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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. What is wrong with my back? 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 11 years of experience in evaluating, diagnosing and treating patients with spine problems. 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. With your previous history and films in mind, they perform their own examinations to tailor the appropriate therapy for your specific diagnosis (treatments that are ideal for one condition can make another condition worse). And, because physical therapy and physical medicine occurs under one roof, there is direct interaction between the doctor and physical therapist on a daily basis, and if any fine-tuning of a therapy plan is necessary, changes can be made immediately. We highly value this interactive environment, and cannot envision providing care any other way.