Have Neck Pain or Back Pain in Athens Ga?
Welcome to SuperSpine.net, the web-address of Physicians Back and Neck Clinic, Athens Physical Therapy and Dr. Christopher E. Doerr in Athens, Georgia and Lavonia, Georgia.
For many people, the most frustrating aspect of having back pain or neck pain is getting understandable answers and learning which specific treatment option would be best for the problem. Why do I have back pain? Whom should I see for this problem? Do I need X-rays or an MRI? Do I need physical therapy, or injections, or surgery? What can I do to help myself?
The right place to start is with a physical medicine evaluation by a physician who concentrates upon spine injuries and conditions. Dr. Doerr and his staff have more than 23 years of experience in evaluating, diagnosing and treating patients with spine problems, neck, and back pain. We are the starting point. It is our job to determine who can get better with specialized physical therapy, rehab exercises and spine education, versus who needs referral "up the ladder" for a pain specialist or spine surgical consultation. We will obtain the appropriate studies to help sort out serious conditions from "seriously annoying" ones (and it is important to us that you "see" and understand the diagnoses in order to make educated choices from our recommendations). Fortunately, this "stepped" approach to spine diagnosis and treatment is a shared mindset in Northeast Georgia among our pain specialists, neurosurgeons and spine surgeons.
If we determine that physical therapy is needed - or if you already have a prescription from your personal doctor or specialist for physical therapy - we are pleased to offer the finest, diagnosis-specific spine physical therapy available in the area. Our physical therapists concentrate daily upon back and neck conditions, and combine "high-touch" hands-on therapies with "high-tech" exercises utilizing state-of-the-art physical therapy equipment. With your previous history and films in mind, they perform their own examinations to tailor the appropriate therapy for your specific diagnosis (because treatments that are ideal for one condition can make another condition worse). And, because the physical therapy and physical medicine practices are under one roof, there is direct interaction between the doctor and physical therapist on a daily basis, so any fine-tuning of a therapy plan can be done immediately. We highly value this interactive environment, and cannot envision providing care any other way.
Physical Therapy Question of the Day
Can I skip therapy and just get injections?
Injections can be very helpful, and a number of our physical therapy patients have had successful injection therapy as part of their care. We often think of injections as a 'reset button' where the 'fire' in an angry joint or surrounding an injured disc is 'cooled'. But we also strongly believe the duration of relief provided by injections is directly related to how well you 'behave' afterwards. If you don't have a strong-enough core to withstand spinal loading forces, and if you haven't learned proper spine mechanics and proper 'spine hygiene', the benefits of your injection may be short-lived. Physical therapy is essential for assuring you have all the strength and knowledge needed to better prolong the positive effects of injections.
See more frequently asked physical therapy questions.
Physical Therapy Clinics Serving North East Georgia
We have physical offices in Athens, GA and Lavonia, GA. However, if you live in Hartwell GA, Royston GA, Toccoa GA, or anywhere in North East, GA, we'd love to see you, too. Call us, and we'll help you with directions to the office closest to you.
Back and Neck Physical Therapy Services
- Back Pain & Neck Pain
- Herniated Disc/ Ruptured Disc
- Disc Bulge
- Macromastia
- Headaches/Migraines
- Abdominal Pain
- Shoulder Ailments
- Hip/Pelvic Pain
- Ankle/Foot Pain
- Elbow Pain
- Knee Pain
- General Conditions