6 Proven Ways to Ease Spine Surgery Anxiety
Overcoming the Fear of Spine Surgery: 6 Steps to Prepare and Feel Confident
Have you been told you need spine surgery but you’re scared to move forward?
Are you scheduled for surgery and lying awake at night fearing how it may go? Well, you’re not alone. Studies show that 20 to 30% of patients experience significant anxiety before surgery.
As a board-certified neurosurgeon, I want to discuss how proper preparation can substantially reduce your fear—but also lower your risk of complications.
How Preparation Affects Outcomes
Research shows that patients who follow proper preparation protocols have a 30% lower risk of complications from surgery. I’m going to discuss with you six strategies you can use to prepare for surgery, lessen your anxiety, and optimize your recovery.
Let me share a tale of two patients.
Tammy and David both were scheduled for the same spine procedure, but the ways in which they personally prepared for surgery could not have been more different.
Tammy was terrified of having spine surgery. She let her fears paralyze her, dwelling on the worst-case scenarios. She didn’t prepare for the operation because she didn’t want to think about it. She remained anxious and fearful after surgery—not knowing what to expect or how to handle her recovery process. Though she had a successful surgery, she struggled with a longer recovery time and more post-operative anxiety than necessary.
David, however, channeled his worry into preparation. He educated himself about the procedure, built a strong support system, prepared himself and his home in advance, and he followed every pre-surgery recommendation. After surgery, he felt prepared for his recovery and he followed his surgeon’s instructions. His recovery was smooth, fast, and minimally stressful.
Step 1: Find a Surgeon You Can Trust
Let’s start with a crucial strategy for a successful surgery: find a surgeon you can trust.
This isn’t just about credentials and board certification status. This includes other important traits like compassion, meticulous attention to detail, ethical decision-making, patience, technical aptitude, and willingness to adapt and utilize newer techniques to optimize outcome.
In a different video, I discuss these traits in more detail and how they can affect your surgical journey. You may consider obtaining a second surgical opinion before making a decision about surgery. Many of my patients have consulted with two or more surgeons before choosing me for their procedure.
You should feel confident that your surgeon is skilled, attentive, and genuinely prioritizes your well-being.
Step 2: Educate Yourself
I cannot stress enough how important it is to become an informed patient.
One of the biggest fears about spine surgery comes from the unknown. Talk to your doctor about your specific condition, the proposed procedure, expected outcomes, potential risks, recovery timeline, and non-surgical options (if any). Make sure you understand your instructions and activity restrictions after surgery.
If you want a complete guide to the most important questions to ask your surgeon, download my free spine surgery consultation guide from the link in the description and take this with you to your appointment.
Step 3: Mental and Physical Preparation
It is incredibly important that you mentally and physically prepare for surgery.
To physically prepare for surgery:
Follow a dietary guideline to ensure a diet rich in protein, fiber, vitamin C, and calcium. Stop smoking completely and discontinue all nicotine products—this may actually be a requirement for some spine surgeries. Maintain good blood sugar control, get adequate rest, stay hydrated, and stay as active as possible.
And when it comes to surgery, it’s completely normal to feel nervous.
To mentally prepare yourself for surgery:
Practice relaxation techniques. Visualize positive outcomes. Journal your concerns and address them with your surgeon. Schedule another visit if needed. Meditate regularly, listen to calming music, and consider speaking with a counselor to help manage anxiety and work through your fears.
Step 4: Build Your Support System
Building a support system is a strategy often overlooked but crucial for success when preparing for surgery.
You don’t need to go through surgery alone. Lean on family, friends, and support groups. Let them know how they can help—whether it’s driving you to and from appointments, preparing meals, taking care of pets, or simply offering encouragement.
Studies show that patients with strong support systems have 40% better recovery outcomes and significantly less anxiety.
Step 5: Create Your Recovery Environment
Before surgery, focus on preparing your home for optimal healing.
Place personal items at waist level to avoid bending and reaching. This will include clothing, shoes, food, medications, and toilet paper. Remove trip hazards such as rugs, cords, stools, and items for your pets. Ensure you have a safe path to walk through your home. Place nightlights in your bedroom, bathroom, and along your walking path to ensure you can see easily in the middle of the night.
Prepare clean sheets and towels. Complete all of your laundry. Set up your bathroom—this includes making sure you have a non-skid bath mat. Purchase a toilet seat riser or commode. Consider purchasing a shower sitting stool and shower safety rails. Purchase liquid soap and a long-handled bath sponge.
In addition to these purchases, consider purchasing a grabber reacher tool. Have ice packs available. Consider purchasing a body pillow or at least an extra pillow to place between your knees when you sleep. And consider purchasing shoes with elastic shoelaces as well as long-handled shoe horns and sock aids.
Step 6: Mindset Transformation
After you’ve chosen the right surgeon, educated yourself about the procedure, prepared both mentally and physically, established a support system, and arranged your home for recovery, the final step in easing surgical anxiety is shifting from fear to confidence.
And here are some practical steps you can take to do this:
Write down specific fears. Research success statistics. Connect with past patients. Focus on end goals. Create milestone rewards. And practice positive self-talk.
One of my patients who struggled from panic attacks—she was able to mentally prepare herself for surgery within a couple of weeks by shifting her mindset to positive goals. She told me:
“I was terrified of surgery until I started focusing on what I’d be able to do afterwards—play with my grandkids again. That changed everything.”
Remember, preparation isn’t just about reducing anxiety—it’s about setting yourself up for the best possible outcome.
Final Thoughts: Take Control Through Preparation
Each of these strategies builds upon the others, creating a comprehensive approach to surgical success. Overcoming fear of spine surgery is about taking control through knowledge and preparation.
Let’s recap on the key strategies we’ve covered:
- Find a surgeon you trust
- Educate yourself thoroughly
- Prepare your body and mind
- Build your support system
- Create a recovery plan
- Trust the process
The journey to spine surgery can feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone. With proper preparation and the right mindset, you can approach your surgery with confidence rather than fear.
If you want to learn more about making the right decisions for your spine health, subscribe to this channel where I break down complex spine topics into clear, actionable information.
Thank you for watching—and I’ll see you next time.