A Better Front Door for Back, Neck and Spine-Related Problems
If your tooth hurts, you know where to begin.
Spine care is often less clear.
Do you see your family physician?
A chiropractor?
A physical therapist?
An orthopedic surgeon?
A pain specialist?
Do you need an MRI?
Should you rest?
Should you exercise?
For many people, navigating those decisions becomes almost as frustrating as the symptoms themselves.
Primary Spine Care is designed to provide a clearer starting point.
Primary Spine Care refers to front-line evaluation and management of spine-related disorders by a clinician prepared to diagnose the problem, identify situations that require additional medical investigation, provide evidence-informed conservative management and coordinate referral when another level of care is needed.
Published descriptions of the Primary Spine Practitioner model characterize the role as a specially trained clinician—frequently a chiropractor or physical therapist—participating in diagnosis, management, referral and coordination for patients with spine-related disorders.
At OhioChiro, Primary Spine Care is not a claim that every spine problem should be treated in our office.
It means helping determine what care you actually need.
Treatment should follow the diagnosis—not determine it.
A Primary Spine Care evaluation may include:
When imaging or specialist consultation is appropriate, that becomes part of the plan.
When imaging is unlikely to change the plan, avoiding unnecessary testing can also be the right clinical decision. Current low-back-pain guidelines specifically discourage routine imaging in uncomplicated cases.
Many spine problems do not require an injection, medication or operation as the first intervention.
Current guidelines commonly emphasize education, maintaining activity and exercise-centered conservative care for nonspecific low back pain, with manual therapy serving as one possible component rather than the entire strategy.
That aligns closely with the model OhioChiro has spent years developing.
Our documented clinical approach integrates medical and movement diagnosis, manual treatment and therapeutic exercise rather than relying solely on adjustment-based symptom relief.
First, determine what appears to be producing the symptoms and whether conservative treatment is appropriate.
You should leave understanding more—not less—about your condition.
We explain what we found, what it means, what may not matter and what you can begin doing yourself.
When appropriate, treatment may combine chiropractic manipulation, joint mobilization, soft-tissue treatment, therapeutic exercise and other clinically appropriate interventions.
No single procedure defines the plan.
Once symptoms stabilize, the emphasis increasingly shifts toward your own movement, strength and physical capacity.
Patients who need structured rehabilitation can progress into TASC.
For those who want to continue developing strength beyond rehabilitation, LifeFit provides an ongoing training pathway.
If your examination suggests you need imaging, medical management, injection consultation, surgical evaluation or another specialist, good conservative care includes helping you get there.
That is part of spine care—not a failure of it.
Primary Spine Care is particularly relevant to OhioChiro because Dr. Sean Caine’s education and career have centered on diagnosis, conservative musculoskeletal treatment and rehabilitation.
He earned his Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine degree Cum Laude from National University of Health Sciences, an institution he describes as strongly diagnosis-focused. His continuing education includes Manual Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Locomotor System at Charles University in Prague, Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy training through the McKenzie Institute, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, Active Release Techniques and neurodynamic testing and treatment.
Dr. Caine also holds the Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Rehabilitation Board (DACRB), reflecting advanced postgraduate training in rehabilitation. His current clinical profile describes more than 20 years of conservative spine and physical-rehabilitation experience.
His earlier clinical career included multidisciplinary rehabilitation and collaboration with medical, orthopedic and neurosurgical providers—experience that shaped OhioChiro’s integrated approach.
Primary Spine Care should not be confused with an adjustment-first model of chiropractic care.
Manipulation can be useful for appropriate patients.
But it is one tool.
OhioChiro’s approach combines:
Medical diagnosis + movement diagnosis + appropriate manual care + active rehabilitation + progressive strength + coordination when needed.
That is the distinction.
Patients commonly seek spine evaluation for problems such as:
The first visit determines whether OhioChiro is the appropriate place to manage the problem.
Leg pain, numbness or weakness can sometimes originate from irritation of a lumbar nerve root.
These cases require more than simply identifying where it hurts.
Neurologic testing, symptom behavior, movement assessment and clinical reasoning help determine whether the symptoms are consistent with lumbar radiculopathy or another condition.
Learn more: Sciatica & Lumbar Radiculopathy Care
Persistent back pain often requires a broader strategy than repeating short-term pain-relief treatments.
Education, progressive exercise, manual therapy when appropriate, self-management and rebuilding physical capacity can all play a role.
Learn more: Persistent & Recurrent Back Pain
Spine care should not end when pain decreases if the patient still cannot confidently return to work, sport, travel or exercise.
That is why OhioChiro integrates clinical care with TASC rehabilitation and LifeFit strength training.
The same principle guides the entire model:
Movement as Medicine.
Primary Spine Care is best understood as a model of front-line spine management rather than a separate medical specialty designation. The published Primary Spine Practitioner model describes clinicians with specific skills in diagnosis, conservative management, referral and coordination of spine-related disorders.
Not necessarily. Treatment depends on the diagnosis, examination findings, preferences and response to care. Manipulation may be useful for selected patients but does not define Primary Spine Care.
When clinically indicated, appropriate diagnostic imaging can be coordinated. Dr. Caine also reviews imaging in the context of the patient’s examination and clinical presentation. His training and OhioChiro’s diagnostic process have long incorporated imaging when appropriate rather than making it routine.
Then the goal becomes helping determine the appropriate next step. That may involve your primary-care physician, imaging, an orthopedic or neurological consultation or another healthcare professional.
Knowing when to refer is part of good Primary Spine Care.
You should not need to navigate spine care by trial and error.
Start with a clinician whose job is to determine what is happening, whether conservative care is appropriate and what the next step should be.
Schedule a Primary Spine Care evaluation with Dr. Sean Caine at OhioChiro in Upper Arlington.
Clinically reviewed by Sean Caine, DC, DACRB
Clinical Director, OhioChiro
More than 20 years of conservative musculoskeletal and spine-care experience. Diplomate, American Chiropractic Rehabilitation Board. Certificate in Manual Therapy and Rehabilitation, Charles University–Prague.
Last medically reviewed: October 2026
Educational information does not replace an individual examination or medical diagnosis.
Upper Arlington – 3380 Tremont Rd, Suite 190, Upper Arlington, OH 43221
(e) info@visitohiochiro.com
(p) 614-964-2341
(text) 614-964-2341
