
Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?
Take Control with a Surgeon's Advice
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $15.56
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Braden Wright
About this listen
Deciding whether to undergo spine surgery is one of the most important choices you will ever make.
Author and spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom has observed that in this era of corporate medicine, surgical decisions are often made quickly, without a complete evaluation or attempt at nonsurgical rehabilitation before proceeding. The result? The majority of spine operations are unnecessary, and many surgeries are performed on spines with normal, age-related conditions.
When performed for a specific anatomical problem with matching symptoms, the outcomes are consistently satisfying. Conversely, when surgery is conducted to address pain without a clear source, the consequences can be unpredictable, with a high percent of patients faring poorly or becoming much worse (catastrophic). A failed spinal surgery can virtually destroy one’s life. Additionally, when a patient’s nervous system is fired up from stress, results are often poor.
A common cry from patients is, “If I only knew how badly this could turn out, I would have never had this surgery.” The depth of frustration at making the wrong decision is beyond words, because there is no turning back.
If you are facing a decision about spine surgery, Do You Really Need Spine Surgery? provides you and your medical providers important information to help make the best choice. All relevant variables are addressed and organized into a “treatment grid”, With this grid, you and your healthcare team can determine the most effective approach and course of action, with full consideration to the potential downside of a failed spinal surgery.
Do You Really Need Spine Surgery? gives back control of the surgical decision to you, the patient. Take it!
©2020 David Hanscom, MD (P)2020 David Hanscom, MDListeners also enjoyed...
-
Back in Control, 2nd Edition
- A Surgeon's Roadmap out of Chronic Pain
- By: Dr. David Hanscom
- Narrated by: Braden Wright
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seattle spinal surgeon Dr. David Hanscom focuses on an aspect of chronic pain that the medical world has largely overlooked: you must calm your nervous system in order to get better. More than any other book about pain, Back in Control reveals how to quiet a turbocharged central nervous system and make a full recovery, with or without surgery.
-
-
Prescribed by my pain doctor
- By FL2NC on 09-08-19
-
You Are the Placebo
- Making Your Mind Matter
- By: Dr. Joe Dispenza
- Narrated by: Adam Boyce
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Is it possible to heal by thought alone - without drugs or surgery? The truth is that it happens more often than you might expect. In You Are the Placebo, Dr. Joe Dispenza shares numerous documented cases of those who reversed cancer, heart disease, depression, crippling arthritis, and even the tremors of Parkinson’s disease by believing in a placebo. Similarly, Dr. Joe tells of how others have gotten sick and even died the victims of a hex or voodoo curse - or after being misdiagnosed with a fatal illness.
-
-
Terrible Choice for Audio
- By Amazon Customer on 08-20-20
By: Dr. Joe Dispenza
-
Rehab Your Own Spinal Stenosis
- Strategies to Improve the Health of Your Spine
- By: Terri Night PT
- Narrated by: Terri Night
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than half of people over the age of 60 have lumbar spinal stenosis—yet most of us know very little about it, and even less about how to manage it. If your "stenosis diagnosis" has caused you all sorts of confusion and panic, take heart. No matter what course of treatment you are considering, Rehab Your Own Spinal Stenosis, Amazon's best-selling book on this topic, will give you the necessary understanding (in easy layman's terms), a wealth of information, and the basic steps that will help you improve the health of your spine.
By: Terri Night PT
-
The Way Out
- A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain
- By: Alan Gordon, Alon Ziv
- Narrated by: Alan Gordon
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan Gordon, a psychotherapist and the founder of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles, was in grad school when he started experiencing chronic pain and it completely derailed his life. He saw multiple doctors and received many diagnoses, but none of the medical treatments helped. Frustrated with conventional pain management, he developed Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), a mind-body protocol that eliminated his own chronic pain and has transformed the lives of thousands of his patients.
-
-
An Amazing Book
- By Steven D. on 09-05-21
By: Alan Gordon, and others
-
The Mindbody Prescription
- Healing the Body, Healing the Pain
- By: John E. Sarno M.D.
