Claire ThompsonMy painter friend spent hours hunched over while making our theater backgrounds. While I have told her to mind her posture, she didn’t take me seriously—since I, too, can get overly passionate about my own craft and have lost sleep over it.
One day, things got serious when she started having sharp back pain that kept her from finishing her pieces. She shrugged it off and tried various stretching routines at first, but that only made her back stiffer.
A fellow artist recommended she see a professional before it all gets worse. Concerned, I helped in sorting out the best spine specialists in Columbus too. If you also struggle with chronic back or neck pain, it’s best to check out our shortlist.
How much do spine specialists charge in Columbus?
Spine specialists in Columbus typically charge between $170 and $500 per consultation, while their non-surgical and surgical procedures vary widely. The final fees depend on the location, facility fees, procedure complexity, and your insurance status.
1. Orthopaedic Spine & Joint Center
Address: 1900 Polaris Pkwy
Contact Details:
- +1 614 318 0808
Business Hours:
- Mon-Thu: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Fri-Sun: Closed
Orthopaedic Spine & Joint Center focuses on interventional pain management for spinal disorders, back and neck injuries, and musculoskeletal issues.
We believe their facility is well-equipped, with advanced options like spinal cord stimulation and radiofrequency ablation that many general orthopedic specialists skip.
Leading this is Dr. Krishna Deshpande, MD, board-certified in Pain Management and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
He gained credibility as a medical doctor in India, then interned there before training in ortho and accident care in England. He also completed residencies in the US, gaining broad surgical experience.
His patient-first approach with the team highlights root-cause treatment over short-term fixes, guided by a focus on restoring function through tailored plans.
Plus, we love that they offer same-day appointments for new patients during office hours. We believe this speeds up urgent care compared to typical wait times elsewhere.
Another thing worth noting is their 24/7 patient portal access for payments, forms, and education, making things a breeze for patients.
Other than that, their clinic is highly accessible, with multiple locations in Polaris, Dublin, Westerville, and Gahanna.
But unlike other centers with several specialists on-site, Orthopaedic Spine & Joint Center has a small staff, which can affect its scheduling flexibility.
Kind, professional, and truly caring
“Incredible care from start to finish! The staff at Orthopaedic Spine & Joint Center are kind, professional, and truly caring. The doctors and staff are outstanding—thorough, compassionate, and highly skilled. I feel supported in every step of the way and am so grateful for the care I receive. Highly recommend!”
-Kevin Gardner, Google Review
Easy to work around your schedule
“Everyone is very pleasant and helpful. Appointments were easy to work around your schedule. My husband also comes here and his pain level has been lowered a lot”
-Jenny Jewell, Google Review
2. Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC)
Address: 4885 Olentangy River Rd, Suite 230
Contact Details:
- +1 614 895 3344
Business Hours:
- Mon: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
- Tue-Sun: Closed
Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC) is a one-stop hub that combines physical medicine, rehabilitation, pain management, and sports medicine. We reckon this makes them better than other single-focus ortho clinics if you need help with multiple concerns.
Among the main providers here is Neil G. Knight, MD, MPH, a board-certified specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a Wright State graduate in 2018. He offers musculoskeletal injections, Electromyography (EMG), and spasticity care.
Working with him is Jacqueline McGowan, MD, CAQSM, a sports medicine expert with added certification. She treats spine and joint issues non-surgically.
They serve patients over 13 years old with muscle, bone, joint, and nerve issues. With the team, they are strongest in multidisciplinary plans for non-surgical recovery—great if you easily get nervous or don’t want anything invasive.
Just one thing to consider, though, is that this clinic has extremely limited hours—one day a week at this site. You will need to book well in advance if you are considering their services.
Still, it’s handy that you can visit any of their multiple locations, such as Westerville, Polaris, and Henderson Rd.
Very knowledgeable and explained my condition in understandable terms
“I had an appointment with Dr. McGowan to review my MRI spine scan from a different provider. She is very knowledgeable and explained my lower back condition in understandable terms. She has offered me other non-surgical treatments and I greatly appreciate her suggestions”
-Barry Hoock, Google Review
Listened well and was clear, thorough, and concise
“Dr. Knight did a good job. He listened well and addressed my concerns in a way that was clear and thorough, but concise.”
-Scott Filippelli, Google Review
3. Essential Sports & Spine Solutions
Address: 6100 E Main St #107
Contact Details:
- +1 614 626 8707
- [email protected]
Business Hours:
- Mon-Fri: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
- Sat-Sun: Closed
Operating since around 2021, Essential Sports & Spine Solutions stands out with its minimally invasive pain relief using ultrasound-guided techniques.
