17 Apr How Virtual Surgery Helps You Avoid the Real Thing
Article Rundown
- What is virtual surgery?
- How to do virtual surgery
- The next steps after virtual surgery
- Avoiding real back surgery
How Virtual Surgery Helps You Avoid the Real Thing
Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of lifters, athletes, and everyday people who’ve been told that surgery is their only option. When pain radiates down the leg or into the foot, and you’ve already “tried everything,” surgery starts to sound like the only path left. But what if there was another route? One that produced results without going under the knife?
That’s what I recently discussed with my longtime friend and collaborator, Dr. Stuart McGill. In this new video, we dive into a game-changing concept from Back Mechanic — virtual surgery — and how it’s helped people avoid real surgery with long-term success.
What Is Virtual Surgery?
Virtual surgery is exactly what it sounds like: you act as if you’ve just had back surgery and follow the post-operative recovery protocol… without actually going through the procedure.
Dr. McGill explains that many people who’ve failed every traditional intervention — from physical therapy to injections to pain psychology — are often pushed toward surgery. But when these same individuals commit to the virtual surgery model, they get better. In fact, 95% of them report they’re glad they didn’t go under the knife at two-year follow-up.
And this isn’t anti-surgery rhetoric. As Dr. McGill points out, there are absolutely cases where a surgeon’s expertise is essential, particularly with severe stenosis and constant, unrelenting radiating pain. However, many back pain cases, especially discogenic pain, can be turned around by following the virtual surgery path.
Recover Like You Just Had Surgery
It begins with a reset. If you’d just had surgery, you wouldn’t jump right back into daily stressors or training. You’d dial back activity, rest strategically, and slowly reintroduce movement in a graded and progressive way. Virtual surgery follows that same blueprint.
That means:
- Avoiding too much of any one position: don’t sit too long, stand too long, or lie down all day.
- Taking short walks every hour or two to stay mobile.
- Walking 10 minutes, a few times per day, by the end of the first week.
It’s about moving gently, but intentionally, while letting inflammation settle.
Train Movement Patterns That Reduce Stress on the Spine
Once the initial rest period is over, the next phase is movement retraining. This is where we teach clients to move in ways that avoid stress concentrations in the spine. As McGill always says, “It’s not about doing more; it’s about doing things better.”
Some key movement patterns include:
- Hip hinging instead of bending through the spine
- Turning through the hips rather than twisting the lower back
- Learning proper lunging mechanics (so you can do basic tasks like tying your shoes safely)
These movements become the foundation of daily life. When done right, they stop picking the scab of injury and start building resilience.
Strategic Mobility and Stability Work
From there, we add very targeted mobility and stability work, not just to “loosen up,” but to address the root neurological causes of faulty movement patterns.
Dr. McGill highlights a few key examples:
- Facilitated psoas: Chronic pain can cause the nervous system to over-activate the psoas, making hip extension stiff and painful.
- Inhibited glutes: The body avoids using the glutes due to back pain, forcing compensation through the hamstrings. This pushes the femoral head forward in the hip socket, causing front-of-hip pain and impingement.
With the right coaching, we can re-establish proper motor control, retraining the glutes to extend the hip and reducing painful compensations. The result? Improved back and hip health simultaneously.
Automate the Patterns for Daily Life
The final piece is translating everything into daily life. This isn’t about doing endless exercises forever. It’s about automating the right movements so they become second nature.
Whether you’re lifting groceries, getting out of the car, or stepping off a curb, you’re moving in ways that protect the spine and reinforce what you’ve built.
This is where we move from pain relief to true resilience.
Real Hope, Backed by Real Results
Virtual surgery is more than a clever concept — it’s a proven alternative to invasive procedures when applied with precision. But it all starts with a proper assessment and the right plan.
That’s what this video is about: giving people a roadmap to recovery, control over their future, and hope when it feels like none is left.
If you’re on the edge of deciding between surgery or another option, you need to watch this conversation with Dr. McGill. It could change your path — and your life — just like it has for so many others.
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