Back surgery (spinal surgery) at Spire Bristol Hospital

At Spire Bristol Hospital, we have a choice of expert orthopaedic (bone and muscle) consultants and neurosurgeons who perform back surgery to help you return to your everyday activities as quickly as possible. They’ll provide you with a treatment and recovery plan that’s personalised to you and your needs. Our dedicated nurses and physiotherapists will provide expert aftercare to help you get the most from your operation.

At Spire Bristol Hospital, our consultants are highly skilled at performing back surgery for a variety of conditions. Your consultant will be able to recommend the best type of surgery for your needs. This may include one or more of the following:

• Discectomy – to remove part of a slipped disc and relieve associated symptoms
• Laminectomy – to remove part of a vertebra to relieve pressure on the spinal cord
• Spinal fusion – to strengthen your back

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

• If your consultant thinks it’s right for you, they may perform a minimally invasive back surgery – this usually means a faster recovery time while still achieving the same outcomes
• Synthetic bone substitutes are available which means your consultant doesn’t need to remove bone from elsewhere in your body to fuse your vertebrae

At Spire Bristol Hospital, we have high-quality facilities, including five operating theatres, four of which have laminar flow that regulates air flow to reduce the risk of infection.

Getting here

Spire Bristol Hospital can be easily accessed by either the M4 or M5 motorways, or by Temple Meads or Parkway train stations. We have free parking on-site for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

During your consultations, you’ll meet one of our expert consultants who’ll:

• 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

All of your consultations will take place in one of our 26 consultation rooms which are all accessible making things easier for you if you have difficulty walking. These consultations give you an opportunity to ask questions and get advice about what’s best for you. Once you’ve decided to go ahead with back surgery, your consultant will help you prepare and explain your recovery plan.

When you come in for your operation, you’ll be with us for between one to four days. You’ll stay in one of our 74 large, bright, private en-suite rooms, which has a locked space for your things and entertainment to keep you occupied as you start your recovery.

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

Here’s what will happen on the day of your back surgery:

• You’ll meet your surgery team and anaesthetist
• Your anaesthetist will administer the general anaesthetic, which will send you to sleep for the operation
• Once it’s taken effect, your surgeon begin your operation

You’ll start your recovery back in your private room. All of our rooms have:

• TV
• Window
• Visitor chair
• Locker/bedside table
• Over-bed table
• En-suite
• Wardrobe and coat hook
• WiFi access

After surgery, you’ll probably feel some pain or discomfort – this is normal after surgery. Our nursing team will give you painkillers to help you with this and may provide medications to prevent infection and reduce the risk of clotting.

One of our physiotherapists will help get you moving again and provide you with some exercises you can do throughout your recovery to help you get the best possible outcome.

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