Phone counselling reduces pain, disability after back surgery

Research by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests that having a short series of phone conversations with trained counsellors can substantially boost recovery and reduce pain in patients after spinal surgery.

The phone calls, designed to enrich standard pre- and post-operative care by reinforcing the value of sticking with physical therapy and back-strengthening exercise regimens, are a relatively inexpensive and simple intervention that can maximize surgical outcomes for the hundreds of thousands of patients who undergo spinal surgeries every year, the investigators say.