Backstrong Wellness: Integrating Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Excellence in Decatur and Tucker, GA

If you have neck or back pain, here’s the best treatment for the vast majority of patients. I say that based upon 37 years of clinical experience, including 18 years in orthopedics, physical medicine, and physical therapy, and 5 years in a neurosurgical practice.

Here’s why, in brief and simple language. As we age, our discs slowly degenerate, dehydrate, and some partially or completely collapse like a flat tire. This process causes, and results, in many spinal anatomical changes that are intermittently painful in our lifetimes. The general nature of this process can best be described concisely as a slow, progressive, degenerative compression of our spines. It occurs mostly in the neck and back areas of our spines. And the process is universal, affecting essentially all spines, some much worse than others.

Most people know of physical therapy and chiropractic and orthopedics as healthcare providers for neck and back pain. But it is a little confusing as to who does what treatment, and how they differ.

All providers do treatments to the neck and back that we call, “physical medicine”. These treatments have associated codes, i.e. numbers that define them for insurance companies. There are also some treatments that do not have codes, and may be called “investigational and experimental”, although they may be very reasonable and effective treatments, just not given an identifying code.

Orthopedists usually do surgery for spinal pain or refer their patients to physical therapists for non-surgical treatments.

Physical therapists and chiropractors do many different kinds of treatments and many of the same kinds of treatments. Generally, physical therapists instruct in exercises and ergonomics and administer a variety of physical treatments. And chiropractors do adjustments of the spine, and other physical treatments for the spine. There is considerable variation and overlap of treatments.

But when it comes to treatments of the neck and low back, the most effective treatment in my clinical experience is something called spinal decompression. Why? Because human spines feel pain as a result of the normal slowly progressive degenerative compression of the spine. And this process causes occasional pain from simple activities, as discs bulge, herniate, pinch nerves, and put pressure on the vertebrae, bones and joints.

X-rays and MRI scans show this degenerative, painful, spinal process. And because the nature of this process is compressive, it makes sense that spinal decompression is the most effective way to treat it.

Spinal decompression is a treatment that can be provided by either profession but, unfortunately, it is not a common treatment because these spinal decompression tables are very expensive, and insurance doesn’t pay for this treatment. But the cost of treatment is usually no more than the cost of an insurance co-payment, in which case, it costs no more than treatment that is covered by
insurance.

What spinal decompression does is to gently pull apart your vertebrae to reduce the compression and pain from your discs, joints and nerves. And that is the most effective non-surgical treatment I have used for patients since 1987 in orthopedics, physical medicine, physical therapy and neurosurgery.

So if you’re searching for chiropractor Tucker, GA or physical therapy Decatur, Ga, please call me at 404-558-4015. And to learn more check out my website at www.backstrong.net or go to my Youtube channel from the website.