Spinal Decompression Therapy Decatur GA

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Patients' Google Reviews - Of Spinal Decompression Therapy Decatur GA

I have chronic neck and back pain due to past car accidents. I have tried many treatments to get relief over the years. Trigger point injections, radio frequency ablation, and even a breast reduction! Dr. Castanet recommended the spinal decompression treatment. It doesn't hurt at all. It's very gentle and relaxing. I am very grateful that I found Dr. Castanet and this type of treatment. I only wish I could have found them sooner!

Rachelle Clark

I saw Dr. Craig Castanet for neck pain. My neck "locked" in a position and I could not move it for several seconds. When it would finally “unlock”, it was painful. This would happen often and sometimes daily. Dr. Castanet used spinal decompression on my neck and after 3 sessions, I had dramatic improvement. If I experience this pain again, I plan to return for more decompression.

Christine Baldassari

Backstrong Patients' Video Reviews

Patient, Rufus Kinsey

What was the problem with Mr. Rufus Kinsey?

Mr. Kinsey initially had severe neck and arm pain, years ago, resolved after several treatments. He has also had a history of sciatica pain, for which he has also had treatment with resolution, but sciatica can recur intermittently, and he is back for another bout of treatment..

How did we resolve this problem?

Spinal decompression treatment has resolved his complaints before, but spinal problems can recur. The question is how quickly does the treatment work, and does it stay better for a reasonably long time. Most patients who resolve their problems will stay better for months to years.  In the case of Mr. Kinsey, he has sought treatment on several different occasions for neck pain and a pinched nerve that radiated down his arm, severely.  On other occasions he has sought help for sciatica pain.  As for his initial neck and arm pain, he had a disc/osteophyte complex for which we treated him with spinal decompression, with resolution of the problem.  On other occasions he has had sciatica for which we treated him with spinal decompression, effectively.  Each time his improvement lasts a reasonably long time, and neither injections nor surgery have been. necessary.  But spinal problems can recur because we cannot give someone their 15 year old spine again.  But most patients don’t mind doing occasional, infrequent treatment to get better, with less pain and normal function.

Previous Patients' Yelp Reviews

THANK YOU, Dr. Castanet! After 3 weeks of sudden lower back pains, I was fortunate I had my first consultation with Dr. Castanet. Now, after 3 sessions of SpineMed - Spinal Decompression treatment, I'm 99% BACK to normal. I HIGHLY recommend this treatment. I'm 42 yrs old and never had any back problems until suddenly I could hardly bend to put on my shoe, sit or move without pain. I didn't lift or do any strenuous that specifically hurt my back so I was totally clueless why I was in so much pain for weeks. I had no idea what spinal compression meant, but after seeing Dr. Castanet and doing my first spinal decompression within a couple of days I felt significantly better. After a few more follow-up sessions, here I am feeling AMAZING! At 42 and not getting any younger, I feel spinal decompression is a great physically regime comparable to routine dental check-up and cleaning. I will be back to see Dr. Castanet occasionally.

Oneal S.

Dr. Craig Castanet- Clinic Owner of Backstrong Non-Surgical Rehab Clinic

Hi, I am Dr. Craig Castanet, D.C. & clinic owner of Backstrong Non-Surgical Rehab Clinic. I have 35+ years experience including orthopedics, physical medicine, physical therapy and neurosurgery. I specialize in spinal decompression treatment for neck, back, hip and shoulder pain.

Dr. Craig Castanet – Related Certifications

Spinal Decompression Therapy Decatur GA​
Spinal Decompression Therapy Decatur GA​

Why Choose Backstrong Non-Surgical Rehab Clinic - Decatur GA

Sometimes a degenerated, painful, or injured spine needs surgical treatment. And in the right patient, for the right problem, at the right time, with the right procedure by the right surgeon, surgery can be a blessing. But if you have neck, back, hip, or shoulder pain, and want the most effective, non-surgical treatment, Dr. Castanet can provide it.

What Makes Dr. Craig Castanet Unique Among Providers?

The reason this treatment is more effective than most is that it partially reverses the cause of most neck and back pain, which is the slow, progressive, degenerative, compression of the human spine.

How To Get To Our Office?

