Back & Neck Pain

You can seek care for back or neck pain from your primary care provider, orthopaedic urgent care, or via virtual urgent care. Your physician may use a combination of physical exams, diagnostic tests, and imaging like MRIs or CT scans to determine the cause of your back and/or neck pain. Depending on your diagnosis, your provider may refer you to a URochester Medicine specialist.

Treating conditions of the spine takes a team of physicians with a wide range of specialties and expertise, including Anesthesiologists, Neurosurgeons, Orthopaedic Surgeons, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation providers. Treatment options may include medication, physical therapy, surgery, or a combination of pain management strategies.

Surgery

If your physician recommends surgery to treat your back or neck pain, our neurosurgeons and orthopaedic spine surgeons are experts and innovators in the latest minimally invasive procedures. 

URochester Medicine surgeons offer every type of spine surgery needed, including:

• Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF)
• Cervical laminectomy with discectomy
• Anterior cervical discectomy with fusion
• Cervical decompression with and without fusion
• Thoracic spine surgeries
• Lumbar laminectomies, foraminotomies, decompression and fusion procedures

For patients who need rehabilitation, we also run the Active Spine Program to help you regain your ability to move safely with less pain. Our specialists in the program work closely with your spine physicians as part of your medical team. You, your doctor, and your therapists will work together to develop a care plan that works with your doctor's treatment.

URochester Medicine spine care provides nationally recognized orthopaedic surgeons, physical medicine specialists (physiatrists), neurosurgeons, neurologists, physical therapists, rehabilitation experts, and neuro-pain management providers.

Our team has the longest history of treating conditions of the spine in the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region. Over 50 spine providers consisting of internationally and nationally recognized experts provide interventional procedures, surgical spine management, spine specialized physical therapy, and pain psychologists that function in a multidisciplinary and coordinated care model tailored to your specific needs.

And because we’re an academic medical center, our involvement in research and education means our patients get access to clinically effective treatments that use the newest technologies, including computer-guided surgery, minimal incision surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and physical therapy and rehabilitation.