At some point during our lives, most of us will have at least one episode of back pain. Sharp or dull, the pain can come on at an unexpected moment and dominate our lives for days or weeks, until it disappears as mysteriously as it came.

For some people, however, low back pain becomes chronic and debilitating. With suffering, many people are anxious for an ultimate solution: surgery to fuse the vertebrae. Unfortunately, too often this approach is applied inappropriately and fails to provide the expected relief.

According to Dr. David Hanscom, a leading spine surgeon, back pain can be overcome, but surgery is frequently NOT the best choice. People with chronic back pain may need to overcome their anger and anxiety and use an integrated approach to build new neural pathways that circumvent the pain. Some of the best tactics include finding a way to play as well as a way to confront anger and find forgiveness.

David Hanscom, MD, is one of the nation’s top orthopedic spine surgeons, practicing at Swedish Neuroscience Specialists in Seattle, WA. His book is: Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon’s Road Map Out of Chronic Pain.

The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date (Dec. 6, 2014). The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free for four weeks after the date of broadcast. After that time has passed, digital downloads are available for $2.99. CDs may be purchased at any time after broadcast for $9.99.

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