Kaitlyn Fusco
Dr. Robert Masson, internationally recognized neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive spine surgery and sports spine medicine, is a passionate advocate for prevention, wellness, fitness and ultimately extreme recovery in the face of spinal injury.
He founded the Masson Spine Institute where he coaches his patients on their journey to spine health. When properly prepared for their surgical intervention, patients come out on the other side ready to get back to an active, pain-free life.
Advocating for Extreme Recovery
Dr. Masson focuses on three main areas of spine health: cervical and lumbar disc disorder, cervical disc arthroplasty (artificial disc) and grade 1 spondylolisthesis. His patients are highly active individuals. No matter their level of athleticism, from coaching their child’s Little League team to being a weekend warrior tennis player, they have busy, demanding lives and exceptional performance goals.
“Our role in the spine surgery cycle is to get people back to their life,” Dr. Masson says. “My practice is where people go when they want to restore their ability to chase their dreams and chase their sports.”
With tens of thousands of microsurgical spine procedures under his belt, Dr. Masson has advocated for prevention, wellness, fitness and extreme recovery for his patients since 1988. Dr. Masson has treated a variety of amateur, recreational, professional athletes, and Olympians representing players from the NFL, NBA, MLB, Indycar, IMSA, ATP, PGA/LPGA tours, U.S. Soccer, UFC, U.S. Boxing, U.S. Ski team, U.S. Cycling and Wakeboarding teams, and is an expert consultant in spine health as it relates to sports and the fitness industry at large.
Getting in the Right Mindset
Dr. Masson’s extreme recovery is due in part to one of MSI’s core values: pre-habilitation. Through adaptive fitness and improvement in nutrition, choices, and rest and recovery cycles, patients build habits that provide structure. Their bodies are then able to maintain that preparation before, during and after the therapeutic intervention.
“It’s basically preparing yourself for future trauma,” Dr. Masson says, noting that most individuals don’t understand the value of pre-habilitation until they’re already
in crisis.
The purpose of this concept is to strengthen the patient’s mind, body and soul in a way that prepares them for recovery.
“If you show up for the surgery strong, your recovery will be quick; if you show up for surgery in a deep, dark hole, your recovery will be long,” Dr. Masson says. “How you prepare for surgery is as important as if you should have it.”
At MSI, all surgery patients are treated like patient athletes in the sense that the more prepared they are for the trauma of surgery, the faster their recovery will be, the stronger their recovery will be and the less complications they’re going to have to worry about. Whether it’s for the practice’s most targeted procedure, cervical artificial disc surgery, or one of its other specialties, patients trust MSI to coach them toward recovery.
“This is your life,” Dr. Masson says. “You have to take ownership of it.”
The Comeback Team
It is no secret Dr. Masson strives to improve the health and wellbeing of those who have suffered spinal and orthopedic injuries well beyond the surgery room. That is why he started The Comeback Team, along with certified strength and conditioning specialist Trevor Anderson and biomechanist and functional anatomy specialist Chuck Wolf.
The team aims to inspire people recovering from serious injuries by producing video and audio podcasts, increasing awareness and creating a community where people facing similar circumstances can connect.
“We are three coaches with one goal; to change lives and help people in the health and wellness industry,” Dr. Masson says.
With the expertise of these coaches, listeners of the Comeback Podcast can learn different methods to improve their weaknesses and reinforce their strengths. Podcast episodes include recent examples of patients the coaches have treated, as well as advice from the coaches themselves and learning from their expertise on how someone can comeback from an injury, as well as learn how to help prevent injury.
For the video podcast, the team travels to different destinations pertinent to the sport health and wellness industry. The latest podcast was produced at the IMG Academy, the world’s largest and most advanced sport training and educational institution, located in Bradenton, Fla.
The coaches have created social media pages where people can share their experiences and aspirations, as well as encourage and motivate each other. The Comeback Team has long understood how important it is to feel supported, educated, and understood in the performance journey. Through connections with like-minded others around the world, people can build confidence, power, performance, and courage to reach their relentless pursuit for excellence.
The Comeback concept was created to inspire people from all walks of life to transform their life and start a journey of becoming their best self.
“Comebacks look different to us all, and this community that we’ve created is about supporting everyone’s individual comeback process, no matter what that looks like,” Dr. Masson says.
To learn more and to listen to the Comeback Podcast visit comeback.team.
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