Spine Care Guide
Get to the right care — faster.
Most spine patients spend weeks bouncing between providers before they know what kind of doctor they actually need. This Guide is a conservative-first, evidence-based path from your symptoms to a specialist who can help — with the questions to ask along the way.
Where do you want to start?
Where is your pain?
Start with what you feel — back, neck, radiating into an arm or leg, or a specific neurologic symptom. We walk you through what is likely happening and what care sequence has the best evidence.
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Which specialist should I see?
Ortho spine, neurosurgery, PM&R, pain management, primary care — their scopes overlap but are not identical. Pick the right entry point for what you actually have.
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I'm considering surgery
Go in equipped: the questions every patient should ask, the evidence for your specific procedure, when a second opinion is the right call, and what "conservative care failure" actually means.
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When should I go to the ER?
Most back and neck pain is not an emergency. These eight symptoms are. Know them before you decide whether to wait, book a visit, or seek urgent care.
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Quick access by pain region
Low back pain (without leg pain)
My lower back hurts
Mid-back pain (thoracic)
Pain in the middle of my back
Upper-back pain (cervicothoracic junction)
Pain between my shoulder blades
Neck pain (without arm symptoms)
My neck is stiff
Tailbone pain (coccydynia)
My tailbone hurts
Pain radiating into the leg (sciatica)
Pain shooting down my leg
Neck pain with arm symptoms (cervical radiculopathy)
Pain shooting down my arm
Progressive weakness or numbness (myelopathy)
My leg feels weak
Before you continue — rule out emergencies
The following symptoms are reasons to go directly to an emergency department, not to continue with this Guide:
- •Loss of bladder or bowel control
- •Saddle anesthesia (numbness in the inner thighs, groin, or buttocks)
- •Progressive weakness in one or both legs
- •Back pain with unexplained fever above 100.4°F / 38°C
What this Guide will not do
- Diagnose you. Symptom-based guides narrow the likely causes — they do not replace physical examination, history-taking, or imaging. Use this to arrive prepared, not to self-prescribe.
- Recommend a specific provider. We will tell you the specialty that fits your presentation, then connect you to the verified providers in that specialty near you. The choice of individual surgeon or clinician is yours.
- Hide uncertainty. When the evidence for a treatment is moderate or low, we mark it as such. Spine care has many open questions, and patients deserve to see them.