Spinal Pain Service
What is the Spinal Pain Service?
The Spinal Pain Service sees people who have been referred to us for assessment of their spinal pain. The service is staffed by physiotherapists with spinal pain expertise, who work with the Neurosurgery Service. Our service reduces waiting times for initial appointments and helps people to get the right kind of treatment for their spinal pain.
How do I get an appointment with the Spinal Pain Service?
You may be offered an appointment with the service if:
- you have been referred to see a neurosurgeon at Canberra Hospital, or
- you have already seen a specialist at Canberra Hospital about your back and/or neck pain.
If you have been referred to a neurosurgeon who recommends the Spinal Pain Service for you, your appointment with the Spinal Pain Service will be the first step in your care.
What happens at the first appointment in the Spinal Pain Service?
Your first appointment will be at the Belconnen Community Health Centre. When you arrive, you may be asked to fill out some questionnaires about your pain and the impact it has on you. A physiotherapist will then assess you.
At the end of the assessment, the physiotherapist will give you information about the reasons for your pain and talk with you about treatment options.
What happens after the first appointment?
In some cases, spinal pain can be helped with surgery. If this is relevant for you, your symptoms and your scans will be discussed with the neurosurgeons. The neurosurgeons may recommend that you have an updated scan or different kind of scan, targeted steroid injection, and/or a consultation in a neurosurgeon’s clinic.
If surgery is unlikely to be helpful, or the risks are higher than the potential benefits, other ways to manage your pain may be suggested for you. This could include physiotherapy and/or psychology support. Psychological support can be helpful to manage other problems that are impacting on your pain, and to help you feel more in control of your health and wellbeing.
Ongoing treatment could be in the Spinal Pain Service or with another service closer to your home. The physiotherapist will work this out with you.
Important information about the Spinal Pain Service
It is important to know that your referral to the Neurosurgery Service at Canberra Hospital may be closed if:
- you do not want to have an appointment in the Spinal Pain Service, or
- you miss your appointments without letting us know.
This means you will be removed from neurosurgery waiting list.
For more information about the Spinal Pain Service, please contact: Spinal Pain Service Telephone: (02) 5124 8705
Monday to Friday 8.00am to 4.30pm
Spinal Pain Service - Canberra Health Services (act.gov.au)
General information about back and neck pain
You can find more information about back and neck pain on the following websites:
