Spine surgery already comes with enough pressure — narrow corridors, unforgiving anatomy, patients who want both immediate relief and long-term perfection. Now add a courtroom to the mix. A new systematic review out of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center takes a deep dive into 5,514 malpractice cases spanning five decades (1968–2023) and lays bare the main reasons spine surgeons end up facing litigation.
The paper, titled “Medical Malpractice Litigation in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review” and published in the August 2025 issue of JBJS Reviews, provides both sobering data and a few reminders of what every spine surgeon already suspects: the lawsuit magnets are familiar, predictable, and — at least in theory — avoidable.
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