Thinking back surgery? Think again.

By Linda Allen

I would think it’s safe to say that most of us know someone with back or neck pain. In many cases we even know someone who has had back or neck related surgery or is currently considering it. And why not? Chronic pain can be debilitating, particularly when it’s affecting your back or neck.

Having met the doctors of Peachtree Spine Physicians, I was shocked to learn that often times less than 1 percent of people with back pain actually need surgery. So if the percentage of needed back surgery is so small, why do I personally know so many people who have had back surgery?

The doctors at Peachtree Spine Physicians are physiatrists, licensed medical doctors specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Their focus is the back and neck with the goal of functional restoration and earlier return to physical activity—without surgery.

"Back pain is the second leading reason people visit their primary doctor and most often people will seek alternative treatment. We consider ourselves the primary medical physicians for the treatment of back pain," stated Dr. Jeffrey Grossman, M.D.

The role physiatrists play in neck and back conditions is much like a cardiologist’s role with heart conditions. If you have a heart condition, you wouldn’t go straight to a heart surgeon for a solution. One might start with their primary care physician who in turn would refer the patient to a Cardiologist, a specialist in the structure and function and disorders of the heart. Physiatrists evaluate and work that patient up for back and neck pain, and in the rare 1 percent instance that surgery is necessary the physiatrist refers them to a surgeon. "99 percent of patients with severe back pain, including those with herniated disks and sciatica, can have their pain managed without surgery. There are many procedures available that can minimize or cure the pain, improving the patient’s quality of life," said Dr. Grossman.

One form of treatment performed by the physiatrists is a minimally invasive needle procedure performed under x-ray or fluoroscopy guidance, which precisely places medicine or alters structures close to the spinal cord typically decreasing pain and preventing surgery. This procedure allows the patient to be more functional and resume their exercise activities and progress with physical therapy.

Physiatrists take a conservative approach to healing neck and back pain just like a cardiologist will look for a cure for a symptomatic heart. In some cases there are no alternatives for a cure and surgery is the best option. Once the patient is fully worked up, the physiatrist will make the appropriate recommendation which can include medication management, physical therapy, chiropractic care, injection therapy, and in some instances, surgery.

Physiatrists are specialists in their fi eld and because they are medical physicians, most insurances do not require a referral from a primary doctor. Like other medical specialists, physiatrists receive, at minimum, 12 years of education—4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, and 4 years of residency—the same amount of schooling as a Neurologist.

There are a lot of physiatrists in the Atlanta area but the majority practice with large orthopedic groups and surgeons, referring to themselves as orthopedic medicine physicians. Th ere are very few medical practices which consist of only physiatrists, which makes Peachtree Spine Physicians so unique and why most people have not heard of a physiatrist. Physiatrists should be the medium in between the symptom and the solution, somewhat of a gatekeeper for back and neck pain patients.

Patient care and customer service are on the top of the group’s priorities. To give you a better understanding of their success, during the month of January the group treated 253 patients. With a pain scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst), the average pain indicated by their patients prior to treatment was a 6.7. After the treatments the same patients’ ratings averaged a 1.3.

With their main offi ce on Peachtree Dunwoody Road near Northside Hospital just inside 285, the group also has offi ces in Decatur and East Cobb and has just opened a fourth location in John’s Creek.

Like a cardiologist determines the proper treatment required for the heart, the physiatrist is the medical doctor who specializes in determining the proper treatment for the spine.

For more information:
Peachtree Spine Physicians
404-843-3323
5555 P’tree Dunwoody Rd., Ste 201
Atlanta, GA 30342
www.peachtreespine.com