Louisiana Practitioners???

A friend in Baton Rouge, LA desperately needs to see a TMS practitioner in person. Facing imminent spinal fusion but open to a Sarno approach.

Does ANYONE know of such a person in Louisiana, whether MD, Psy, PT, LCSW- anyone at all.

 

The best thing I can recommend is to see if your friend can obtain a video consultation with David Hanscom, MD. Dr. Hanscom left his successful surgery practice to concentrate on his mindbody approach to helping people overcome back pain. Dr. Hanscom – Back in Control

There have been lots of fairly recent articles about how people should generally avoid back surgery because the failure rate is so high - Dr. Hanscom himself had a failed surgery, and eventually healed thanks to Dr. Sarno. Consumer Reports had a very comprehensive article a few years ago, and I know the topic has been covered by the New York Times.

 

Thank you. I went to the Dr. Hanscom link you posted but see nothing mentioning individual remote consulting. I see blogs, group events, etc. Update: I emailed Dr H to ask about individual help so will see.

 

Here's a paragraph I found in a CR article (subscription probably needed):

Spinal Fusion for Chronic Back Pain
(from Consumer Reports, "4 Medical Treatments That Are Sometimes Unnecessary"
By Hallie Levine, August 30, 2022)

What it is: This surgery permanently connects two or more vertebrae in the spine—using metal plates, rods, or screws—to eliminate the motion between them that can cause pain.

Spinal fusion is appropriate in situations such as a spinal fracture from a car accident, a severe bone infection, or a tumor that causes part of your spine to collapse, says Steven Atlas, MD, MPH, director of The Primary Care Practice-Based Research & Quality Improvement Network at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. But generally, “that’s not when it’s being done,” he says.

When it’s questionable: Surgeons may advise spinal fusion for chronic lower back pain from severe arthritis or age-related wear from spinal disks, Atlas says. But studies suggest that in these circumstances, the procedure is no more effective than nonsurgical approaches such as physical therapy, he notes.
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(This section of the article also adds the following, which of course on a TMS forum we can't comment on, but I provide it for context and completeness:

If you have severe chronic back pain and have used measures like PT for six to 12 months without much improvement, however, consider asking your doctor about laminectomy, Atlas says. In that procedure, part or all of the vertebral bone is removed to enlarge the spinal canal and ease pressure on your spinal cord, disks, and nerves.)
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He is easily contacted via the website. I always say that it can't hurt to ask!

The question can always be prefaced with "I understand that you might not do private consultations anymore, but..."

One of the best pieces of advice I learned early in life was "Ask yourself: what's the worst thing that can happen?"

 

Why ‘Useless’ Surgery Is Still Popular - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

 

Excellent. Right on point. Thank you so much.