How spinal surgery at Spire helped Alex get back to being a real dad

Six years ago, Alex hurt his back at work. He had tried physiotherapy, but the back pain he experienced had grown steadily worse. On some days Alex found he could no longer accomplish simple tasks like tying his own shoes, and even short walks required the use of strong painkillers.

Increasingly, crippling pain meant Alex needed to rely more and more on help from his wife Hannah:

“Day-to-day I was, sort of, having to put his socks on and, you know, help him get dressed basically and then when we found out I was pregnant, everything sort of became more urgent to get him fit.”

With a baby on the Way, Alex decided that he needed a permanent solution to his crippling back pain. The couple contacted Spire for a consultation and after discussing their options, decided that surgery was the best way forward.  

Hannah and Alex told us about their experience at Spire, and how surgery has transformed his life. Since his treatment, Alex is enjoying his mobility again, and is now able to take care of new arrival Jasper:

“After we phoned Spire Leeds, within a week we had a consultation, had the operation. I was walking out of the hospital after my operation with minimal pain, on the road to recovery.

“Jasper was born maybe a month and a half later, in June. He's amazing. It's brilliant to be able to be a dad properly. I can do everything, take care of him, carry him, and look after my wife at the same time. “

Hannah was also hugely relieved to see Alex back on his feet and enjoying normal activities again

“It made the rest of my pregnancy less stressful because he was a lot more able to do things. You know, before, obviously, before Jasper arrived, rather than after. Like, it sort of gave me hope that everything was going to be okay after his surgery. “

“Since having the operation, it's just given me a new lease of life. I didn't have any contact with my friends from going out, so it's helped a lot. Getting my sanity back as well. Everyone, from the person that made me dinner and brought it round, to the surgeon and the after-care team, the physiotherapy and everyone phoning me up to make sure everything had gone well.

Alex can now spend time looking after baby Jasper

“I really thought that they were all looking after me and I thought it was really thoughtful of them, and a really nice experience. I'm able now to put six years of pain behind me and to live a normal life like everyone else, and do normal jobs, normal things, and look forward to bringing up Jasper as a normal dad.”

Back pain is a very common complaint, with a wide variety of causes, but its effects can be devastating. At Spire we offer a range of surgical and non-surgical treatments which can help relieve pain and get you back to normal activities quickly. If you are suffering from back or joint pain, our orthopaedic specialists can help.