The Changing Face of Spine Care: The MU Comprehensive Spine Center

Back pain is extraordinarily common, and the current approach to treatment has yielded enormous financial burdens on health care systems and society in general. In addition, primary care providers and patients alike are often unsure where to seek further care, and what, if any, advanced tests or images are needed. As a result, spine surgeons often see a high percentage of non-operative patients when unnecessary, redundant, or incorrect imaging was obtained. At MU Health Care a team of physiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons sought to address these issues by forming the MU Comprehensive Spine Center that offers a systematic, collaborative approach to spine care.