We like that they are guided by their mission of patient-centered care, focusing on the best functional restoration for each patient’s lifestyle. This showcases their hands-on understanding of individual needs, like returning to sports or daily tasks.
This mindset is led by Dr. Nikhil Verma’s solo practice. He emphasizes non-surgical, evidence-based interventional spine care, such as precise injections.
He’s board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, trained at St. George’s University (2015) with residency at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center (2019). To top it off, he even has an interventional spine and sports fellowship in Alabama (2020).
Just keep in mind that their team is mainly focused on in-person visits. Their small staff doesn’t offer virtual consults that are pretty standard in other clinics.
Very knowledgeable
“Thank you Dr Verma for working me in your busy schedule. Very knowledgeable, will be letting him take care of chronic pain in my spine I deal with.”
-James Overbey, Google Review
A tremendous help
“Dr Verma was a tremendous help. My lower back had been hurting for awhile and his treatment has me pain free. Am so happy a friend recommended me to see Dr Verma”
-Marty Levitin, Google Review
4. Spine LLC
Address: 1090 Beecher Crossing N
Contact Details:
- +1 614 392 5336
- [email protected]
Business Hours:
- Mon-Fri: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Sat-Sun: Closed
Spine LLC specializes in interventional pain management with advanced options like spinal cord stimulators and precise nerve blocks.
If you want to avoid surgery, we feel they are worth considering. They take their time to listen well, as one patient told us about her unhurried visit.
Their lead pain management specialist, Dr. Nikesh Batra, MD, is behind this. In addition to graduating from Sawai Man Singh Medical College in 1993, he completed an anesthesiology residency at Maimonides in 2001 and a pain fellowship at UT Health in 2002.
With his team, he often customizes plans for chronic conditions such as herniated discs or sciatica. Many also commend getting alternative treatments from them, not just the typical pain pills.
That said, note that their Northeast focus can be inconvenient for commuters in south or west Columbus. But in case of urgent needs, you can still select from their multiple locations in Gahanna and Dublin.
Awesome in treating chronic pain
“I love my treatment at the Spine Llc Dr. Batra is awesome in treating chronic pain. I love alternative treatment not just pain pills. And that is what your going to get at this office individual help base on your conditions. Thank you Dr. Batra and your staff for treating me with respect an great care .”
-Tawanna Acquaah-Harrison, Google Review
My quality of life has significantly improved ever since
“Spine LlC, Dr. Batra and his staff are absolutely wonderful! Dr. Batra cares about his patients. He is a good listener and he communicates well. My quality of life has significantly improved since I have started seeing him. I highly recommend Dr.Batra & his practice.”
-J. P., Google Review
5. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Address: 543 Taylor Ave, Floor 1, Ohio State Outpatient Care East
Contact Details:
- +1 614 293 2225
Business Hours:
- Mon-Fri: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
- Sat-Sun: Closed
As part of a top-ranked academic center, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center provides innovative spine research trials and robotics-assisted surgery. We believe these features are rare in other private clinics.
Their main services cover spine surgery, minimally invasive procedures, pain management, and rehab for disc herniation.
These processes are mostly led by Dr. Varun Singh, MBBS. He’s a spine surgeon who trained at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College until 2007 and completed dual spine fellowships (neurosurgery in 2019 and orthopedics in 2020).
Should you need help with more concerns, we like that the clinic values evidence-based outcomes with its multidisciplinary teams. For one, you can come here to talk to a neurosurgeon or seek rehabilitation from a specialist.
The only thing we are disappointed about is that their hospital pricing is often higher than that of some private clinics. A spine fusion here can cost over $20,000. To be fair, this is quite the standard for university-level rates with complex cases.
The doctors here are awesome and very caring
“The doctor’s here are awesome very caring love Ohio State University Hospital on the campus OSU East.. you said your back hurts go to the spine doctor and find out what it is the sooner the better.. I’ve heard people say my neck and my back my back and my neck go get it checked out OSU Spine Care outpatient”
-Melissa T, Google Review
Amazed by the efficiency and organization
“I’ve had two appointments at the Ohio State Spine Care Outpatient Care East location and both times I was amazed by the efficiency and organization. It is like no other doctors office I’ve ever been to. Please keep up the great work.”
-Sean Pisano, Google Review
