Our Blog

10 Jun, 2022
There is a difference between a herniated disc and one that is bulging. At Grand Oak Health Care in Athens and Loganville, we take a careful look at your back to determine if you have any herniated or bulging discs before treatment is provided. Herniated vs Bulging Discs Your vertebral discs are cushions that help keep your spine in alignment. Over time, these discs can start to bulge or suddenly become herniated because of an injury. These discs are fluid-filled sacs, with an outer covering and a jelly-like center. If a disc is herniated, it is torn and leaks fluid into your body. With a bulging disc, the disc is not doing a good job supporting your spine, but it does not leak. Spinal Decompression for Bulging Discs When you see a chiropractor for pain related to a bulging disc, spinal decompression strategies can provide relief. The chiropractor looks at your spinal column and determines where you have any areas of compression. Light stretching, decompression techniques, massage, and ultrasound therapy can help ease the pressure on discs that are compressed and bulging. What to Expect from Chiropractic Care As part of any wellness plan with a chiropractor, you can expect an assessment to determine what is causing your back pain. The treatment plan is developed to meet your specific needs. You will see the chiropractor several times a week during the acute phase of treatment and slowly taper down your visits as you heal. Schedule Your Chiropractic Care Appointment at Grand Oak Health Care If you have back pain, it is time to see how our chiropractors can help. Contact Grand Oak Health Care in Loganville and Athens today at (706) 543-2584 or reach us through our website by using our online contact form .
12 May, 2021
Side impact car crashes (a.k.a. "T-bone accidents" or "broadside collisions") tend to have a more devastating effect on the human body than all other types of car accidents, according to researchers at Monash University Accident Research Centre in Melbourne. Even at speeds as low as 18mph, side impact car crashes routinely cause serious injuries to the occupants of the struck car. We at Grand Oak Healthcare want you to understand how such a collision affects your body and what to do to treat it. Whiplash, Concussions, and More A Result of Broadside Collisions  Two thirds of broadside collisions cause neck injuries that can lead to chronic pain and even paralysis, and studies show why they’re so common: the human body remains in place for a moment as the car lurches before getting yanked along for the violent ride. This stretches muscles and ligaments beyond their normal range. The sudden movement can injure nerves and discs in the spine, and cause a concussion. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can cause permanent damage. If left untreated, lingering symptoms may include headaches, fatigue, chronic pain, loss of coordination, depression, anxiety, vertigo, dizziness, epilepsy, blurred vision, eye pain, attention disorders, reading comprehension problems, and continued memory loss. To prevent this, get care immediately. The time between concussion and treatment is critical to recovery. We’ll want to see you for follow-up appointments to ensure proper healing. The likelihood of permanent brain damage dramatically increases if a concussion isn’t treated immediately. As for the rest of your injuries, our chiropractic care strives to restore range of motion and improve your body’s physical function by reducing pain, inflammation, and scar tissue (where applicable), along with restore range of motion. All of this translates to faster, better healing, and getting your life back to normal. Get the Benefit of Chiropractic at Grand Oak Healthcare Dr. Giles and his team focus on the effective, evidence-based spinal care that the people of Athens have come to love. We also help patients and their attorneys dealing with personal injury cases, providing the required paperwork to move ahead with insurance claims or legal action. Have questions or need to schedule an appointment? Give our Athens location a call at (706) 543-2584, our Loganville location at (770) 687-2655, or go online and fill out a contact form. We look forward to helping you.