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is a candidate for spinal decompression therapy?

Most people with back, neck, hip, or shoulder pain are candidates for this treatment.  The conventional indications that most doctors consider are disc herniations, sciatica, and arm and leg pain that is radiating down from the neck or low back. 

 

However, I have found this treatment to be much more broadly effective for almost any pain of the spine for which it is not contraindicated.  And I think I know why.  This is where my general conception of spinal pain departs, explicitly, from conventional healthcare providers. 

 

As you will read elsewhere on this website, the real, common reason that patients have spinal pain, is that they acquire many degenerative changes to their spines, over time, that are compressive in their nature, and occasionally will cause inflammation and pain.  This includes acute pain episode and chronic pain, both.  In either case, whether an acute pain, acute on chronic pain, or chronic pain, the nature of the painful, inflamed lesion makes it amenable to improvement by decompressing the spine.   And, in fact, my clinical experience with this treatment have affirmed my enthusiasm for it ever since I starting focusing on it in 2006. 

 

There are a few contraindications to treatment, which are rare or uncommon.  These include fractures, dislocations, spinal infections, tumors, cancer, severe osteoporosis, and spinal instability.  Of course, Dr. Castanet is ever-mindful of these during the course of his evaluation and treatment of patients.

When should you decompress your spine?

If you have neck or back pain, or related pain in your hip, leg, shoulder, or arm regions, you will probably benefit from this treatment. 

 

As with any medical treatment, there are contraindications to it, and indications for it.  All of that is taken into account by Dr. Castanet during the course of his evaluation and treatment. 

 

Many patients that I see, once they have resolved their problem, will say that they want to continue with treatment as a preventive measure with some frequency.  But, typically, they will not.  After all, when you’re out of pain, it can be forgotten. 

 

I actually do not encourage preventive treatment, because once out of pain, it is impossible for me to prove there is any value in it.  However, one can definitely make a case for pain management with this treatment for patients who have significant spinal degeneration and associated pain and physical limitations as a result.  And I do have some such patients. 

 

The way we typically handle this matter, is that they figure out a frequency of treatments that keeps them reasonably low in pain, and functioning reasonably well. 

 

This is not something I dictate.  Patients are perfectly capable of determining this themselves.  And for those who can effectively manage their problems this way, it makes a lot of sense.  

How often should you do spinal decompression treatment?

This varies widely among patients.  It is not a cookie-cutter treatment.  It is tailored to each patient’s problem, their response to treatment, and their rate of improvement.  Rarely, in severe cases, patients may need daily treatment for one or two weeks, but that is rare.  More commonly, patients will start with 2-3 treatments the first week, and adjust, thereafter, depending upon their rate of improvement.

 

In the real world, patients have many competing priorities.  Some of these competing priorities can be work, distance, time, money, transportation, children, spouses, and more, as you can imagine.  So all of these variables can impact what a patient chooses to do.  So long as these other variable don’t unduly affect the eventual treatment outcome, they can be accomodated.  Very occasionally a patient will be too neglectful of a reasonable treatment protocol and I will discuss this with them, but this is uncommon, and I have been very surprised at how effective this treatment is with a variety of real-world applications.

How many sessions for spinal decompression?

This varies widely, also.  I’ve had some patients resolve their pain with one treatment, although that is uncommon.  I’ve had others that needed twenty treatments, or even more, but that was also uncommon.  And patients that do that many treatments, are improving; they are not doing many treatments that are not working.  They are simply improving more slowly than we would like.  A more common course of treatment is six to twelve treatments, over two to eight weeks.  

 

Also, because this treatment is so effective, Dr. Castanet has high expectations, and your problem must begin to improve quickly, or he will discontinue treatment without wasting your time and money.  That makes spinal decompression comparatively inexpensive vis a vis physical therapy or chiropractic adjustments.

How long does the treatment take?

Individual treatment sessions are thirty minutes long.  Some patients will also receive ice pack treatment after their treatment, but this is uncommon.  It takes about 5-15 minutes more in this circumstance.  Most people will be done with treatment in 30 minutes.  If you are receiving treatment for the neck and back, then the total time is 60 minutes.

