Dr. Touchinsky has been providing chiropractic care for over five years for people in Orwigsburg, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Auburn, Hamburg, and other areas of norther Berks and southern Schuylkill County. Through chiropractor care, he has been able to help patients recover from new injuries as well as overcome chronic pain and disability.

For more information on receiving chiropractic care in Orwigsburg and surrounding areas of Schuylkill County, check out his practice’s website at Blue Mountain Family Chiropractic. You can also check out this post about how Dr. Touchinsky helps people with chiropractic care.

For an appointment call 570-366-2613.

For more information on the services offered by Dr. Touchinsky and how he helps people through chiropractic care, click here.

See below for a list of frequently asked questions.

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Here are some frequently asked questions about the care we provide at our office.

Q: If I don’t have insurance, will you still see me? If so, what are the expected costs associated with care?

A: As you can imagine, there are many people without insurance coverage, or have very high deductibles, so they end up paying cash for our services. Due to this, we keep our fees very reasonable. We also make sure to provide care in a manner that gets you better as quickly as possible. I will give you several ways to help your progress out of the office, such as directions on hot or cold therapy, nutritional supplements, and home exercises and stretches. I see patients on average of about 6-12 visits per episode. This includes those that I see just a visit or two for flare ups, as well as those I see for several weeks to help them overcome more severe injuries and chronic issues from work related and auto injuries. Contrast this with other comparable options like physical therapy, where many people spend anywhere from 4-8 weeks with 3 visits per week.

Just to give you an idea of average costs, for new patients the initial examination costs anywhere from $75 to $125 depending upon the complexity of your case and how severe your injuries may be. Treatments each visit vary between $30 and $75, again depending on what we’re doing each visit and the extent of your injuries.

Another way to reduce costs out of pocket is taking the time to question patients thoroughly and use a hands on examination to diagnose your condition. Through this I can often put off the need for expensive tests such as MRI and CT scans. I will always order those tests if necessary, but try not to be overly aggressive in ordering these tests. Most chiropractors can say the same, which is why costs for injuries is almost always shown to be more cost effective than physical therapy and medical management.

Q: What types of insurance do you accept?

A: We accept a variety of insurance plans, including Blue Cross/Blue Shield products (Highmark, Capital, Northeastern PA, Independence, and out of state), Aetna, Medicare, Health America, Health Assurance, Cigna, BHP, and many others. Each plan has different limits and rules. If you have any questions about what may be covered, call our office and give us your info. We will look up your benefits and explain what your out of pocket costs will be for care. There are few instances where a referral is needed from your family doctor, but for most people you can see us directly.

Q: What type of conditions do you treat?

A: I can diagnose and treat a wide variety of issues through chiropractic care. Most commonly people think of seeing me for low back and neck pain. However, chiropractors can help with just about any type of joint, muscle, and nerve related pain. This includes neck pain, low back pain, TMJ pain, disc bulges, sciatica, headaches, plantar fasciitis, and pain in other areas of the body like the shoulder, knee, hips, ankles, etc. I also see people for injuries sustained at work, due to a auto accident, and from recreational activities and sports.

Q: Do I need to see my family doctor prior to seeing you?

A: The short answer is no. My training allows me to perform a proper examination and diagnosis, and to rule out any issues that may require urgent medical care. The only exceptions would be if you feel your issue is related to something that does need urgent care such as infection, cardiac issues, stroke, bone fracture, and other similar issues. Even if you think you may have a broken bone but are unsure, we can refer out for xrays or other testing. I also want to mention that I have a good working relationship with area health care providers. If there’s any questions at all, I can contact your family doctor or other specialist to discuss your case. I also often refer to other doctors for medical co-management. A common example is for someone that is in severe pain. In addition to care at our office, prescription pain killers and muscle relaxers can help make you more comfortable during the recovery process.

Q: How long is a typical office visit?

A: The initial examination can take up to an hour, with follow up visits lasting between 15 and 45 minutes. On average, follow up visits take around 30 minutes. We schedule appropriately to allow adequate time with each patient while requiring little to no waiting time for your appointment. On rare occasions we may run behind about 15 minutes, but very rarely longer than that unless extenuating circumstances.

Q: Is chiropractic care safe?

A: Chiropractic care is one of the safest forms of health care. We do not break the skin with injections or incisions, so there is no chance of infection. We do not prescribe medications that can potentially have harmful side effects. Compared to a family doctor without surgical rights at $20,000 plus for malpractice insurance, my malpractice insurance is less than most people’s automobile insurance.

Side effects can occur with no matter what you do. Even something seemingly safe such as Tylenol results in 100,000 adverse reactions per year. The most common side effects from chiropractic care include mild soreness after treatments and occasionally bruising (due to stretching, muscle therapies, and manipulation). I’ve had a few people experience mild headaches after working around the head and neck region. Other more serious side effects are very rare and usually occur because the chiropractor missed something during the examination or the person had an underlying problem that no one could have expected.

Q: Can you help with a pinched nerve?

A: A “pinched nerve” is usually due to a jammed joint in the spine or a disc protrusion (bulging disc). Each requires a slightly different approach, but we have successfully treated many of these cases. Symptoms of a pinched nerve are numbness, tingling, and/or pain into the arms, hands, legs, and feet. These symptoms are usually made better or worse depending on the position of the spine. Some people experience pain from the spine to the end of the extremities, while others have symptoms at seemingly random areas of the extremity or just at the hands or feet alone. This is why some people, with hand pain for instance, do not get better when only the hand is treated. If it’s due to an issue in the neck, that must be addressed too.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me here.