Conditions We Treat in Suwanee, GA
Whatever brought you here, we're ready to help you move and feel better.
Pain has a way of shrinking your world. When your back aches, your neck won't turn, or a nagging injury keeps flaring, everyday life gets harder than it should be. At Suwanee Family Chiropractic, Dr. Laura Russo, DC, treats a wide range of conditions with gentle, drug-free care built around your body and your goals. Below you'll find the concerns we help patients with most often.
Low Back Pain
Low back pain can start with one wrong lift or build slowly over years at a desk. Either way, it can make sitting, standing, and sleeping feel like a chore. Often the trouble comes from a vertebra shifting out of place, which can lead to muscle spasms, pinched nerves, and discomfort that radiates into the legs.
Dr. Russo takes a close look at your spine to find where the imbalance is happening. From there, she uses gentle manual adjustments to restore alignment and take pressure off your nervous system. For disc-related stiffness, flexion distraction can gently stretch the spine and give your discs room to recover. She'll also share simple posture and stretching tips to help you stay strong between visits.
Neck Pain
Long hours on a phone or computer, poor posture, an old injury, or whiplash from a car accident can all leave your neck stiff and sore. Neck pain often brings friends along, too—headaches, shoulder tension, reduced range of motion, and sometimes numbness or tingling that travels into the arms.
Care starts with understanding what's really going on. Dr. Russo uses gentle adjustments to restore proper movement in the cervical spine, ease tension, and improve how your neck functions. She may also recommend stretches and posture guidance to help keep the pain from coming back.
Headaches
Many headaches actually start in the neck. When tight muscles and misaligned vertebrae in the upper spine irritate nearby nerves, the pain can radiate into the temples, forehead, and behind the eyes. Stress, screen time, and poor posture often make things worse.
Rather than simply masking the ache, Dr. Russo looks for the source. Gentle adjustments can ease pressure on irritated nerves and reduce the muscle tension that fuels headaches. Massage of the neck and shoulders may help release tightness, and small changes to your posture and daily habits can make a real difference over time.
Sciatica
Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve—the largest nerve in your body—becomes irritated or compressed. The result is often sharp, burning, or shooting pain that travels from the lower back into the buttock and down one leg. You might also notice numbness, tingling, or weakness, especially after sitting for a while.
The key is finding what's pressing on the nerve, whether it's a herniated disc, a spinal misalignment, or muscle tension. Dr. Russo uses manual adjustments and, when appropriate, flexion distraction to ease that pressure and restore healthier movement. Stretches and lifestyle guidance help support your recovery and lower the chance of it returning.
Herniated Discs
The discs between your vertebrae act as cushions. When the tough outer layer cracks, the soft center can push outward and press on nearby nerves. That pressure can cause localized back or neck pain, plus radiating discomfort, numbness, or tingling that travels into the arms or legs.
Dr. Russo offers non-surgical options to help your body recover. Precise adjustments gently realign the spine to reduce stress on the joints, while flexion distraction and spinal decompression create space between the vertebrae. That gentle opening helps draw fluid and nutrients back into the disc. Targeted exercises then strengthen the muscles that support your spine.
TMJ
TMJ disorders affect the joints that connect your jaw to your skull. When these joints or the muscles around them become irritated, you may feel jaw pain, clicking or popping, headaches, ear discomfort, or facial tension. Some people also struggle to open or close their mouth fully, and neck and shoulder tightness often tags along.
Because the neck and upper spine play a role in jaw function, Dr. Russo takes a whole-picture approach. Gentle adjustments to the neck and jaw area can ease strain on the joints, and therapeutic massage may help release tension. She'll also suggest posture and lifestyle adjustments to support lasting comfort.
Shoulder Pain
Your shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body, which also makes it one of the most vulnerable. When something goes wrong, reaching for a cabinet or getting dressed can feel nearly impossible. Interestingly, the source often traces back to your neck or mid-back, where irritated nerves and poor posture can throw the whole area off balance.
Dr. Russo looks at your entire upper body to find the real cause. She provides manual adjustments for both the spine and the shoulder joint itself, helping restore movement and reduce strain. This hands-on approach can be helpful for issues like frozen shoulder, bursitis, and rotator cuff tension, and she'll add ergonomic and stretching tips to support your progress.
Carpal Tunnel
Carpal tunnel symptoms often show up in people who do repetitive hand and wrist work, like typing. You might notice pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in the hand and fingers, especially after long stretches of activity or when your wrist stays bent for a while.
Since the nerves in your hands travel up through the wrist and into the neck, Dr. Russo considers the whole pathway. Care may address the wrist, hand, and surrounding areas, and she'll help you spot the movements or habits feeding your discomfort. Every plan is tailored to your symptoms and how you respond.
Tennis Elbow
Despite the name, tennis elbow can affect anyone who does repetitive gripping, lifting, or forearm movements—at work, in sports, or around the house. It usually shows up as pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow, often building gradually rather than from a single injury.
Dr. Russo focuses on the relationship between your body's structure and movement. Depending on your case, care may address the elbow, forearm, wrist, or surrounding areas to support more comfortable use of the arm. She'll monitor how you respond and adjust the approach as needed.
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc disease describes the natural, age-related changes that happen to your spinal discs over time. As discs lose height and flexibility, you may feel low back pain, stiffness, and discomfort during long periods of sitting or standing. Not everyone with these changes has pain, but when symptoms show up, they can make daily movement tougher.
Dr. Russo offers conservative care designed to keep you moving comfortably. Manual adjustments can improve motion in restricted areas, while flexion distraction gently encourages mobility. Stretching, exercise, and on-site massage therapy round out the plan, helping ease stiffness and support the muscles you rely on every day.
Sacral & Tailbone Pain
Pain at the base of your spine—sometimes called coccydynia—can be surprisingly disruptive. It often comes from prolonged sitting on hard surfaces, a fall, childbirth, or repetitive activities like cycling. You might feel sharp or aching pain when sitting, rising from a chair, or during certain daily activities.
Dr. Russo takes these complaints seriously. Through gentle adjustments and soft tissue therapies, she works to ease discomfort, restore mobility, and put your body in a good position to heal. She's especially experienced in caring for pregnant patients, who often feel pain in this area, and on-site massage therapy adds another layer of support.
Pinched Nerve
A pinched nerve happens when surrounding tissues—muscles, tendons, bones, or spinal structures—press too hard on a nerve. This is especially common in the neck and lower back, where movement and daily stress add up. Symptoms often include radiating pain, tingling, numbness, burning, or muscle weakness that may come and go or stick around.
The goal is to relieve the pressure. Dr. Russo evaluates where the compression is coming from, then uses gentle adjustments to restore alignment and take the strain off the nerve. Addressing the underlying issue early can support better movement and help keep symptoms from getting worse.