 

During the course of your treatment, Dr. Castanet may talk to you about your progress, and other factors that may influence your progress, such as activities, postures, ergonomics, exercise and more. 

 

Other times, patients will simply fall asleep during the course of their treatment. 

 

Some patients will use their phones.  This is not possible when doing neck treatment, because the arms must be at rest. 

 

For the initial visit with Dr. Castanet, the duration is longer, probably 60 to 75 minutes, because he needs to conduct a history, physical examination, and review any diagnostic imaging or medical records you may have. 

 

It should also be noted that most patients do not have to wait for their treatments, because scheduling is done efficiently, and aberrant circumstances are rare.  

How much does spinal decompression therapy cost?

Fifty dollars per session, for the most effective, non-surgical treatment available.  That’s equivalent to most people’s co-pay for a spinal specialist provider.

 

I should note that insurance companies consider this treatment to be “investigational and experimental”.  Medicare and healthcare insurance companies, who follow their guidelines, have decided that they do not want to pay for this treatment.  I know this is unfortunate because this treatment would save them lots of money as an alternative to other procedures like chiropractic, physical therapy, injections, and surgery.  But large bureaucrasies do what they wish for reasons that are not always knowable or rational.  The fortunate thing is that I have chosen to provide this better treatment in spite of insurance company policies.  As a clinician in the trenches since 1987, I don’t let insurance entities determine what, in my independent judgement, is the most effective treatment I have ever used.

How long does spinal compression last?

Great question.  Many patients will ask, sometime during the course of their treatment, about the short-term and long-term results of this treatment.  In the short term, they may ask, how can this treatment be effective if I get decompressed for 30 minutes, and then I stand back up and bear weight again?  The reason for this is that spinal decompression does several things for your spine when you are on the table.  During the treatment, the inflamed pain generator in your spine, such as the disc, joint, and nerve, are all decompressed and this starts an improvement in the anatomical and physiological status of those tissues.  Specifically, the inflammation will begin to reduce over the next many hours and days after treatment.  Take note of how your spinal pain, typically, responds to weight bearing when you are in pain.  Generally, when you are in pain, you will feel better if you lie down, and worse if you carry or life something heavy, or simply carry your own weight around.  Spinal decompression treatment causes an extraordinary state of non-weight bearing, which initiates the subsequent physiological effects that will reduce your pain and inflammation, and improve your functioning. 

 

In the longer term, patients will ask, how long will I stay better, once I resolve this problem?  This varies for people, depending on their physical demands, and the amount of spinal degeneration they have.  But in my clinical experience,  most people who improve from this treatment will stay better for many months or years.  This essentially resolves the problem.  But problems can recur.  Nonetheless, this remains the most effective treatment I have ever seen and used during the course of my career treating more than 40,000 patients.

 

As for patients with severe degenerative changes in their spine, they may need to do intermittent treatment, perhaps every several weeks.  But this is not a bad alternative for some patients, who eschew surgery, or are not candidates for surgical treatment.  

What Is Spinal Decompression?

Spinal decompression treatment is a table that reverses the compression on your spine.  This includes your discs, joints, and nerves, which are the usual sources of neck and back pain.  Patients are placed on the table, face-up,, and comfortably secured to the table.  Then the table slowly separates, to decompress the painful, inflamed tissue, disc, joint, and/or nerve.  The process is usually comfortable, and many patients fall asleep during the treatment.

What Types Of Spinal Decompression Therapies Are There?

There are several types of treatment that TRY to accomplish some form of spinal decompression.  Mostly, they do a poor job, as follows:

Does Spinal Decompression Work?

The most important question.  Yes, better than any other non-surgical treatment I have seen or used since 1987.  That includes my many years in orthopedics, physical therapy, physical medicine, and neurosurgery.  And it should not be surprising.  All of us spine specialists are treating the normal process of slow, progressive, degenerative compression of the spine.  This process gives rise to intermittent, or chronic, neck, back and thoracic pain.  The real surprise is that this treatment is not the first thing offered to patients with neck and back pain.  It is the most direct treatment for the compressive nature of this process.  And in my clinical experience it is more effective, hence works faster, than other treatments for most patients with neck and back pain.  In fact, I am frequently surprised with how it can turn intractable neck and back pain into an easy problem to resolve.  

