Like Mind, Like Body Why Spinal Surgery Doesn’t Solve Back Pain, According to a Spine Surgeon (David Hanscom, MD)
Mar 7, 2018
David Hanscom, MD, a spine surgeon turned advocate for non-surgical chronic back pain care, shares his journey from surgery to neuroscience-informed recovery. He discusses why fusion often fails, the central role of sleep and nervous system calming, and the power of prehab, self-directed frameworks, and family rules in transforming pain without surgery.
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Imaging Often Misleads Back Pain Care
- Many common imaging findings (disc degeneration, herniations, bone spurs) often do not cause chronic back pain.
- Dr. David Hanscom argues this mismatch explains why about 70% of spine surgeries for back pain are unnecessary and often unsuccessful.
Make Sleep Your First Treatment
- Prioritize sleep before considering surgery because lack of sleep worsens surgical outcomes and pain processing.
- Address sleep with hygiene, expressive writing, and timely medication if needed to rapidly improve pain and coping.
Placebo Is The Body's Healing Response
- The placebo response reflects the body's natural capacity to heal and is a desirable therapeutic effect.
- Dr. David Hanscom reframes placebo as the powerful, sustained healing response clinicians should aim to trigger.