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr. John E. Sarno's Healing Back Pain is a New York Times best seller that has helped over 500,000 readers. Continuing the research since his ground-breaking book, the renowned physician now presents his most complete work yet on the vital connection between mental and bodily health.... Musculoskeletal pain disorders have reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with most doctors failing to recognize their underlying cause.
-
-
Life changing
- By Rob Roberts on 06-18-16
-
Healing Back Pain
- By: John E. Sarno M.D.
- Narrated by: John E. Sarno M.D.
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With case histories and the results of in-depth mind-body research, Dr. Sarno describes how patients recognize the emotional roots of their back pain and sever the connections between mental and physical pain - and how, just by listening to this program, you may start recovering from back pain today!
-
-
This book saved my life!
- By OCGabe on 06-05-18
-
Back in Control, 2nd Edition
- A Surgeon's Roadmap out of Chronic Pain
- By: Dr. David Hanscom
- Narrated by: Braden Wright
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seattle spinal surgeon Dr. David Hanscom focuses on an aspect of chronic pain that the medical world has largely overlooked: you must calm your nervous system in order to get better. More than any other book about pain, Back in Control reveals how to quiet a turbocharged central nervous system and make a full recovery, with or without surgery.
-
-
Prescribed by my pain doctor
- By FL2NC on 09-08-19
-
You Are the Placebo
- Making Your Mind Matter
- By: Dr. Joe Dispenza
- Narrated by: Adam Boyce
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Is it possible to heal by thought alone - without drugs or surgery? The truth is that it happens more often than you might expect. In You Are the Placebo, Dr. Joe Dispenza shares numerous documented cases of those who reversed cancer, heart disease, depression, crippling arthritis, and even the tremors of Parkinson’s disease by believing in a placebo. Similarly, Dr. Joe tells of how others have gotten sick and even died the victims of a hex or voodoo curse - or after being misdiagnosed with a fatal illness.
-
-
Terrible Choice for Audio
- By Amazon Customer on 08-20-20
By: Dr. Joe Dispenza
-
Rehab Your Own Spinal Stenosis
- Strategies to Improve the Health of Your Spine
- By: Terri Night PT
- Narrated by: Terri Night
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than half of people over the age of 60 have lumbar spinal stenosis—yet most of us know very little about it, and even less about how to manage it. If your "stenosis diagnosis" has caused you all sorts of confusion and panic, take heart. No matter what course of treatment you are considering, Rehab Your Own Spinal Stenosis, Amazon's best-selling book on this topic, will give you the necessary understanding (in easy layman's terms), a wealth of information, and the basic steps that will help you improve the health of your spine.
By: Terri Night PT
-
The Way Out
- A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain
- By: Alan Gordon, Alon Ziv
- Narrated by: Alan Gordon
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan Gordon, a psychotherapist and the founder of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles, was in grad school when he started experiencing chronic pain and it completely derailed his life. He saw multiple doctors and received many diagnoses, but none of the medical treatments helped. Frustrated with conventional pain management, he developed Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), a mind-body protocol that eliminated his own chronic pain and has transformed the lives of thousands of his patients.
-
-
An Amazing Book
- By Steven D. on 09-05-21
By: Alan Gordon, and others
-
The Mindbody Prescription
- Healing the Body, Healing the Pain
- By: John E. Sarno M.D.
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr. John E. Sarno's Healing Back Pain is a New York Times best seller that has helped over 500,000 readers. Continuing the research since his ground-breaking book, the renowned physician now presents his most complete work yet on the vital connection between mental and bodily health.... Musculoskeletal pain disorders have reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with most doctors failing to recognize their underlying cause.
-
-
Life changing
- By Rob Roberts on 06-18-16
-
Healing Back Pain
- By: John E. Sarno M.D.
- Narrated by: John E. Sarno M.D.
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With case histories and the results of in-depth mind-body research, Dr. Sarno describes how patients recognize the emotional roots of their back pain and sever the connections between mental and physical pain - and how, just by listening to this program, you may start recovering from back pain today!