Neck and back problems can be very difficult for spine specialists to treat, effectively.  In my clinical experience of 35+ years including orthopedics, physical medicine, physical therapy, and neurosurgery, spinal decompression treatment is the most effective method I have seen, and used, with patients.

How Does Spinal Decompression Work?

The common pain generators of the spine are the discs, joints and nerves.  What happens to the human spine over a lifetime, is that wear and tear results in degeneration of the discs.  As they degenerate, they slowly bulge, herniate, and collapse.  That causes degenerative enlargement of the bones, joints, and ligaments.  All of these changes result in intermittent pain, and can pinch the nerves, which causes radiating pain down the arms or legs.  All of these changes are compressive in nature.  Spinal decompression works by decompressing these structures.  It is the most direct redress for the nature of the problems.  And that is why it is the most effective, non-surgical treatment I have ever used for patients.  When the patient’s spinal discs, joints, and nerves are decompressed, the inflammatory process, responsible for your pain, will begin to reduce, and, over the course of however many treatments you need, most patients will have resolution of their pain.

What Is The Spinal Decompression Therapy Process?

Dr. Craig Castanet will review your medical history, do a physical examination, and, depending upon your problem, he may request diagnostic testing such as X-rays or MRI scans to establish the root cause of your spinal issue and whether you are a candidate for spinal decompression therapy.  Many times, if you’ve had diagnostic imaging done before, that will suffice.

Most patients are candidates for spinal decompression treatment, because compression is the cause of most spinal pain.  The first thing to do, however, with patients, is to explain your present problem, and let you know what to expect in the way of treatment, and what I will recommend if this treatment doesn’t work.  I am often told that I communicate more, and better, than other doctors.  People skills are an important part of medical treatment, and I enjoy the challenge of all the questions patients ask during the course of their treatment.

What Conditions Can Spinal Decompression Treat?

Spinal decompression can treat neck and back pain, herniated discs, bulging discs, degenerated discs, joint pain, pinched nerves, sciatica, hip, buttock, thigh, and leg pain, shoulder and arm pain, mild to moderate spinal stenosis, spondylosis, and mild spondylolisthesis.  There are few, and uncommon neck and back problems that it does not help.  And if you want to know who is a credible purveyor of anything, ask them about their failings.  What does it not help?  

Let me elaborate.  I would estimate that about 10-15% of patients who go to a spine specialist have pain we don’t understand.  In other words, we’re not sure thy they are having pain.  Most of these people will improve with treatment, but some will not, and we’re not sure why.  Dr. John Sarno, a physical medicine doctor who passed away a few years ago, developed a concept of psychosomatic pain, that he thought was true for the vast majority of neck and back pain patients.  I don’t think I agree, but it may explain this subset of patients who have pain that we don’t understand.  

For the other 85-90% of patients, we think we do know why they are having their pain, and we have many treatments for them.  

Spinal decompression cannot help fractures, dislocations, infections, cancer, instability, spondylolisthesis above grade 1-2, and some patients who simply don’t respond, for reasons unknown.  And this is true for all treatments, including surgery.

Why Do People Choose Spinal Decompression Therapy?

Patients choose spinal decompression treatment because they want the most effective, non-surgical treatment for their neck or back pain, without medications, injections, or surgery.  Spinal decompression treatment only helps, because it resolves the cause of the painful inflammation arising from your discs, joints, and nerves.  It does not mask the pain of your problem.  Once patients are informed of how, and why, spinal decompression is more effective than conventional treatments, they find the explanation logical and worth trying for their problem.  And for the majority of patients, this treatment will work faster, better, and last longer than other treatments they have tried.

What Are The Top Benefits Of Spinal Decompression?

Improvements in pain and function.  About 80% of patients get some relief of pain with the first treatment; sometimes a small improvement, and sometimes a major improvement.  There will be a small percentage of patients who need several treatments before they begin to improve, but that is uncommon.  And, of course, there will be a smaller percentage of patients who I cannot help with this treatment, and I may recommend pain management or surgery.  

As you no-doubt know, pain causes a loss of function in your daily activities, so your function should improve as well.

