Back Assessment Clinic

We provide comprehensive assessment, treatment and ongoing care of spinal disorders such as back pain, neck pain and sciatica.

Key points

Treatment, assessment and ongoing assistance for people with spinal disorders
Collaboration between multiple departments including Rheumatology, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics and Pain Management
Linked with community sites within Merri Health

Patients need a referral from their GP or healthcare provider. Access referral information

What we do

We are a specialist service formed by collaboration between Rheumatology, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic Surgery and Pain Management at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. The service is linked with community sites in Merri Health.

We offer a comprehensive assessment and management advice to people with neck and back pains and any associated symptoms, such as radiculopathy. We can assist with persistent spinal pain, cervical and lumbar radiculopathy, and neurogenic claudication symptoms from spinal stenosis.

We can organise further investigations, analgesic review (including injection therapies) and physiotherapy services, as well as access to surgical, rheumatology and pain management services.

Our clinics are staffed by a rheumatologist and advanced practice physiotherapists, the same professionals that you may see in the Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic Surgery or Rheumatology clinics at the RMH. All of these staff members have extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of back and neck problems.

Who can use our service

Exclusions to the service are suspicion of ‘red flag’ pathologies (tumours, infection, fracture, and inflammatory disease), spinal deformity and paediatric cases.

The BAC is not a multidisciplinary service for complex persistent pain syndromes. These referrals should be directed to Pain Management.

Our clinics

Clinic name	Location	Options
Back Assessment Clinic Coburg	The RMH at Merri Health Coburg
Back Assessment Clinic	The RMH Royal Park

Our clinics

Back Assessment Clinic Coburg

The RMH at Merri Health Coburg

Back Assessment Clinic

The RMH Royal Park

For patients

For health professionals

Appointments

For all new appointments, contact the Direct Access Unit on (03) 8387 2333

To cancel or reschedule a booked appointment, contact the Clinical Centre on (03) 8387 2194

What to bring

Every time you come

Every time you come in for a test, day procedure, surgery or treatment, you should bring:

Medicare card
Health Care card (if you have one)
Concession card (if you have one)
Adverse drug alert card (if you have one)
Medications you are currently taking, including any that you have bought without a prescription
X-ray films, scans, ultrasounds or any other test results you have which are related to your procedure
Private health insurance card (if you want to use it)
Aids (glasses, hearing aid, walking frame)