Research conducted ahead of the official opening of Spine Excellence in Limerick shows 91% of Irish Adults Suffer from Back Pain

Minister of State, Patrick O’Donovan, T.D., officially opened the new Spine Excellence clinic in Limerick, a collaboration between Mater Private Network and the Poynton Spine Care Institute, bringing advanced spine care directly to patients in Limerick and Munster.  The new clinic is a centre of excellence delivering comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of spine conditions. 

Spinal pain is a complex and multifactorial condition that is often poorly understood, incorrectly assessed, and inadequately treated. At Spine Excellence, the expert team have a deep understanding of all aspects of spinal pathology and work with patients to develop a bespoke plan.

The extent to which Irish people suffer from back pain was made clear in a survey commissioned in conjunction with the official opening of the clinic.  Conducted by Bounce Insights for Mater Private Network, the survey among 500 Irish adults (28% of whom were from the Munster region) found that 91% of respondents suffered from back pain, while 46% reported missing either work or college because of their pain. Furthermore, 61% percent of respondents said they have visited their GP as a result of back pain and 53% said that their pain has impacted personal time with family and friends.  

Speaking at the clinic opening, Minister of State, Patrick O’Donovan TD said: “I am very pleased to open this new, state-of-the-art clinic in Limerick. It is important that people all over the country have access to advanced care that will account for their individual needs. I congratulate the Spine Excellence team and Mater Private Network and wish you all the best.” 

Spine Excellence Clinical Director and leading Irish spine surgeon, Mr. Ashley Poynton, said: “I am incredibly proud of our team here at Spine Excellence. They will be able deliver a uniquely comprehensive approach to spine care in a state-of-the-art facility and rapid access to the Mater Private Network high tech spinal facilities in the Cork and Dublin hospitals, when needed. Our team has a broad and deep knowledge of spinal pathology from highly complex surgical cases to the most challenging rehabilitation patients and everything in between. 

Most spinal pain can be treated successfully by regaining movement, flexibility, and strength, and building confidence in functional movement and exercise. While many people with spinal pain do not need any intervention other than rehabilitation, others may have underlying conditions that require deeper intervention, up to and including surgery.  At Spine Excellence in Limerick, we have assembled an expert team, from specialist consultants and surgeons to spine expert physiotherapists to deal with all eventualities and all spinal pathologies. 

Our philosophy is centred around the patient understanding the nature of the problem and building confidence in their own ability to recover..”

David Slevin, Deputy Chief Executive of Mater Private Network, said “Mater Private Network is delighted to deepen our collaboration with the Poynton Spine Care Institute through the establishment of Spine Excellence in Limerick.  Along with our hospitals in Cork and Dublin, we already have a presence in Limerick as the operator of the Mid-Western Radiation Oncology Centre at University Hospital Limerick. We understand how important it is to make best in class healthcare services more accessible to patients in the region.  We are delighted to be part of Spine Excellence in Limerick with outstanding surgeons Mr. Ashley Poynton, Mr. Deb Roy, Mr. Islam Gawish along with the expert team."