Dr. Chester Carlson, DO is a pain medicine specialist in Fort Smith, AR and has been practicing for 12 years. He graduated from Ok State Univ Coll Of Osteo Med in 2006 and specializes in pain medicine, headache management, and more.Read his story
Insurance Accepted
- Aetna
- Assurant Health
- Cigna
- Commercial Insurance Company
- CoreSource
- Coventry Health Care
- Golden Rule
- Government Employees Health Association (GEHA)
- HAP Insurance
- +Â 8Â More
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Learn about Dr. Carlson
Be confident in your decisions by checking out your provider's top areas of care, education, patient reviews and more. Learn about finding the right doctor for you.
Top Care Areas
See how frequently Dr. Carlson performs your care needs compared to other doctors.
Chronic Pain
very high
more than 99% of peers
Morton's Neuroma
very high
more than 98% of peers
Ankle Sprain and Achilles Tendon Sprain or Rupture
very high
more than 97% of peers
Dr. Carlson's percentages are based on the rate of treatment compared to peers nationwide from insurance data. Learn more info about our data and this Top Care Areas component.
Dr. Carlson's bio
This content was provided by Dr. Carlson "Dr. Chet Carlson brings a wealth of knowledge, a strong sense of urgency and a compassionate, gentle manner to caring for his patients at Renaissance Health and Wellness. An osteopathic physician, he is skilled in the practice of osteopathic manipulative therapy, as well as being board certified in emergency medicine, and an active practitioner of emergency medicine. His twenty year military career shaped his genuine desire to be of service to his community. Dr. Carlson's military career began in the Air National Guard as an F-16 mechanic before his acceptance into active duty pilot training; later, he was hand picked for a special assignment working with NASA, providing joint aerial defense for several space shuttle launches at Kennedy Space Center, FL— all prior to attending medical school at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and graduating from the emergency medicine residency program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, AR. He retired in 2010 as a U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeon and the Chief of Aerospace Medicine for the 188th Fighter Wing, Arkansas Air National Guard. During his last seven years as a practicing physician in the busiest emergency departments and trauma centers in Arkansas, Dr. Carlson recognized a particular patient population that seemed desperate for help, with few treatment options available: those suffering with the chronic, often excruciating pain of peripheral neuropathy and other musculoskeletal chronic pain syndromes. He felt that there had to be a better way to treat these patients than just prescribing addictive pain medications. His osteopathic medical training and philosophy is based on the belief in treating the whole patient, head to toe, mind, body, and spirit, instead of just temporarily alleviating symptoms of any one particular ailment. Dr. Carlson recognized the need to create a practice that would allow him to attend to a patient's total well being, while restoring his patients to their optimum functionality, overall health, and quality of life. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Carlson is a Designated F.A.A. Senior Aviation Medical Examiner, part-time corporate pilot and flight instructor in helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as a volunteer mission pilot with the Civil Air Patrol. He is also a certified rescue SCUBA diver and co-owns Ocean Impact Diving Services in Ft. Smith, AR. His wife and three children are proud of his continued service to his community through the practice of medicine and feel blessed to have him practicing close to home."
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Care Philosophy
This content was provided by Dr. Carlson "Dr. Carlson believes in working closely with his patients to guide them through the treatment and decision making process in an educational and compassionate manner. Dr. Carlson cares for each patient with kindness and gentleness - treating them like family members - to build trust and foster an atmosphere of hope and healing."
8 Â Specialties
- Pain Medicine
- Acute Pain Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Headache Management
- Interventional Pain Medicine
- Interventional Spine Medicine
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Pain Medicine
- Sports Medicine Pain Management
1 Â Board Certifications
- Emergency MedicineAccredited by: American Board of Emergency Medicine*
74 Â Conditions Treated
- Acute Postoperative Pain
- All Headaches (incl. Migraine)
- Ankle Sprain and Achilles Tendon Sprain or Rupture
- Ankle Sprains and Strains
- Arthritis
- Arthritis of the Elbow
- Ataxia
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Autonomic Disorders
- Back Pain
- Benign Chronic Pain Syndrome
- Bone Disorders
- Brain Disorders
- Bursitis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Chest Wall Pain Syndrome
- Chronic Neck Pain
- Chronic Pain
- Chronic Pelvic Pain
- Chronic Postoperative Pain
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Diabetic Polyneuropathy
- Elbow Injuries
- Facet Joint Pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Foot Conditions
- Fracture
- Gait Abnormality
- Hand Conditions
- Headache
- Heel Spur
- Herniated Disc
- Hip Pointer Injuries
- Intervertebral Disc Disease
- Knee Disorders
- Low Back Pain
- Migraine
- Morton's Neuroma
- Neck Muscle Strain
- Neck Pain
- Nerve Root Injury and Plexus Disorders (incl. Pinched Nerve)
- Osteoarthritis of Ankle and Foot
- Osteoarthritis of Hand or Wrist
- Osteoarthritis of Hip
- Osteoarthritis of Knee
- Osteoarthritis of Shoulder
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome or Knee Pain
- Pathological Spine Fracture
- Pelvic Fracture
- Peripheral Autonomic Neuropathy
- Peripheral Nerve Disorders
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Polyneuropathy
- Post-Laminectomy Syndrome
- Radiculopathy (Not Due to Disc Displacement)
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sciatica (Not Due to Disc Displacement)
- Scoliosis
- Shoulder Disorders
- Shoulder Pain
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spine Deformities
- Spine Disorders
- Spine Fractures, Traumatic
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylosis
- Sprains and Strains (incl. Muscle Tear)
- Sternum Fracture
- Tension Headache
- Thoracic Spine Myelopathy
- Torticollis
- Upper Back Pain
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27 Â Procedures
- Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection
- Cervical Facet Joint Injection
- Cervical Medial Branch Block
- Chronic Pain Management
- Epidural Block, Facet Blocks
- Epidural Injection
- Epidural Steroid Injections
- Facet Block
- Facet Joint Injection
- Joint Drainage
- Joint Injection
- Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection
- Lumbar Facet Joint Injection
- Lumbar Selective Nerve Root Block
- Myofascial Trigger Point Injection
- Nerve Block, Somatic
- Nerve Block, Sympathetic
- Nerve Blocks
- Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT)
- Pain Management
- Peripheral Nerve Block
- Radiofrequency Nerve Ablation
- Sacroiliac Joint Injection
- Spinal Nerve Block
- Steroid Injection
- Trigger Point Injection
- Viscosupplementation With Hyaluronate
Background Check
Malpractice Claims not available
Healthgrades does not collect malpractice information for Arkansas.
0 Sanctions
No sanctions history found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
0 Board Actions
No board actions found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
Education
- Arkansas State University-Fort SmithUndergraduate School | Graduated 1993
- Ok State Univ Coll Of Osteo MedMedical School | Graduated 2006
- Arkansas Childrens HospitalInternship Hospital | Completed 2009
- University Of Arkansas For Medical SciencesInternship Hospital | Completed 2009
- Us Air Force Sch Aerospace MedOther Education | Completed 2004
Awards & Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Healthgrades Honor Roll
Media & Publications
Dr. Carlson has no media or publications listed.
Languages Spoken
- English
Memberships & Professional Affiliations
Dr. Carlson does not have any memberships or affiliations listed. If you are Dr. Carlson and would like to add memberships or affiliations, please update your profile.
Dr. Carlson's Reviews
Likelihood of recommending Dr. Carlson to family and friends
6 total reviews (2 have comments)
"
Communication is key to a successful physician-patient relationship. Dr Carlson welcomes and values feedback in an effort to continually improve the patient experience.
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Patient Comments (2)