Spine Surgery in India – Here’s What You Need to Know

Before going for spine surgery in India, there are numerous questions to consider. Is surgery required to treat the condition, or would a non-surgical strategy be preferable? This blog discusses many things to understand before choosing spine surgery in India, as well as how Sattvik Spine is uniquely positioned to meet a wide range of spine care requirements.

How do you know if you require spine surgery?

Whenever anyone comes to us with extremity signs, we almost always recommend that they see their primary care physician first. If a person has low back or neck pain, we will generally monitor them over time and urge them to maintain good, constant physical exercise to see if the problem resolves. If regular exercise, over-the-counter treatments, or pain control and anti-inflammatory medicines do not resolve the problem, the next step is to see a health professional for an evaluation.

Many patients with spinal problems can be treated without surgery. Before considering surgery, physical treatments, home exercises, medication, and, in some cases, spinal injections are mostly recommended. If the problem is still not resolved, surgery could be a solution. For example, if a patient has severe neurogenic symptoms with pain in the extremities and non-surgical treatment has failed to provide relaxation, surgical intervention is the best option. If the non-surgical method is ineffective for those with symptoms of the spinal cord or spinal nerve compression, including major weakness in the leg, arm, or limb, we may suggest surgical intervention.

Does the pain go away after surgery?

It is natural to anticipate that all problems will be resolved post-surgery. However, this might not be the case for everybody. When it comes to spinal pain, there are generally several factors involved that must be acknowledged before pain can be controlled. Surgery usually relieves the pressure on the nerves, but factors such as muscle weakness, stiffness, and muscular back pain can only be relieved with regular physiotherapy. Someone who hasn’t been capable of walking for a long distance prior to spine surgery for a few months to years cannot be supposed to walk a few kilometers post-surgery even though the back pain is completely gone because the body is unfamiliar with the effort and requires time to restore stamina.

Which spine surgery is a good option – Traditional or Minimally Invasive?

The right surgery is also essential; whether to perform just decompression versus when to add fusion is nevertheless an ongoing debate in the world of spine surgery. Sometimes there is no straight answer, and this must be discussed in depth with the patient. The surgeon’s qualities and technique also have a significant impact on the outcome. Traditional surgery actually involves comprehensive muscle cutting and stripping, resulting in muscle damage and inappropriate damage. Minimally invasive spine surgery seeks to minimize muscle damage while also preserving normal anatomy. However, not all surgeons are well-versed in the subject, and it also necessitates specialized equipment that is not easily available at all centers.

What are the risks and complications of spine surgery?

As with any surgery, there are significant risks and complications that may contribute to a poor result for the patient and even necessitate re-surgery or cause additional complications. However, with modern methods, this has been significantly reduced in comparison to the past.

Many people accept back pain as a normal part of life and are hesitant or fearful of undergoing back surgery. However, chronic illness can have far-reaching consequences not only for the patient as well as for the patient’s family. A young university student who has formed a disc with severe pain gradually stops socializing with friends, shuts down from playing sports, prefers to stay in his room, and then over time becomes depressed and unable to enjoy the life he should. 

An older man with extreme canal stenosis will start reducing his walking, resulting in a gradual weight increase and poorly manage sugars and heart rate, as well as a loss of social life and confinement to the house. Both of them could become habitual to painkillers and, in rare cases, other drugs to relieve the pain. Back pain can thus impact people’s quality of life in a variety of ways. When these same people undergo spine surgery, particularly minimally invasive spine surgery, they tend to say that they should have done it sooner and that their lives would have been better.

What should you really look for in a good spine surgeon?

An excellent spine surgeon is committed to providing excellent patient care and outcomes and is eager to learn new techniques and methods as well as gain expertise in standard methods and approaches. A spine surgeon should also be an excellent communicator who is willing to devote time explaining why they are performing surgery in addition to discussing the treatment options available.

Why should you consider Sattvik Spine?

Sattvik Spine is unique in that, our center is probably one of the few in the world that serves entirely patients suffering from spinal problems. We are confident that the margins of error in the management of spinal issues are extremely narrow. So, instead of being a “Jack” of all [medical] trades, we prefer to be a “Master” of one, that is spinal problems. The best way of improving care for a patient with a spinal condition is to have a system that is fully tuned and able to communicate with its management instead of a system that caters to a variety of fields!

We work very hard to help patients by providing expert surgical opinions, and if surgery is not required, we assist them in navigating other suitable options by incorporating them with the suitable spine care provider for their specific problem. Our spine team can handle any spine issue, from the most basic to the most complex, smoothly and within the same healthcare system.

In Conclusion

Spine surgery in India has changed over time, and modern methods have made it less painful and faster to recover. The surgeon’s selection of the patient, as well as the patient’s selection of the surgeon, is crucial for positive outcomes. Both surgery and post-operative physiotherapy and rehabilitation are equally important in recovery. So, if the thought of surgery scares you, don’t let back pain ruin your life; instead, consult the best spine surgeon in Bangalore and follow his/her advice.