Problems people bring to a spine visit.

• Neck pain

  Neck pain is a common reason for a spine visit. The cause may be muscular, joint-related, or from a disc or nerve, and the first step is a careful history and examination.

• Low back pain

  Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek care. Most episodes are not dangerous, and a visit is about finding the pattern rather than jumping to a procedure.

• Sciatica

  Sciatica is pain, and sometimes numbness or weakness, that follows the sciatic nerve from the low back into the buttock and leg.

• Herniated disc

  A herniated disc happens when the softer center of a spinal disc pushes through a weak spot in the outer ring and may press on a nearby nerve.

• Spinal stenosis

  Spinal stenosis means the canal or the openings for the nerves have become narrow, usually from arthritis, thickened ligaments, or disc changes.

• Cervical myelopathy

  Cervical myelopathy is injury to the spinal cord in the neck from compression, most often from stenosis. It is a problem of cord function, not only of neck pain.

• Spondylolisthesis

  Spondylolisthesis means one vertebra has slipped forward, or less often backward, relative to the one below it.

• Pain after spine surgery

  Pain that continues or returns after a spine operation has many possible explanations. It deserves a fresh evaluation, not a single label.

• Neck fractures

  A neck fracture is a break in one of the cervical vertebrae. It is an injury, not an elective procedure, and it needs in-person urgent assessment.

• Spine tumors

  A spine tumor is an abnormal growth in or around a vertebra or the spinal cord. Some are benign. Some are cancers that started elsewhere.

Neck fractures and spine tumors need urgent in-person care. This list explains those problems. It does not mean every operation is the right one, or that this website can evaluate an emergency.