Why is Primary Spine Care Needed?

The evidence in the literature states that back pain affects upwards of 30% of the population, with a lifetime prevalence of 50%-80%. With continued evidence of lack of musculoskeletal understanding in primary care medicine and a subsequent deficiency of training in spinal biomechanics, the question becomes which profession has the educational basis, training, and clinical competence to manage these cases? Recently published clinical guidelines from the American College of Physicians recommended nonpharmacologic treatment as the first-line approach to treating back pain.

What is a Primary Spine Care Provider?

The Primary Spine Care provider [PSC] is trained in diagnosing and managing all spinal-related conditions and focuses on mechanical spine pain. The PSC is also trained in basic and advanced imaging, electrodiagnostic interpretation, vascular diagnosis related to stroke, central motor, and sensory lesion diagnosis, and other co-morbidity analysis related to musculoskeletal conditions.

The PSC provider does not typically treat fractures, tumors or infection, but is trained in diagnosing those comorbidities. These doctors are front-line clinicians triaging and collaborating with specialists as needed with the training to manage neuro-biomechanical non-anatomical pathology independently.

Who Should Be Considered Primary Spine Care Providers?

The objective of PSC Fellowship training is to give the doctor the advanced clinical tools necessary to create an accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan for the management of spinal-related patients. The Fellowship training is a 2-year program that is certified through the State University of New York at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Continuing Medical Education in joint providership with Cleveland University-Kansas City, College of Chiropractic. Due to the complexity of spinal diagnosis and prognosis, it could be a public health risk for a non-doctor to be a PSC, therefore only doctors are accepted into the program.