Living with chronic back pain often means slowly adapting your life around it. Over time, everyday things – sitting comfortably, traveling, sleeping through the night, keeping up with family, start to require planning, compromise, or avoidance altogether. The hardest part isn't usually the pain itself, but the fear that this may simply be how life will always feel.

After nearly 20 years of back pain and multiple procedures, Rachel, a teacher and mom of two, found herself in that exact place. She describes years of temporary fixes "surgeries that helped, until they didn't," trying everything from lumbar fusion to chiropractors to injections, discectomy and physical therapy, yet lasting relief never came.

Eventually she was told disc replacement surgery wasn't an option for her. Instead, she was warned that her future would likely involve spinal fusion after spinal fusion, each one further limiting her mobility and quality of life. She felt trapped between continuing to manage her pain and facing an uncertain future of additional surgery.

Rather than accepting that outcome, Rachel decided to keep asking questions.

In this episode of Get Back to Your Life®, Rachel shares how seeking another opinion led her to two-level disc replacement surgery with Dr. Colin Haines at VSI®, and how that decision changed what daily life looks like for her today. Her story isn't defined by a single milestone; it instead highlights the return of everyday life… the moments that make life feel normal again… better sleep, greater independence, and the ability to fully participate in activities she had slowly stepped away from.

If you're facing chronic back pain, been told your options are limited, or wondering whether disc replacement may still be worth exploring, Rachel's story serves as a hopeful reminder that being told "no" doesn't always mean the story is over, and that asking the right questions can open doors many people don't realize still exist.

🔗 Find expert resources at VSISpine.com

🔔 Subscribe to Get Back to Your Life® podcast for more real-life patient stories on taking control of your health.

When headaches start shaping your decisions — what you say yes to, where you go, how you plan your day —they're so much more than "just a bad day." They're controlling your life. And you deserve better than living around your pain.

Migraines affect 40% of the global population, yet they remain one of the most misunderstood and dismissed health conditions; many sufferers wait YEARS before seeking help, enduring an invisible illness that disrupts work, sleep, relationships, and daily routines — often without validations or answers. If you've tried everything for relief with no lasting results, this episode is for you.

Recording this episode between Thanksgiving and Christmas isn't a coincidence. The holiday season—with its disrupted routines, travel stress, and dietary changes—creates the perfect storm for headaches and migraines. But these triggers aren't unique to the holidays; they show up during weddings, graduations, vacations, and any major life event. Understanding them now can help you year-round.

In this episode of Get Back to Your Life®, VSI Neurologist and migraine specialist Dr. Ella Akkerman breaks down what's actually happening in your brain during a headache or migraine, why certain types require completely different treatments, and how small daily disruptions can trigger a painful cycle. Drawing on both her clinical expertise and her own experience with migraines, Dr. Akkerman offers clarity, compassion, and a realistic path to relief.

You'll learn:

• The science behind different headache types— tension headaches, migraines, and cluster headaches—and why identifying yours changes everything

• How hormonal fluctuations (especially during perimenopause and menopause) can amplify migraine patterns

• Why the holiday season creates the "perfect storm" for headaches—and how to protect yourself

• Practical prevention strategies beyond medication, from hydration to stress management

• When it's time to see a neurologist and what treatment options actually work

Whether you're dealing with occasional tension headaches or chronic migraines that disrupt your daily life, this conversation offers validation, answers, and actionable steps toward real relief.

Key takeaway: You don't have to live with headaches in this era of breakthrough treatments. But the longer you wait, the harder they become to treat.

If headaches are interfering with your daily life, expert help is available. Visit VSIspine.com to request an appointment with a neurologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating complex headache conditions.

Subscribe to Get Back to Your Life® for more physician-led guidance on taking control of your health.

To watch this conversation on Youtube, click here.

What if the secret to healing faster was already in the air you breathe?

VSI's state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen chamber delivers 100% oxygen under increased pressure, flooding the body's tissues with oxygen to accelerate healing, reduce inflammation, and optimize recovery after spine surgery or orthopedic procedures. Dr. Good explains how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy works, who benefits most, and why it's quickly becoming a cornerstone of comprehensive recovery care.

At VSI, hyperbaric oxygen therapy represents more than a new technology, it reflects a new philosophy of healing. It's part of VSI's Recovery Revolution™, a patient-first model/movement that reimagines what recovery should look like before, during, and after spine surgery. Backed by data from a 50,000-patient study, VSI's recovery model/approach to recovery combines advanced surgical techniques, regenerative therapies, and proactive recovery planning to help patients heal faster, reduce pain, and return to life stronger than ever.

🎧 Listen to learn:

• How oxygen therapy accelerates healing and reduces pain
• Why it's becoming a key tool in spine surgery recovery
• What a hyperbaric session feels like, and who should consider it
• How oxygen therapy fits into VSI's Recovery Revolution™ model for optimal recovery outcomes.

