PITTSBURGH PRIMARY SPINE PRACTITIONER – DR. ALEX TAUBERG

What is a Primary Spine Practitioner?

A Primary Spine Practitioner is a portal of entry doctor who provides care for patients with problems related to the spine. They use evidence based practices to examine, diagnose, treat, and manage patients. They stay up to date with the latest research and are aware of when it is clinically indicated to send patients to specialists for further treatment, such as the administration of certain medications, injections, and surgery.

Since the certification originates at the University of Pittsburgh, you can also review the official Primary Spine Practitioner program information if you want more detail about what the credential covers.

When should you see a Primary Spine Practitioner?

If neck and back pain are stopping you from doing the activities that you love to do or even just slowing you down then it’s time to consider visiting a Primary Spine Practitioner. A Primary Spine Practitioner will take you through a rigorous examination that will determine the best type of treatment for you. The Primary Spine Practitioner should be the first provider you go to when you have one of these disorders. The primary spine practitioner is equipped to manage and treat you. Often you will go through a trial of care that should improve your condition. In some circumstances, patients will be referred out for either further testing or specialists. 

For example, if you are dealing with stubborn symptoms that feel like sciatica (pain traveling into the buttock or leg), persistent low back pain, or ongoing neck pain, it’s often helpful to start with a provider trained specifically to evaluate spine-related disorders and guide you through appropriate conservative care before you bounce between random options.

Why do we need a Primary Spine Practitioner?

In case you are unaware, the current healthcare system is failing for a lot of patients with spine related disorders such as neck and back pain. Currently, we have what has been called a “supermarket approach”. Patients with neck or back pain enter the market and look for someone who can help them. They look around and find a multitude of different options to choose from, and so it becomes hard to decide which one is best. This is not how it works for other health conditions. If a patient has a health problem they usually go to their primary care physician, who serves as the manager and cares for the patient. They provide appropriate first line treatment or order the appropriate tests to manage the condition, and if necessary they refer out to specialists. This is the service the primary spine practitioner is there to provide to patients who have spine related disorders. 

Why not just go to a primary care provider?

When it comes to spine related disorders, primary care providers are not equipped to manage these conditions. This is for a multitude of reasons, but is supported by a poll conducted by consumer reports showing that primary care physicians having the lowest percentage of highly satisfied patients who present with back pain (Consumer Reports, 2009). Patients who go to primary care doctors are not getting the care that they need, but that’s not the fault of the primary care physician. Currently, in our health care system, primary care physicians are overburdened. They don’t have enough time to commit to each individual patient, or therefore provide the necessary care for a spine related disorder. A first line provider needs to be able to provide quality care to the majority of patients that present. Otherwise the healthcare system does not work appropriately, and causes costs to increase and desired outcomes to decrease. Providing care for most spine related disorders takes out a large chunk of time that must be spent one on one with the provider. Primary care practitioners cannot do this, so instead they either put the patient on pain medication or refer out. This puts an unnecessary strain on the system. Primary spine practitioners take that strain off of the healthcare system.

One reason this matters is that public health agencies have pushed for safer, evidence-based approaches to pain, and the CDC’s overview of pain management is a good example of why starting with conservative care is often the right move.

Who Certifies a Primary Spine Practitioner?

The University of Pittsburgh created the  Primary Spine Practitioner certification . It is a post graduate certification with their department of Physical Therapy available to Physicians, Physical Therapist, and Chiropractors. Pitt’s Department of Physical Therapy is the number 1 ranked program in the nation.

How is a Primary Spine Practitioner different from a chiropractor or physical therapist?

The Primary Spine Practitioner certification creates a gold standard for the treatment of patients with neck and back pain. Primary Spine Practitioner’s have been taught and demonstrated their proficiency at providing care that is consistent with the latest research. This ensures that patient’s receive high quality care for their specific condition.

If you are suffering from neck or back pain schedule your complimentary discovery visit with Dr. Tauberg below.

References

• Murphy, D., Seaman, D., & Heffner, S. (2013). Clinical Reasoning in Spine Pain Volume 1. Pawtucket: CRISP Education and Research, LLC.
• Murphy, D., Jacob, G., & Heffner, S. (2016). Clinical Reasoning in Spine Pain Volume II. Cranston: CRISP Education and Research, LLC.