Some top benefits of spinal decompression are:

When compared to the cost of pain management and surgery or years of medications, spinal decompression is a more affordable option. Meanwhile, because the non-invasive process normally does not require a recuperation period, you will most likely not have to leave work. If you have neck or back discomfort, we recommend that you look into non-invasive treatment option.

How Do You Know If Nonsurgical Spinal Decompression Is Right For You?

If you have spinal pain in your neck, back, hip, or shoulder, spinal decompression will probably improve or resolve your problem.  There are a few contraindications to treatment, as there are with all medical treatments, so these must be evaluated.  If you have failed to improve or resolve your pain with other treatments, spinal decompression will probably still help you.  We recommend it before you proceed to injections, surgery, or the chronic use of medications.  For anyone for whom spinal decompression is not contraindicated, I recommend a trial of it.  Only a trial of this treatment or any other will tell you if you will benefit from it.  In this regard it is important to mention that, because it is so effective, your improvement should start very quickly.  About 70-80% of patients will have some improvement with the first treatment.  And that is very uncommon among all spinal treatments.  There will be patients who do not improve for reasons that I sometimes don’t understand.  But other times, the severity of the pathology may be beyond the help of this treatment.  The only way to know is with a trial of the treatment.  

How Do I Know If I Need A Chiropractor for Spinal Decompression?

Any spine specialist can provide spinal decompression, including medical physicians, chiropractors, and physical therapists. But, due to the expense of true, spinal decompression tables, most providers never get to experience it with patients, so are not professionally familiar with the treatment, nor do they provide it.  Most of the healthcare providers who do offer spinal decompression treatment are chiropractors, but others can provide it.  

I will note that in my experience, most providers are very dubious, and sometimes resentful, of any manufacturer of equipment who charges a lot of money.  And most of the so-called spinal decompression tables that providers are using, are not the better-engineered, expensive, real spinal decompression tables that cost more than $100,000.  Most are using conventional traction tables that cost a few thousand dollars.  Does it make a difference?  I think so.  I certainly didn’t want to spend $150,000 on my spinal decompression tables, which is, in fact, what I paid for my first table.  But at that time I had spent 18 years in orthopedics, physical medicine, and physical therapy.  And treating neck and back problems is actually rather frustrating for doctors, because it can be so difficult, and sometimes impossible, to help some patients.  So my thinking was that I wanted the absolutely best chance of helping those kinds of patients.  So for that reason, I did not compromise what I thought was my best chance to improve patient outcomes.  I bought the best engineered spinal decompression table extant, and it is still the best among the 4 manufacturers.  And, I must say, this treatment does result in vastly superior treatment outcomes and faster, too.

How Does My Chiropractic Physician Use Spinal Decompression?

There are generally accepted, protocols for the use of spinal decompression treatment, but treatment parameters are individualized to each patient.  Over the many years that I have now used this treatment, I have used it in a variety of ways, manipulating all the treatment parameters.  This has enabled me to be more effective and getting patients better quicker than by always adhering to stict protocols.  The reasons for this are as varied as people’s lives.  Some live far away, some can’t drive too far, too frequently, some need daily treatment, others do fine once a week or once a month, ages vary, weights and bone density vary, and there are many other variables you can imagine that can affect how this treatment is administered.  

This is where experience with the treatment is important.  And I, personally, administer the treatments to patients.  I do not delegate the treatments to an employee.  It is in the trenches with patients and their real questions, problems, and concerns where a doctor learns how to be better, and confront the real problems that are unique to each patient.

What Does Spinal Decompression Therapy Treat?

Spinal decompression treats all the potential pain generators of the spine that are compressed, and then cause the inflammation and pain you feel in your neck and back.  Other areas where you may feel the pain that is caused by your neck and back problems, can be your arms, shoulders, shoulder blades, headaches, middle back, low back, buttocks, thighs, legs and feet.  

The actual pain generators are your discs, joints and nerves.  As your body ages and degenerates, this starts with the spinal disc.  The disc, as a result of all the little, or large, physical traumas of life, slowly collapses, and may bulge or herniate, putting pressure on joints and nerves.  This results in episodes of acute pain and inflammation.  Sometimes these episodes resovle on their own.  Other times they don’ resovle, and can linger for years.  

