• Patients receive care from WashU Medicine physicians who specialize in developing tailored nonsurgical and surgical plans for adults suffering from back pain and spine-related issues.
• Care plans may include services from the Living Well Center, Pain Management Center or a physical therapist as nonsurgical solutions to improve quality of life and get patients safely back to doing the activities they enjoy.
• WashU Medicine spine surgeons are national and international leaders in their field, who advance patient care through ongoing research and clinical studies.

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• When you make an appointment, you will have the option to have your initial consultation from the comfort of your own home.
• Virtual visits are private and secure, and our patient services team will walk you through the process to connect you with a WashU Medicine spine specialist.

• If you have a neck or back problem but surgery is not right for you at this time, the WashU Medicine Living Well Center at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital offers an intensive lifestyle-medicine program, including medical acupuncture, to reduce your pain and help you achieve your wellness goals.
• Patients have seen results within three months, including less pain, improved physical function, weight loss, improved diabetes control and/or lower blood pressure.

• Learn how to make healthy choices with the behavioral and nutritional counseling program. You can reduce your pain and improve your function, which may eliminate your need for surgery.

   

• Conveniently located one floor below the Joint and Spine Center on the Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital campus, the Pain Management Center offers nonsurgical, non-narcotic medication treatment options, including epidural corticosteroid (steroid) injections, to improve your quality of life. Injection therapies may allow you to have physical therapy and help you avoid surgery.
• People with chronic back and neck pain may also have underlying conditions. We understand it is critical to acknowledge the whole person and not just the area of pain. Our specialized pain psychologists from WashU Medicine screen for and manage anxiety, depression and other psychological and physiological issues as part of our holistic approach.

• The 128-slice computerized tomography (CT) scanner provides clear images of bones, tissues, and other spinal structures of the spine. The large CT room has windows for patients who may be claustrophobic.
• The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner takes pictures of soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons and blood vessels. The MRI can help spot infection, tumor, inflammation or compressed nerves.
• The EOS scanner captures 3D representations of the patient’s anatomy. To improve the patient experience, digital images are captured in 20 seconds with a single scan while the patient is standing or sitting.

• Our team of physical therapists offer several noninvasive treatment options for managing back pain, depending on the severity of symptoms (acute to chronic).
• After a comprehensive evaluation, therapists tailor a customized home exercise program to meet the patient’s goals for optimizing function and minimizing pain.

• To ensure continuity of care, therapists share your treatment plan with the referring physician in MyChart, your secure electronic health record.

   

• Our sports therapy and rehabilitation program have three locations to serve you, two in west St. Louis County and one in south St. Louis County.

No more pain in the neck: Disc replacement procedure offers Linda lasting relief.