Fear around spine surgery is something I hear in clinic all the time — and it’s usually not about the incision. It’s about uncertainty and loss of control. In my experience as a neurosurgeon, the most common concerns are neurologic injury, anesthesia, pain, and hardware. For patients who come into surgery with stable function, serious complications like paralysis are uncommon, and risk is carefully assessed before surgery using imaging, monitoring, and patient selection. Post-operative pain is r

This is Lauren’s story — a young woman who faced a giant cell tumor in her spine. Benign, but aggressive. Rare, but real. What began as pain turned into a journey of surgeries, complications, and strength most of us can’t imagine. Giant cell tumors don’t spread to other organs, but they can return locally — sometimes even after a complete resection. The surgery itself often means removing part of the vertebra to protect the spinal cord, and that can carry serious risks. Behind every medical term