UAB Synopsis, Vol. 24, No. 24, June 27, 2005
Comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for patients with spine disorders
In 2003, the UAB Multidisciplinary Spine Care Network, or SpineNet, was established by the Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Anesthesiology, and Neurology and the Divisions of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery, offering patients suffering from spine conditions consultation with an interdisciplinary team of specialists committed to advancing treatment for spine problems. Designed to create an organized network of UAB Health System providers and support personnel, SpineNet's goal is providing timely, expert consultation, rehabilitation, and surgical care to patients referred by community physicians.
An offshoot of this successful program, the UAB Chiropractic Care Network, is a pioneering effort fostering relationships between community chiropractors and UAB neurosurgeons for the care of patients with spine disorders.
Approximately 50,000 licensed chiropractic physicians in the United States see almost 32 million patients each year. "Chiropractors are assuming a valuable and appropriate role in the U.S. health-care system. As evidence supporting the effectiveness of chiropractic medicine continues to emerge, neurosurgeons and chiropractors are working together to pinpoint sources of back, neck, arm, and leg pain, ensuring the right diagnosis and proper, cost-effective treatment," Associate Professor and Chiropractic Care Network Director Thomas G. Spurlock, DC, says.
"Both chiropractic physicians and neurosurgeons have extensive training in spinal anatomy and biomechanics, diseases of the spine, and spinal neurology and care for many of the same degenerative spinal disorders at different ends of the disease spectrum," he says. "While early-stage spine disease is often best addressed by chiropractors, late-stage disease involving potential or actual neurological compromise may require the attention of a neurosurgeon. Frequently, the intermediate stages of spine disease are where a cooperative effort between the chiropractor and neurosurgeon best benefits the patient."
Reaping Benefits
Cooperative spine care offers early detection of spinal disorders, reduced likelihood of unnecessary or duplicative testing, continuity of care, and reduced risk for unnecessary surgery.
The Chiropractic Care Network also offers advantages to referring chiropractors and UAB physicians, Dr. Spurlock underscores. "While patients benefit from top quality, state-of-the-art conservative and surgical care, chiropractic physicians gain easy access to UAB neurosurgeons and other health-care specialists, including physiatrists, physical, rehabilitative, and occupational therapists, interventional pain anesthesiologists, and orthopaedic surgeons."
Referring physicians also benefit from affiliation with UAB's academic medical center, which has 14 of 17 medical specialties, including neurosurgery, in the top 50 of U.S. News and World Report's 2004 annual "America's Best Hospitals" issue.
"The network also assists UAB physicians by locating top Alabama chiropractic providers for treatment of nonsurgical musculoskeletal disorders and provides close working relationships and expeditious consultations," Dr. Spurlock says.
Comprehensive Care
Chiropractors and UAB neurosurgeons and other spine specialists strive to protect and restore biomechanical and neurological integrity of the spine. UAB's surgical, nonsurgical, and noninvasive therapies treat a full range of spine conditions, including disc degeneration, osteoporosis, spinal cord injuries, and scoliosis and other spine deformities.
"When surgery is the best option, UAB surgeons use innovative tools and techniques, such as vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, lumbar spinal fusion, and artificial discs, many performed as minimally invasive procedures," Dr. Spurlock concludes.