Whose back we see
- The "it went out again" back — episodes that keep returning because the last one was rested, not rehabbed.
- The sciatica sufferer — pain shooting down the leg from a disc pressing a nerve, wondering if surgery is inevitable. (Usually: no.)
- The stiff neck and its headaches — the price of screens, commutes, and pillows that quit years ago.
- The hip-or-back riddle — pain that could be either, in the one building where both specialists share your chart. We wrote a page on exactly this.
The non-surgical playbook
Diagnosis first — on-site imaging and an orthopedic-grade exam — then the conservative ladder, climbed in order. Chiropractic care with Dr. Broome for hands-on treatment. Physical therapy to build the strength that keeps discs and joints protected. Targeted injections when a nerve needs the inflammation turned down to let rehab work. Each step earns the next; nobody starts at the most invasive option.
How the ladder climbs
- Weeks 1–2
Calm the fire
Hands-on care, activity modification (not bed rest — that advice retired decades ago), and getting you moving safely again.
- Weeks 2–8
Build the armor
Progressive core and hip strength — the muscles that do the job your spine has been doing alone. This is where recurrences go to die.
- If needed
Turn down the nerve
For radiating pain that blocks progress, targeted injections create the window rehab needs. A tool in the plan, not the plan.
- The rare case
The honest referral
True red flags or conservative care that's genuinely failed → referral to a spine surgeon with your complete workup, so their consult starts at mile ten instead of mile zero.
Why non-surgical spine care from an orthopedic practice
Because the alternative is guessing alone. Here your back pain gets orthopedic diagnostics, chiropractic care, a 38-person rehab team, and physicians who can rule out the hip, the SI joint, and everything else back pain impersonates — on one chart. And we have no surgical spine practice to feed, which means exactly one bias: whatever gets you better fastest.
Common questions
My MRI shows a herniated disc. Isn't that surgical?
Usually not. Disc herniations are common even in people with zero pain, and most symptomatic ones improve with conservative care over weeks to months. The MRI is one input; your exam, symptoms, and trajectory decide the plan. Full answer here.
When is back pain an emergency?
Leg weakness, numbness in the groin or inner thighs, loss of bladder or bowel control, fever with back pain, or pain after real trauma — those need urgent evaluation, today, not a therapy plan.
Do you do spine surgery here?
No — and we'd rather tell you that in bold than let you find out three visits in. Our program is conservative care done thoroughly. If you need a surgeon, you leave with a complete workup and a straight-shooting referral.
Medically reviewed by Keith W.V. Johnson, MD, FAAOS · Updated September 28, 2026