-
-
This book saved my life!
- By OCGabe on 06-05-18
-
Think Away Your Pain
- By: David Schechter M.D.
- Narrated by: David Schechter M.D.
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Think Away Your Pain presents a revolutionary approach to relieve suffering and eliminate chronic pain. In this user-friendly clearly written book, you will learn how chronic pain becomes a condition of the brain as much as the body. Think Away Your Pain shows you how to use the immense power of your thoughts and beliefs to literally change the neural circuitry of your brain.
-
-
Dear Author: Please hire narrator next time.
- By Amazon Customer on 06-10-19
-
The Oxygen Advantage
- The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You
- By: Patrick McKeown
- Narrated by: Alan Smyth
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Achieve more with less effort: The secret to weight loss, fitness, and wellness lies in the most basic and most overlooked function of your body - how you breathe. One of the biggest obstacles to better health and fitness is a rarely identified problem: chronic overbreathing. We often take many more breaths than we need without realizing it, contributing to poor health and fitness, including a host of disorders, from anxiety and asthma to insomnia and heart problems.
-
-
Too long and fluffy
- By Fausto on 05-30-17
By: Patrick McKeown
-
Feeling Good
- The New Mood Therapy
- By: David D. Burns MD
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The good news is that anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procrastination, low self-esteem, and other 'black holes' of depression can be cured without drugs. In Feeling Good, eminent psychiatrist David D. Burns, M.D. outlines the remarkable, scientifically proven techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life.
-
-
Definitely need the handbook that goes with it
- By AardCytan on 06-22-17
-
Herniated Disc: Symptoms, Tests, and Treatments
- By: Nicholas Gallo
- Narrated by: Jim Rising
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is easy to feel helpless when having a herniated disc especially if you are not sure how to treat it effectively. With Herniated Disc you will learn how to conservatively manage your lower back pain and in most cases make it disappear. This audiobook includes important sources from the research community as well as clinically proven treatments. They include a vast treatment approach ranging from sleeping positions, postures to avoid, exercises, and stretches.
By: Nicholas Gallo
-
Sleep Smarter
- 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success
- By: Shawn Stevenson, Sara Gottfried MD - foreword
- Narrated by: Sara Gottfried, Shawn Stevenson
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When it comes to health, there is one criminally overlooked element: sleep. Good sleep helps you shed fat for good, stave off disease, stay productive, and improve virtually every function of your mind and body. That's what Shawn Stevenson learned when a degenerative bone disease crushed his dream of becoming a professional athlete. Like many of us, he gave up on his health and his body...until he decided there must be a better way.
-
-
Some parts good, but be careful
- By Brian A. Shenk on 12-05-16
By: Shawn Stevenson, and others
-
Grain Brain
- The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar - Your Brain's Silent Killers
- By: David Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, blows the lid off a topic that's been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more.
-
-
Family history of Alzheimers? Read this!
- By Amazon Customer on 09-19-13
By: David Perlmutter, and others
-
Forgive for Love
- The Missing Ingredient for a Healthy and Lasting Relationship
- By: Dr. Fred Luskin
- Narrated by: Adam Lofbomm
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This groundbreaking book from the frontiers of psychology offers startling new research about the one missing factor that is vital to relationships - forgiveness. A national best-selling author and leading expert on forgiveness, Dr. Fred Luskin shows that no matter how much two people may love each other, their relationship will not succeed unless they practice forgiveness - an approach that most relationship experts continue to ignore.
-
-
Great content
- By Matt Daniels on 03-13-25
By: Dr. Fred Luskin
-
Back Pain Permanent Healing: Understanding the Myths, Lies, and Confusion
- By: Steven Ray Ozanich
- Narrated by: Rich Miller, Daniela Acitelli
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Number one international best seller in pain management and health, fitness & dieting categories. Back pain is now the number one cause of disability worldwide; this is ironic, because the mystery was solved in the 1970s by Dr. John Sarno at the New York University Medical Center. Tragically, few sufferers accepted his solution.
