore than other treatments. In fact, it probably costs less, because we don’t bill your insurance company.  And, unlike other clinics, most of our patients don’t need to do a great variety of treatments that all get billed separately.  Most patients who receive spinal decompression treatement, do not need any other, concurrent form of treatment.  That also permits a more critical assessment of the treatment as effective, or not, without introducing confounding variables. 

In my estimation, thsi treatment is so effective, it can stand alone, without the need for additional palliative or complementary treatments. 

I provide this treatment because it is much more effective, than any other treatment I have used in my professional experience, since 1987.

No. Each profession has its own focus and methods of practice.  Medical doctors can prescribe medications and perform surgery, although most are not trained in surgery. 

Chiropractors have always specialized in the non-surgical, and non-medication treatment of spinal problems.  Many chiropractors also treat the entire body, and some also treat non-musculoskeletal problems. 

For example, I am trained in something called functional medicine, which is training in systemic diseases, using labwork evaluation and natural supplements, to resolve and essentially cure disease.  Not just manage your disease for profit, but resolve your disease. 

Chiropractors vary in their methods of practice. Most are focused on spinal and other musculoskeletal problems. And chiropractors do not want to, nor are they trained, in pharmacotherapy/medications as a means of treatment for patients. Chiropractors, also, are not trained in invasive procedures such as injections and surgery.

Other than that, there is much overlap between chiropractors and musculoskeletal specialist medical doctors. Both doctors use physical medicine procedures as defined in the Current Procedural Terminology manual.