The nature of this process is that over a lifetime, your spine is slowly becoming compressed.  Spinal decompression treats exactly this process, so it is the most direct, and effective treatment for this process.  And because it is so direct, you don’t usually need as many treatments to get better, faster, than other treatments.  

The things that you might read on your x-ray or MRI report, which spinal decompression can treat are, spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, stenosis, herniated disc, degenerated disc, disc protrusion, facet arthropathy, facet effusion, bulging disc, extruded disc, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, and more.  All of these findings are associated with back and neck pain that usually improves with spinal decompression treatment.  

These problems, above, have been present for a long while, and they were not painful until something very subtle changed and made you painful.  So all we have to do with treatment, is to partially reverse these changes and you should recover from your episode.  Spinal decompression cannot give you a young spine again, but it can usually get you pain-free again.  

What Should I Expect During Treatment?

Patients will lie face-up, and either their neck or low back will be secured, comfortably, to the table.  The table will then slowly move, like traction, to decompress, the neck or back.  The treatment is thirty minutes long, and for most patients, the treatment is so comfortable, they may fall asleep.  That is not true for everyone, of course, but it is usually a relaxing experience.  

The treatment for the low back and neck differ somewhat in the patient experience.  The low back is not as sensitive to tensile stress as the neck, so very often patients will say they don’t feel the low back treatment, or they may say that they only feel the table moving occasionally, but the experience with not one that feels particularly pulling in nature.  This is normal for low back treatment.  During treatment it is almost a non-event.  And many people do nap for the 30 minute duration.  

The neck treatment is different.  You will feel the pulling of the treatment more appreciably.  Even so, many patients do still close their eyes and fall asleep.  The treatment duration is, likewise, 30 minutes.  You will also feel the pressure of the components of the maching which grasp your forehead and occiput, but for most patients this is reasonably comfortable.  

What To Expect From Decompression Therapy?

About eighty percent of patients will get some relief from the first treatment; sometimes a little relief, and sometimes a lot of relief.  Subsequent treatments will usually result in progressive improvement of your pains.  Resolution of the pain is expected, and usual for most patients.  The number of treatments that any given patient needs is variable.  Some patients need one treatment to be satisfied with their outcome.  Others need 15-30 treatments for a severe problem, but this is less common.  

Most patients that I see will resovle their problem, and I will not see them again for many months to years, for the same or different problem.  Spinal decompression can’t give you a young spine again, but it is better, faster, and lasts longer than other treatments I have seen and used in my 36 year career treating neck and back problems, in orthopedics, physical medicine, physical therapy and neurosurgery.

What Can You Expect From A Spinal Decompression Treatment Session?

Throughout the sessions Dr. Castanet will assess your response to each treatment and make adjustments to the procedure, accordingly. There are numerous variables to consider during the course of your treatment.  And the treatment tends to be progressive in nature, with an increase in the amount of spinal decompression with successive treatments.  At each visit you’ll be asked about your pain, other symptoms and signs, and your functional improvements.   In some cases, spinal decompression therapy may be combined with other therapies.  But most of the time, it is not necessary to combine other treatments, and doing so will confound response-to-treatment assessments.  In fact, it is almost always better to do the least amount of treatment necessary to reach the objective.  And that makes it easier to critical evaluate the efficacy of treatments.  Possible adjunctive treatments can include manual techniques, ice application, or electrical stimulation.  During the course of treatment you are encouraged to discuss your activities and postures, and ergonomic means of doing things.  Later, you may be encouraged to do strengthening exercises at home.   

Contact Us Today

Back and neck pain can be nagging and annoying, or even incapacitating.  And, as you know, it has a negative impact on your quality of life. If you have back or neck pain, we recommend you look into our affordable and better, non-surgical, Spinal Therapy option. 

Backstrong Non-Surgical Rehab Clinic
2771 Lawrenceville Hwy #101,
Decatur, GA 30033

Phone: +1 404-558-4015
[email protected]

Monday  8 AM–6 PM

Tuesday  8 AM–6 PM

Wednesday  8 AM–6 PM

Thursday 8 AM–6 PM

Friday  8 AM–6 PM

Saturday Closed

Sunday Closed

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