The Difference Between a Chiropractor and Spine Doctor

“My back is killing me. Should I go to a doctor? Or to a chiropractor?” New Jersey Spine Specialists’ board-certified orthopedic surgeons and spine doctors hear these questions all the time. Like most medical questions, there isn’t a straightforward answer. It depends on a patient’s symptoms and medical history. Chiropractors treat acute back pain. But there are many medical conditions affecting the spine that become worse with chiropractic care. Don’t go to a chiropractor with spine disease symptoms. Seek out New Jersey’s spinal surgery experts at NJSS.

Back Pain Symptoms That Need a Spine Doctor’s Attention

Many cases of acute back pain result from strenuous activity, sudden awkward movements, fender benders, and other relatively harmless occurrences. These are the sorts of common back pain issues that chiropractors excel at treating. However, back pain accompanied by other more troubling symptoms suggests systemic issues with the spine. Conditions like spinal stenosis and bulging discs require medical intervention from New Jersey’s top spinal doctors and orthopedic surgeons. Moreover, these troublesome conditions become far more dangerous and severe when treated by a chiropractor. Among the symptoms suggesting serious non-acute spinal issues are:

o Difficulty controlling your bladder
o Numbness around the genitals
o Pain that wakes you up at night
o Back pain accompanied by leg pain
o Numbness and tingling in the extremities

If you experience any of these symptoms with back pain, you might have a serious condition like spinal stenosis or degenerative disc disease. These debilitating conditions require physical therapy, spinal steroid injections, or minimally invasive spinal surgeries. Chiropractors cause further injury when they treat any of those diseases.

Consult With An Industry Leading NJ Orthopedists Before Visiting A Chiropractor

If you live in Short Hills, Millburn, Summit, Madison, Union, Montclair, or any of the surrounding communities in Northern New Jersey, and are experiencing back pain, you should consult New Jersey Spine Specialists prior to a chiropractor. Although chiropractors are effective at treating the symptoms of acute back pain, they are not trained to treat spinal abnormalities like herniated discs or spinal stenosis. The application of force and spinal manipulation to the spinal column of a patient suffering from one of these conditions could lead to catastrophic, irreversible repercussions. If you exhibit back pain, be sure to consult with a spinal doctor before going to a chiropractor. Give NJSS a call today at (908) 738-1679.

“I am pain free, walking and well on my way to recovery thanks to the help of New Jersey Spine Specialists” —Robert K

Say “Good Bye” To Back Pain!

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    “I am pain free, walking and well on my way to recovery thanks to the help of New Jersey Spine Specialists” –

    Robert K