12 Apr, 2021
With all the technology and safety measures in place, it seems like a bit of a stretch that a low-speed vehicle collision could possibly cause injury. However, crash tests show that speeds as low as 2.5mph may produce injury to humans. Another study showed it took as little as 6mph in a rear-end collision to cause whiplash injury. We see a fair number of rear end collision patients at Grand Oak Healthcare in Athens and Loganville. Let’s take a look at what you should know about what such collisions can do to your body and how us chiropractors can help. The Data on Collisions and What a Chiropractor Can Do for Auto Accident Injuries Researchers studied data to find a relationship between impact mechanics and how that transferred to the human body. Since force equals mass times acceleration, you don’t need a lot of acceleration for 3-4,000lbs of car to pack a respectable amount of force. The same researchers also sought to analyze what kinds of injuries stemmed from impact. They concluded that low-speed vehicle collisions produced soft tissue and joint injuries The ultimate goal of chiropractic care is to restore range of motion and improve your body’s physical function. Chiropractic care can do four things for your body: Reduce Inflammation - Chiropractic manipulation promotes a positive physiological response that signals your body to calm its inflammatory response. This makes for faster healing. Reduce Pain - Chiropractic adjustments triggers the release of pain-relieving hormones. A study conducted by The University of Spain showed that levels of oxytocin, neurotensin and cortisol in the bloodstream increased in test subjects after spinal manipulation. Reduce Scar Tissue - Muscles and tendons scar up in response to trauma, which can cause pain and stiffness. A chiropractor can use expert techniques to break up scar tissue and promote healing in the affected area. Preserve Range of Motion - Injury tends to cause your body to stiffen up in an attempt to protect itself from further injury. Both injury and stiffening can pull you out of alignment until a chiropractor performs an adjustment to put everything back in place and ease out the stiffness. Get the Benefit of Chiropractic at Grand Oak Healthcare Dr. Giles and his team focus on the effective, evidence-based spinal care that the people of Athens have come to love and Occupational Medicine. We also help patients and their attorneys dealing with personal injury cases, providing the required paperwork to move ahead with insurance claims or legal action. Have questions or need to schedule an appointment? Give our Athens location a call at (706) 543-2584, our Loganville location at (770) 687-2655, or go online and fill out a contact form . We look forward to helping you.
07 Jan, 2021
If you’re feeling stressed about the holidays this year, you aren’t alone. Despite its cheery atmosphere, the holiday season is when many Americans struggle with stress—and related anxiety and depression. This doesn't just take a toll on your mental health. It can also affect your physical health. Stress can cause problems like headaches, elevated blood pressure, insomnia, and back and neck pain. Your Chiropractor can provide neck pain and headache treatments to help. The Link Between Holiday Stress, Headaches, & Neck Pain Stress is a common trigger for migraines and tension-type headaches. This is related to the impact stress has on the body’s hormones. When you get stressed, your body’s fight-or-flight instinct initiates. This is a biological response your brain has developed to protect against threats. As part of this response, your brain increases the production of cortisol. Also called the "stress hormone," cortisol causes physiological symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, and rapid breathing. This hormonal fluctuation can also result in headaches. When you’re stressed, you also react physically, tightening up your muscles. Constricting your back and neck muscles—for example, by hunching up your shoulders in a defensive stance—can result in tension and pain. Chiropractic Headache & Neck Pain Treatments Chiropractic care has been shown to treat migraines and tension-type headaches successfully. It’s also proven to improve back and neck pain. Chiropractic care encompasses diverse techniques to treat these conditions, taking a holistic approach that targets the entire musculoskeletal system. Spinal decompression may be used to correct spinal misalignment causing tension in the back and neck. In this procedure, the spine is gently stretched, allowing vertebrae to be realigned. Schedule Your Neck Pain or Headache Treatment in Athens, Georgia and Loganville Don’t wait for holiday stress to make you ill. Schedule an appointment with Grand Oak Healthcare to alleviate tension and improve your physical and mental wellbeing. This chiropractic health center has been in business since 1973 and has treated over 17,000 patients. Our team is prepared to help you this holiday season. Call our Athens location at (706) 543-2584 to schedule an appointment today. Or our Loganville location at (770) 687-2655 to schedule an appointment today.
