Rod Above, Rod Below

What spinal surgery and lab rats can teach you about getting rid of bad habits

“Rod above, rod below,” is a mantra I repeat near the end of every spinal fusion surgery. It is also a bookend around the chunk of a good habit.

A patient might need to have his or her spinal bones (vertebrae) fused together for a variety of reasons: two of the most common are that the vertebral bones are slipped (spondylolisthesis) or the spine is curve…