It’s impossible to know how a patient will respond to surgery. Every patient and every situation is different and there is no crystal ball. But there are steps you can take to make yourself the exception to any set of statistics. In this Road to Recovery Minute, neurosurgeon Robert L. Masson, founder of the NeuroSpine Institute in Orlando, Fla., explains how he helps his patients strive to be the exception because if you aim for average, you’re likely to fall far short of your goals.