07 Dec, 2020
Impairment rating evaluations (IREs) can be performed by medical professionals to determine the severity of any impairments caused by an accident that resulted in an injury.  When dealing with legal and insurance matters, data is essential. Thus, after an automotive or workplace accident, an impairment rating makes the process easier by providing a solid evaluation of impairments upon which everyone can agree. This will eliminate the potential for confusion, disagreement, and scams to occur. An impairment rating is given as a percentage, based on the extent to which the injury has impaired the individual’s ability to function as they usually would. An injury must be considered permanent (stable, no longer improving, and expected to last at least a year) to receive an impairment rating. Once treatment plans have moved from improving the condition to managing it, an impairment rating may be given. Getting an IRE for Auto Injury Treatment After an auto injury occurs, the evaluation and treatment of any impairments ensure that the injured party can receive the compensations they deserve for medical costs, settlements, and work loss. Although many people involved in collisions feel no immediate effects, injuries may become more evident over time. For this reason, it is crucial to make a medical appointment and have injuries evaluated as soon as possible. Getting an IRE for Work Injury Treatment Impairment rating evaluations are administered as part of workplace injury treatment after the individual has received benefits for 104 weeks. The IRE helps to determine the amount of compensation the employee should get and for how long. This number is essential for Social Security Administration disability benefits as well as worker’s compensation. An IRE also determines the individual’s ability to return to work by looking at the disabilities caused by the impairment. Get Your Certified Impairment Rating Dr. Giles at Grand Oaks Healthcare in Athens is certified to provide impairment ratings through Chris Brigham, MD, one of the senior editors for the AMA’s guides to impairment ratings. His main focus is providing impairment ratings for patients who were injured in an auto collision or at work. Were you injured at work or in an auto accident? Call Grand Oaks Healthcare to book an appointment with Dr. Giles today.
05 Nov, 2020
Our goal at Grand Oak Healthcare is to treat present pain and musculoskeletal problems and prevent future ones. While the most common forms of treatment will likely include manual manipulation and physical therapy, custom-tailored patient exercise programs may be prescribed to help strengthen the muscles of the body in order to provide better skeletal support. Graded activity programs (where the level of exercise is adjusted to the person’s current condition and abilities) have proven to benefit people with low back pain, and exercise regimens such as these are more effective when coupled with treatment by a healthcare professional. Healing and Prevention Through Home Exercise and Stretching Programs Problems within our neck, back, and hips are often caused by a weak core and/or spinal support muscles. If these muscles are not strengthened, the issue will persist, even with continual manipulation therapy. We assess the state of the entire musculoskeletal system to determine the best course of treatment. Patients may be given programs for exercises and stretches that can be done at home, without the need for gym equipment. When done regularly, these exercises are designed to enhance chiropractor therapy by strengthening the area and correcting the problem. The combination of exercise and manipulation has proven to be beneficial for conditions such as neck pain. Customized At-home Exercise Plans with Doctor Supervision Grand Oak Healthcare in Athens, GA, and Loganville, GA provides personalized exercise plans to patients free of charge. Our goal is to determine the cause of the problem and help the patient to address it using remedial and preventative exercises. To ensure that our patients get the best results from these treatments, Grand Oak Healthcare uses an app to share the exercise program with the patient and track their progress. The convenience of having the stretching and exercise program on your phone is that it can be done anywhere. And if there are ever any problems, the app will notify the doctor so that the program can be adjusted as needed. Do you deal with chronic pain? Schedule an appointment with the doctors at Grand Oaks Healthcare in Athens and Loganville to find the treatment plan that is right for you.