-
-
Powerful truth, a great audio
- By Ryder Beardsley on 08-09-17
-
Depression
- The 10 Types and Treatments: Medications, Talk Therapy, Herbal Supplements, TMS, Electric Shock, and More
- By: Michelle Manzo
- Narrated by: Vicky Khamvongsa
- Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are you suffering from depression or are you a mental health worker who would like to expand your knowledge of this topic? Do you want to learn about effective treatments that are available and therapies that can help you or your loved ones? If you’ve been looking for a book that will unpack depression for you and help transform your mental and emotional health, then great news, you’ve found the perfect book!
-
-
I found this audiobook to be an invaluable resourc
- By Mike Gram on 08-08-23
By: Michelle Manzo
-
Endometriosis
- A Woman's Guide to Beating Endo: 7 Steps to Dealing with Endometriosis Naturally
- By: Porsha Keys
- Narrated by: Lisa Reichert
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite being relatively unheard of, endometriosis affects an estimated one in 10 women worldwide. That's roughly 190 million people, and due to misdiagnosis, there's likely many more who are suffering without treatment. Getting a diagnosis of endometriosis can feel like a blessing and a curse. Knowing that you're not going crazy or blowing things out of proportion can be a huge relief. However, a diagnosis can also lead to feelings of isolation and discouragement - especially when you’re faced with treatment options that seem extreme. But don't despair - you aren't alone.
-
-
Informative
- By Mr Daniel on 10-02-23
By: Porsha Keys
-
Crooked
- Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery
- By: Cathryn Jakobson Ramin
- Narrated by: Cathryn Jakobson Ramin
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The acclaimed author of Carved in Sand - a veteran investigative journalist who endured persistent back pain for decades - delivers the definitive book on the subject: an essential examination of all facets of the back pain industry, exploring what works, what doesn't, what may cause harm, and how to get on the road to recovery. In her effort to manage her chronic back pain, investigative reporter Cathryn Jakobson Ramin spent years and a small fortune on a panoply of treatments.
-
-
If you're like me, skip this book.
- By M. Greenfield on 12-14-17
-
Treat Your Own Back
- By: Robin A McKenzie
- Narrated by: Catherine Popert
- Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This patient handbook provides an easy-to-follow self-treatment plan to quickly and effectively diagnose, alleviate, treat and manage debilitating back and related pains, even for the long-term sufferer. First in the best-selling Treat Your Own series, written by internationally-acclaimed physiotherapist Robin Mckenzie OBE CNZM, this book distils the essence of the McKenzie method(R) of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy(R), as taught to medical and other health professionals globally, in an easily accessible format, direct to the sufferer.
-
-
Needs Visuals
- By K. Blakeley on 06-14-23
By: Robin A McKenzie
What listeners say about Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LG
- 11-02-24
Wonderful reference guide
I must admit this is not a read once book. Dr Hansoms books are only for those patients who will do almost anything to get well. Surgery is an option but it is NOT something that is an option for everyone. After listening to and reading Dr Hanscoms books I dove into my physical therapy. I am 77 years old and have been diagnosed with sever degenerative spinal stenosis. His books have built my confidence and created hope. I can make an intelligent decision now.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- diane graham
- 07-28-24
really helped me heal
I found vslud alternatives to bsck, many useful and thought provoking ideas, very honest and courageous book, helped me understand my back pain and scolisis on a deeper level, excellent!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bishoppaul21
- 09-20-20
I'm obviously a layman
It was a good book for Medical jargon and im sure many back pain suffers got a lot out of it..I would have been more invested had there been a few more patient testimonials of how we the patient feels at. Does it hurt so bad we make decisions just to maybe, just maybe, have the surgery take away the agonizing throbbing pain that brings us to the Specialist initially...For me, yes it absolutely was
...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nozama
- 04-21-25
If you're considering back surgery, this is a very informative book.
I thought we'd get to the DOC method. not in this book. J am not considering surgery. So it was of no use to me. The info was good. Just not what I need.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!