A spine doctor is a specialist, with their experience and education focusing on the spine. Some of these doctors may specifically focus on certain parts of the spine, such as the lumbar or cervical spine.
Depending on the extent of your injury or problem, and any additional underlying health conditions, this kind of doctor can be seen for a range of treatment plans. This could be pain management purposes through treatments like physical therapy, or spine surgery.
On this page, we’ll cover everything from what to look for, to how to find one, and some frequently asked questions.
- What to look for in a spine doctor
- How to find a good spine doctor
- Frequently asked questions about spine doctors
- Other content you might like
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What to Look For in a Spine Doctor
Your spine is delicate, and when you’re in pain or have limited range of motion because of something like a spinal cord injury, it’s important that you put your care in the best hands. Unfortunately it can often be a little more involved than just googling “best spine doctor near me”. Below are some of the items you should be considering when looking for a doctor.
Experience
When choosing who to go to, their experience level is crucial. One way to be sure of this is looking for what’s called a board certified spine doctor.
This means they’ve gone through rigorous additional testing and training to be the best of the best at treating back pain.
Positive Reviews
Next is looking at their reviews. Whether this is a recommendation from your primary care doctor or you’ve dug into Google and Yelp – it’s critical that you know what their colleagues and previous patients think of them.
Personality
And finally, arguably one of the most important things to look for in your back doctor is their personality. This is everything from how comfortable they make you feel, to whether they focus on maximally or minimally invasive procedures – or can offer non-surgical options too. Ultimately, this is about finding the best spine doctor for you and your needs, from start to finish.
How to Find a Good Spine Doctor
So, now you know what to look for – let’s talk about how to find a good spine doctor. This is usually a combination of knowing what kind of medical practice you want and knowing how to find such a practice. Below, we will help you understand how to find the best spine doctor for your specific spine pain or condition, as well as answer some frequently asked questions about spine doctors.
Knowing What Kind of Practice You Want
First up is knowing what kind of place you’d like to go to. This could be a medical center with a team of board certified orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists who work together on diagnosis and treatment, or it could be a small singular doctor practice that focuses on specific conditions like herniated discs or similar. Both have their benefits, and it’ll really depend on what you’re looking for in your care.
Here at Spine Team Texas, we’re proud of the collaborative approach that we’ve fostered, helping ensure all of our patients receive the right treatment for them quickly.
Looking In The Right Spots
Next here is looking in the right spots to find a good spine surgeon. Orthopedic surgery can be really quite serious, and so you should be looking further than just Google when researching a doctor. Consider also looking at healthcare specific review sites, like Vitals, Healthgrades and ZocDoc.
This is also an opportunity to deep dive past reading reviews of the practice, and look at the individual doctor’s ratings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spine Doctors
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What is the difference between a neurosurgeon and a spine doctor?
A neurosurgeon is trained to treat conditions specifically impacting the brain and spine, while an orthopedic spine surgeon specializes in treating just the spine.
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Which surgery is best for spine pain?
The best surgery for your spine pain will really depend on the underlying condition – and in some cases, it may not even require surgery. In fact, here at Spine Team Texas, 92% of all of our patients achieve long lasting pain relief without surgery.
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Can spine doctors cure chronic pain?
To an extent. Whether you’re experiencing neck pain, low back pain or otherwise – a spine doctor can develop a custom treatment plan to help you achieve pain relief. The goal is that this will essentially cure your chronic pain.