Watch this full episode on VSI's YouTube channel to see Dr. Good discuss this breakthrough therapy alongside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber that's redefining recovery.

Want a closer look? Follow along Dr. Good's own hyperbaric session inside the chamber in this companion video on VSI's YouTube page.

For additional resources & support, visit us at VSISpine.com.

Living with chronic back pain isn't only physical. It can steal moments, memories, and pieces of who you are. Today's guest, Lizette, knows this reality firsthand.

A former Division I athlete and active mom, she found herself unable to hold her own son, trapped on a rollercoaster of temporary fixes: 17 injections, three ablations, and heavy medications that left her foggy and disconnected from herself. The life she loved felt like it was slipping away, and no one seemed to have real answers.

Everything changed when Lizette came to VSI and met spine surgeon Dr. Colin Haines. She wasn't dismissed or handed another short-term solution. She was given a recovery plan that started before surgery and carried her through every step after, Lizette found what had always been missing: clarity, strength, and her way back to the life she loved.

In this special Pain Awareness Month and Recovery Month episode of Get Back to Your Life®, Lizette shares how she went from being stuck and sidelined, to strong and hopeful. And her comeback story is proof that recovery is the turning point that makes real healing possible.

Lizette's story is a powerful and inspiring reminder: don't settle for pain — find a team that listens, cares, and helps you truly get back to your life.

🎙️ Listen now: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Or, watch the full episode on YouTube.

Find additional expert resources & support at VSISpine.com

If you've been diagnosed with Bertolotti syndrome, or suspect it may be the source of your pain, this episode is your lifeline. Whether you're searching for treatment options, understanding what a Bertolotti resection surgery is, or wondering why your chronic low back pain has been dismissed for years, this doctor-patient conversation delivers real answers.

You'll also hear from Janel, a patient who endured years of unrelenting pain, countless failed treatments, and emotional exhaustion until she found Dr. Haines. Her journey from hopelessness to healing through personalized diagnosis and a successful Bertolotti resection procedure is proof that hope is not lost.

• How Bertolotti syndrome causes lower back and leg pain

• Why it's often overlooked by doctors

• The difference between fusion vs. resection surgery

• How to identify red flags and advocate for yourself

• What recovery and life after resection surgery can look like
  
  

Whether you're desperate for a second opinion, searching for new pain-relief solutions, or looking for a Bertolotti syndrome specialist, this episode will empower you with knowledge, resources, and the reminder: you are not alone - and your pain is real.

🎧 Listen now: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Read more about Janel's story here.

Learn more or request a consultation at VSISpine.com

Is stress making your pain worse, or is your pain elevating your stress? What if the answer is both?

This episode unpacks the powerful mind-body connection between chronic pain and mental health, bringing light to the invisible ways they interact. Because here's the truth: mental health and physical health are deeply connected; and when one suffers, the other often does too.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, VSI Neurologist, Dr. Ella Akkerman, and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Yash Mehta, dig into the hidden ways emotional experiences like burnout, anxiety, grief, and trauma don't just live in your head—they also echo throughout the body as tension, fatigue, migraines, chronic pain, and more.

Get ready to learn:

• How emotional distress can speak through the body as physical pain

• Why so many people suffer in silence, and how to change the narrative

• What real, healing conversations between doctors and patients can look like

• Actionable ways to care for both your mind and body—starting today

If you're living in pain that no one seems to understand, this conversation offers clarity and validation and will arm you with practical tools to take the next step.

The body keeps score, and recognizing that connection is the first step toward experiencing relief.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
Watch the full episode on YouTube.
🔗For additional support and resources visit vsispine.com

It's 2025, and women are still fighting to be believed, especially in medicine. From being told "it's all in your head" to waiting years for a real diagnosis, many women know the silent sting of being dismissed. This experience has a name: medical gaslighting — and it's more common than you might think.

In this powerful episode of Get Back to Your Life®, we meet Jakki, a VSI patient, mental health counselor, former athlete, and mother of three who endured 24 years of pain, misdiagnoses, and blatant medical dismissal. But Jakki refused to accept "there's nothing wrong."

Her story is a testament to persistence: when no one could explain her pain, she enrolled in radiology courses just to read her scans. Eventually, she found her answer — and her healing — through a diagnosis of Bertolotti Syndrome with Dr. Colin Haines at VSI.

This is a breakthrough story for women everywhere. Jakki's comeback story is one of strength, self-advocacy, and breakthrough — not just in her body, but in a system that too often turns down the volume on women's pain.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What medical gaslighting looks and feels like

• Why being dismissed can be so dangerous

• How to advocate for yourself in the healthcare system

• The signs that it's time to seek a second opinion

• How persistence - and the right doctor - can change everything

Whether you, too, have been talked over, brushed off, or are still searching for your own answers, this episode will stay with you. This is a story about validation, self-advocacy, hope and most importantly….solutions. And it demands to be heard.

Listen now: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

You can now watch this full episode on YouTube

Find additional expert resources & support at vsispine.com