Low back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability, accounts for more than 149 million lost workdays per year in the United States alone, and is the third most common reason for emergency room visits. Jack Stern, M.D., Ph.D., is a neurosurgeon who co-founded a practice focused on non-surgical treatment of back and neck pain. He’s also the author of the new book. Ending Back Pain. In this interview with Sound Medicine’s Barbara Lewis, Dr. Stern offers advice on how to decode your back pain, how best to work with a physician, and how you can (hopefully) alleviate the ache without surgery.