I’m not sure who the right specialist is for my spine problem. What should I do?

If you’re unsure which specialist is most appropriate, the best place to start is with your GP. They know your medical history and can provide a referral to the specialist best suited to your symptoms.

If you have ongoing neck or back pain but are not sure whether surgery is required, an appointment with our Specialist Spine Physician may be appropriate. A Spine Physician is a medical specialist who focuses on the assessment, diagnosis and non-surgical management of spinal conditions, following evidence-based guidelines.

They can:

• assess your symptoms and imaging
• coordinate appropriate investigations where needed
• develop a non-surgical treatment plan
• refer you to other members of our multidisciplinary team, such as physiotherapy, exercise physiology or pain coaching, where appropriate
• identify when a surgical opinion is warranted and refer you to one of our spine surgeons if needed.

A referral from your GP or another medical practitioner is required. To help us provide the most appropriate assessment, we also recommend having any relevant spinal imaging (such as X-rays, CT scans or MRI scans) available before your appointment.