Back surgery (spinal surgery) at Spire Southampton Hospital

At Spire Southampton Hospital, our orthopaedic (bone and muscle) consultants and neurosurgeons have wide experience in performing back surgery in our clean and modern facilities. They’ll offer you a treatment and recovery plan that’s personalised to you, to relieve your symptoms and help you get back to your everyday activities.

We have many expert nurses and physiotherapists who’ll provide you with the aftercare you need to make a full recovery.

At Spire Southampton Hospital, we offer trusted and clinically proven surgical techniques for a variety of conditions. Your consultant will be able to recommend which type of surgery is best for you. This may include one or more of the following:

• Discectomy – used to treat a slipped disc by removing a damaged or worn disc
• Laminectomy – used to relieve pressure on the spinal cord by removing part of a protruding or fractured vertebra
• Spinal fusion – used to strengthen your back when you have wear and tear or damage

We’re able to offer surgical techniques and innovations that have been designed to improve outcomes. These include:

• Interspinous distraction – an implant is inserted between two vertebrae to relieve pressure the affected nerve
• Synthetic bone substitutes for spinal fusion so there’s no need to remove and use bone from elsewhere in your body

We also have four laminar flow operating theatres that regulate air flow to minimise the risk of infection.

How to find us      

We’re a 10 minute taxi ride from Southampton Central train station or 15 minutes from Southampton International Airport, with free parking available.

Your consultations

As a first step, you’ll have an appointment with one of our experienced consultants. This will be in one of our 16 accessible consultation rooms so there’s no need to worry if you have mobility difficulties. This provides you with an opportunity to talk openly about your condition and the procedure with your consultant. During the appointment, your consultant will:

• Discuss your medical history
• Recommend tests and scans if required, such as an X-ray, an MRI or a CT scan, so they can look at your back in more detail
• Discuss which type of surgery you’ll need for your condition and what it’ll involve
• Explain about the general anaesthetic and how it may affect you

On the day of your procedure, you’ll meet your healthcare team, including your anaesthetist and your consultant again. You’ll be shown to one of our 84 large, bright, private rooms. You’ll be with us for one to four days, depending on the type of surgery you have.

If you’ve come with a friend or family member, they’re welcome to wait in your private room or our restaurant while you have your operation.

Before surgery, you’ll be given a general anaesthetic, so you’ll be unconscious throughout the procedure. Once it’s taken effect, your consultant will begin your surgery.

After surgery, you can begin your recovery in your private room. All our rooms have:

• TV
• En-suite
• Bedside cabinet
• Two armchairs
• Window
• Telephone

It’s normal to feel some pain or discomfort after back surgery, so to make your recovery easier, you’ll be given:

• Medications to help you manage pain, prevent infection and reduce the risk of clotting
• Sessions with one of our physiotherapists, who'll give you an exercise plan to help you get active again, plus a guide to how long your recovery will take

Although everybody’s different and you should always follow your consultant’s advice, here’s a typical recovery timeline for back surgery: