Experts from a Florida spine center outline the stress-spine connection, prevention habits and the warning signs that require evaluation

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bonati Spine Institute, a minimally invasive spine surgery center in Hudson, Florida, is marking National Wellness Month with a message patients rarely hear from a surgical center: back surgery is not always necessary, and it should not be the first attempt at relief.

That position is not contrarian. The American College of Physicians recommends nondrug treatment as the first-line approach for acute, subacute and chronic low back pain.

"Not every patient who comes to a spine clinic needs an operation, and many do not," said Dr. Thomas P. Nowak, a board-certified neurosurgeon at the Bonati Spine Institute. "The truth of the matter is that the best medicine, and the most affordable, is often preventive medicine."

Lower back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, affecting an estimated 619 million people globally in 2020. In the United States, the CDC reports that 39% of adults experienced back pain in a recent three-month period.

According to the team at the Bonati Spine Institute, stress management, a central theme of National Wellness Month, matters more to the spine than most people realize. Sustained stress holds muscle tension in the neck, shoulders and lower back, alters posture and heightens pain sensitivity, meaning an irritated nerve can register as significantly more painful.

"Stress rarely creates a herniated disc by itself, but it is very good at turning a subclinical problem into a clinical one," Nowak said.

Diagnosis at the Bonati Spine Institute is handled by a multi-specialty team spanning neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, diagnostic neuroradiology and anesthesiology, working from imaging performed at the institute's on-site center, which is equipped with a high-field MRI unit and digital X-ray.

The institute's board-certified diagnostic radiologist with a subspecialty in neuroradiology builds a personalized imaging protocol for each patient based on their specific clinical indications, following the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria. Studies are read and reported to the surgical team immediately, so imaging is available for preoperative planning the same day. When imaging supports a surgical procedure, the institute's patented minimally invasive procedure can follow the next day.

NOT ALL SPINE SURGERY IS THE SAME

Unlike spinal fusion, the procedures performed at the Bonati Spine Institute are decompressive and done through small incisions on an outpatient basis. Spinal decompression relieves pressure on a pinched nerve by removing the material that is pressing on it, leaving the spine's movement intact.

Fusion, on the other hand, joins vertebrae together with rods, screws and cages so they no longer move.

That distinction carries consequences. The spine is a chain of moving joints, and a fusion permanently removes one of them, so the levels directly above and below take on the work those vertebrae used to do. Studies following fusion patients for two to seven years find roughly 3 in 10 develop visible wear at the neighboring levels, and about 1 in 10 develop symptoms from it, a condition called adjacent segment disease.

"While fusion is sometimes a necessary operation, it is permanent and can also create more problems because it changes how the rest of the spine moves for the rest of that person's life," Nowak said. "When the problem is nerve compression rather than instability, our patented minimally invasive decompression can relieve that pressure without fusing anything, often the same day, with patients up and walking shortly after the procedure. Patients deserve to know both options exist before they choose one."

FIVE HABITS THAT PROTECT THE SPINE

According to the team at the Bonati Spine Institute, these five habits can help protect the spine:

1. Move daily in small doses. Frequent short walks beat one long workout.
2. Build the hips and core. This is the spine's support structure.
3. Treat stress as a physical health issue, not a mood.
4. Protect sleep. Side sleepers: a pillow between the knees keeps the pelvis neutral.
5. Lift with the hips and legs.

Certain symptoms warrant prompt attention rather than watchful waiting: progressive weakness in a leg or arm, numbness in the groin region, loss of bowel or bladder control, unexplained weight loss or fever with back pain, or pain following significant trauma.

People with persistent back or neck pain are encouraged to begin with their primary care physician, or to request a consultation at the Bonati Spine Institute by calling 855-267-0482 or by visiting bonati.com.

About the Bonati Spine Institute:

The Bonati Spine Institute is a minimally invasive spine surgery center at 7315 Hudson Ave., Hudson, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area, founded in 1984 by Dr. Alfred O. Bonati. Its clinical team includes board-certified neurosurgery, anesthesiology and diagnostic radiology specialists. The Institute performs outpatient cervical, thoracic and lumbar decompression procedures for herniated disc, spinal stenosis, sciatica, radiculopathy, spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease and failed back surgery syndrome, using patented instrumentation and techniques developed over 42 years. Patients travel to the Hudson facility from across the United States and internationally, and 65% arrive with a history of prior failed back surgery. Contact: 855-267-0482, bonati.com.

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SOURCE Bonati Spine Institute