Disc Surgery & Spinal Fusion in Delhi

Most slipped discs do not need surgery. That is the honest starting point, and it is where we start with almost every patient who walks in with sciatica.

At Sama Hospital — a NABH-accredited, doctor-owned hospital in South Delhi — spinal surgery is offered when non-surgical treatment has genuinely failed, when there is progressive weakness, or in an emergency. See also our Neuro & Spine department.

This comes first, because nothing else on this page matters as much.

Cauda equina syndrome is a surgical emergency. The warning signs are:

• Difficulty passing urine, or losing control of bladder or bowels
• Numbness around the genitals, inner thighs or buttocks — so-called saddle numbness
• Severe weakness in both legs

If you have these, do not wait for an appointment. Go to an emergency department now. Delay causes permanent damage.

The discs between the vertebrae are tough rings with a soft centre. When the ring tears, the soft centre bulges out — and if it presses on a nerve root, you get pain radiating down the leg. That is sciatica.

The disc has not slipped anywhere. Nothing has come out of place. It is a bulge pressing on a nerve, and that distinction matters, because bulges shrink.

The large majority of disc herniations improve substantially within six to twelve weeks, with physiotherapy, appropriate pain relief, and time. The body reabsorbs the fragment.

This is not us being conservative to avoid work. It is what the evidence shows, and it is why we will usually ask you to give non-surgical treatment a proper trial before we operate.

• Sciatica that persists despite a genuine course of non-surgical treatment
• Progressive weakness — a foot that is getting weaker, not just painful
• Cauda equina syndrome — immediately

This deserves saying plainly, because a lot of disappointment starts here.

Disc surgery is very effective for leg pain caused by a compressed nerve. It is far less reliable for back pain alone.

If someone is promising you that an operation will cure long-standing back pain in the absence of clear nerve compression, ask hard questions. We would rather tell you that before you consent than after.

The fragment pressing on the nerve is removed. Leg pain often improves immediately. Most patients are back at desk work within two to four weeks.

An artificial disc replaces the damaged one and preserves movement at that level — which may protect the levels above and below. Not every spine is suitable; it depends on the condition of the joints at the back of the spine.

Two vertebrae are permanently joined, stopping movement at an unstable, painful level. It works — but it transfers load to the neighbouring levels, and that is the trade-off you should understand before agreeing to it. Fusion takes several months to consolidate.

What moves the figure: the procedure (discectomy, replacement, or fusion); the number of levels; the implants used — the largest single variable in fusion and replacement; and length of stay.

We quote an all-inclusive package, confirmed after clinical assessment, with cashless treatment available for eligible insurance patients. See our cost estimate page.

Doctor-owned, NABH-accredited, in South Delhi since 1982.

A doctor-owned hospital has no revenue target pushing you toward a fusion. In spinal surgery — where the operations are big, the implants are expensive, and the temptation to over-treat is real — that matters more than almost anywhere else in medicine.

No. Most settle within six to twelve weeks with physiotherapy, pain relief and time. Surgery is for persistent sciatica, progressive weakness, or cauda equina syndrome.

Cauda equina syndrome: difficulty passing urine, loss of bladder or bowel control, saddle numbness, or severe weakness in both legs. Go to an emergency department immediately.

It is very effective for leg pain from a compressed nerve, and far less reliable for back pain alone. Be sceptical of anyone who promises otherwise.

Fusion stops movement at that level but transfers load to the levels above and below. Replacement preserves movement, but not every spine is suitable for it.

Discectomy: leg pain often improves immediately, desk work in two to four weeks. Fusion: several months to consolidate. Core strengthening is essential in both.