05 Oct, 2020
Studies show that 80% of the population will experience lower back pain in their lives, and 20% of those cases will develop into chronic issues. While surgery is a common treatment for chronic lower back pain, there is a less invasive option to treat and improve spinal injury and damage. Decompression traction is a treatment that stretches the muscles of the spine, while maintaining resistance on the vertebrae to allow fluid to recess back into the disc. How Does Spinal Decompression Therapy Work? Decompression traction can be used to relieve pain and treat radiating nerve pain, which develops over time. As a person ages, their spine's discs become compressed due to long periods of sitting and repetitive daily activities. These discs, which act as cushions, get torn and squished over time. The fluid contained within the discs can leak out or cause bulging. Decompression treatments are usually administered using a machine to control the amount of traction used on the spine. The patient generally lays on a lumbar decompression table, and the chiropractor places a harness around their pelvis, which stretches the lumbar muscles, and decompresses the spine. The act of decompressing the spine creates a vacuum effect that draws fluid back into the discs. This alleviates the pain of grinding in the spine and relieves pinched nerves. It also creates better blood flow and provides nutrient-rich fluid to the discs to facilitate the healing process. Is Spinal Decompression Treatment Effective? For many people with chronic pain and lower back issues, spinal decompression is a better alternative to surgeries and other more invasive operations. It is more affordable and involves far fewer risks and side effects. Additionally, studies on spinal decompression effectiveness indicate a 71% success rate for nearly or completely removing pain. Patients also demonstrated improved mobility and ability to perform daily tasks. Treat Your Back Pain with Spinal Decompression Our doctors at Grand Oak Healthcare in Athens, GA, and Loganville, GA have been specializing in evidence-based spinal care since 2002. We would be happy to speak with you to figure out if spinal decompression is the right treatment for your chronic back pain. Call us at (706) 543-2584 to determine if you qualify and experience the benefits of spinal decompression treatment.
03 Aug, 2020
If you’re among the 22 million Americans that visit a chiropractor each year, you may get the craziest questions from your friends and peers. You may have heard questions like, “You go to a chiropractor? Does that even work? Does it hurt? Is it safe?” Here are some quick talking points that will help you explain chiropractic care to your friends. What is a Chiropractor? Chiropractors are non-surgical spine specialists that improve the health and wellness of the spine. Chiropractic care ensures that joints are properly aligned and can move through their full range of motion while reducing pain, inflammation, tension, and more. Properly aligned joints help balance supportive muscles, soft tissues, and ligaments. Does Chiropractic Care Hurt? Most patients say that joint manipulation feels good. While there is an audible popping sound, this sound is the release of gas between joints. Cracking your knuckles is the easiest way to replicate the effect. The reason you can’t crack your knuckles more than once is that it takes around 30 minutes for gas to build up again between your joints. Is Chiropractic Care Safe? Every healthcare treatment has risks and benefits, and chiropractic care is no exception. Each year at least 1.5 million Americans are injured, sickened, or killed by errors in the prescribing or dispensing of medication. Spinal surgery has a risk of death of 1,800 per million. While chiropractic care involves some risk, the low risk associated with this type of treatment has resulted in the lowest malpractice insurance premiums for chiropractic doctors. The Benefits of Chiropractic Care Chiropractic care is used to treat injuries, sprains, strains, and medical conditions such as headaches, arthritis, scoliosis, herniated discs, and more. It provides benefits such as: Alleviates pain Improve blood circulation Reduce tension Reduce inflammation Improve organ function Prevent chronic pain Reduce stiffness Improve lost range of motion and flexibility Finding Chiropractic Care in Athens and Loganville Dr. Giles and Dr. Morgan have been providing chiropractic care for over 25 years. With a patient-focused approach, they create treatment plans that target each patient’s symptoms and conditions to alleviate pain, reduce tension, and help patients on the path to recovery. Are you looking for chiropractic care in Athens or Loganville? Call our Athens office today at (706) 543-2584 or our Loganville office at (770) 687-2655 to get started.
