Treatment Options


Most spine treatment centers emphasize surgery. Not SpineAustin.

Guided by a conservative care approach, SpineAustin’s health care team treats every patient non-surgically first. If surgery proves necessary after other treatment options are exhausted, SpineAustin patients will be cared for by some of the most accomplished spine surgeons across the globe.

Conservative Treatment Options

The physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians (physiatrists) at SpineAustin lead our conservative approach to spine care. In collaboration with our spine-trained physical therapists, our physiatrists provide optimal spine care without surgery. A movement- and function-based approach is emphasized, aiming at returning patients to normal function levels non-surgically.

Conservative treatment options include Physical Therapy, Injection Therapy, Medication and Exercise.

Under the physiatrists’ medical direction, SpineAustin’s physical therapists treat patients with cutting edge programs for neck and back programs with our on-site treatment and rehabilitation facility.

When our physiatrists and surgeons decide that physical therapy is the right treatment option to pursue for a patient, the physician writes a physical therapy “prescription,” similar to a medication prescription. SpineAustin’s physical therapists are just down the hall from our physicians and remain in ongoing contact about a patient’s progress during the physical therapy treatment process.

To learn more about the Physical Therapy offered at SpineAustin, click here.

Conservative Treatment Procedures

Physical Therapy

SpineAustin’s treatment goal for all of our patients is independence.

Patients benefit from a collaborative process at SpineAustin, where our physiatrists and physical therapists work from a single set of medical records for each patient and share notes. This continuous collaboration allows for a more precise diagnosis and more effective treatment.

Following an hour-long evaluation on the initial visit with our physical therapists, patients are prescribed spine movement exercises to perform at home. Information gathered while performing these exercises is essential to evaluating a patient’s condition and to developing a treatment plan on subsequent visits.

Physical therapists search for the cause of the neck or back pain, and then design a physical therapy and exercise program to treat each patient’s specific conditions.

“That’s what we do best – get to the root of what is causing the problem,” said Trent McGinty, leader of SpineAustin’s physical therapy team.

SpineAustin’s licensed physical therapists specialize in the treatment of back and neck pain and use their advanced training to relieve that pain and get injured muscles, tissues and the spine functioning properly so that patients can soon resume their normal activities.

In addition to pain relief, physical therapy strengthens muscles that support the spine and increases flexibility, which can help guard against future back and neck strain. Manual therapy is required for some cases, followed by strengthening exercises.

Patient education and informed self-treatment are key components of SpineAustin’s physical therapy department. In addition to regularly scheduled visits to SpineAustin’s physical therapy department for supervised treatment, every patient receives a home exercise program and SpineAustin’s Home Remedy Book.

“Education allows patients to distinguish between conditions that require a return visit to the doctor and those that call for self-therapy and home exercise. The patient is now empowered and has control over his or her body. After patients undergo physical therapy at SpineAustin, they are confident they know more about their body and they are not dependent on us,” McGinty said.

SpineAustin’s physical therapy department is also a valuable resource for post-surgical patients.


Surgical Treatment Options

If surgery is determined to be the best treatment after other options are exhausted, SpineAustin patients will be cared for by some of the most accomplished spine surgeons across the globe.

The fact that surgeons throughout the United States often refer their most complex surgeries to SpineAustin testifies to the expertise our surgeons offer in operating on the most complex cases.

SpineAustin is the leading practice in Austin treating adult deformities, including scoliosis, and is recognized as a leader in revision surgery. Focusing exclusively on spine surgery, SpineAustin’s surgeons operate—literally—at the forefront of the latest innovations, including artificial disk replacement.

Our surgeons also offer unparalleled expertise with routine spine surgeries and employ the most advanced and least invasive treatment options appropriate.

SpineAustin’s surgeons use cutting edge techniques and technologies to treat common problems in the neck and back and conditions such as disc herniation and disc degeneration.

Surgical Treatment Options