01 Jul, 2020
With a wide range of causes, neck pain impacts the lives of more than one-quarter of Americans. In many cases, neck pain comes with additional symptoms such as stiffness, a loss of range of motion, and headaches. Symptoms may be acute or persist for several days at a time, depending on the cause and severity of the condition. Fortunately, you have several options for neck pain treatment at home. The Most Common Causes of Neck Pain Injuries, strains, conditions, and lifestyle choices can cause neck pain. The most common causes of neck pain include:  Injuries and accidents Poor posture or slouching Poor sleeping habits Gritting or grinding your teeth Carrying heavy purses or shoulder bags Infection Arthritis Pinched nerves 3 Neck Pain Treatment at Home Recommendations While it can sometimes be challenging to pinpoint the reason for your neck pain, at-home neck pain treatments can alleviate painful symptoms. Here are three neck pain treatment at home recommendations. 1. Apply Heat You can relieve muscle tension and alleviate neck pain by applying heat. We recommend warming your neck for about fifteen minutes using a heating pad or by taking a hot shower. 2. Use Home Stretching Devices Home stretching devices can help return your neck curve to its proper alignment. These devices can be especially helpful in conjunction with chiropractic care, especially if your neck pain is caused by herniated or bulging discs, cervical muscle spasms, or arthritis. 3. Do Gentle Neck Stretches Gentle stretches can reduce neck pain and tension while helping you regain range of motion and improve flexibility. Doing neck movements and stretches after applying heat can strengthen the benefits of the stretch. Try doing slow, shoulder rolls, and neck rotations. Finding Neck Pain Treatment in Athens and Loganville When neck pain treatment at home is not enough, chiropractic care helps relieve neck pain, tension, and stiffness without the use of pain medication. Around 22 million Americans visit a chiropractor each year for sports injury, muscle strain, accident, back pain, or neck pain treatment. Dr. Giles & Dr. Morgan have been providing chiropractic care to the Athens and Loganvilles communities since 2002. Dr. Morgan has over 25 years of experience in treating neck pain. They are known for their patient-focused approach, they will create a neck pain treatment plan with you that works best for you. Your first appointment will include a physical exam and a review of your medical history. In most cases, same-day treatment is available so you can get relief right away. Is neck pain treatment at home not enough? Call our office today at (706) 543-2584 or schedule an appointment online to learn about options for neck pain treatment in Athens or Loganville.
27 Apr, 2020
Pain is the number one reason that individuals seek out chiropractic care, and while our team at Grand Oak Healthcare in Athens and in Loganville is more than happy to help you find relief, we’d also like to point out that chiropractic care and pain prevention can go hand-in-hand. Chiropractic Care for Pain Prevention Chronic pain is the most common reason people seek out medical help. In fact, studies have shown that approximately 20% of adults in the united states suffer from chronic pain that lasts more than six months out of the year. Another 8% of adults are reported to suffer from high-impact chronic pain, which is defined as pain that has limited at least one significant life activity. When diving deeper into the types of pain described by patients, many complain of frequent back pain. Instead of seeking out relief from various pain killers, people are turning to chiropractic care for pain prevention. Chiropractic care for pain prevention typically involves services that treat the neck, back, and joints of the body. This is done through spinal decompression and manipulation, along with a combination of rehabilitative therapies. The goal of these therapy options is not only to get your musculoskeletal and nervous systems back into working order but to help stretch and relax the muscles around joints that may be pinching nerves and causing pain. Once the body is back in proper alignment, regularly scheduled maintenance appointments should be kept to prevent pain from returning. Early Degeneration Prevention with Chiropractic Care One of the most common forms of chronic pain seen by a Doctor of Chiropractic is degenerative disk disease. This condition causes pain due to the degeneration of the spinal joints. Pain can also be the result of the thinning/degeneration of the discs between the vertebra that make up the spine. While degenerative disc disease cannot be prevented in its entirety, there are early degeneration preventative steps that can be provided alongside proper chiropractic care to ease the early onset symptoms. For instance, spinal decompression helps to stretch the spine and the surrounding muscles to help take the pressure off any bulging disks or pinched nerves, often providing some immediate pain relief to patients. Chiropractic Care: Pain Prevention with Grand Oak Healthcare in Athens and Loganville, GA Whether you’ve suffered from chronic pain yourself or you are turning to chiropractic care for pain prevention, you can rest assured you are in good hands with the team here at Grand Oak Healthcare in Athens or Loganville.  Curious how chiropractic care could help you manage your pain? Then contact us today or call our office at (706) 543-2584. We’ll be more than happy to get your questions answered.
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