Spinal procedures
Plain-English guides to the injections, scans and operations used to diagnose and treat spinal conditions: what happens, how to prepare, recovery, and the risks, with figures from the British Association of Spine Surgeons and the latest published research.
Injections · Scans and tests · Surgery · Minimally invasive surgery
Injections
Injections can ease pain from an irritated nerve or joint and help pinpoint where pain is coming from.
Nerve root injections
A step-by-step guide to spinal nerve root injections, including the benefits and risks.
Facet joint injections
How facet joints cause low back pain, what happens during an X-ray-guided facet injection, how well it works and what the risks are.
Sacroiliac joint injections
How a sacroiliac joint injection is done, how to prepare, what recovery looks like, the risks, and what the evidence says about how well it works.
Scans and tests
The scans and tests used to find out what is causing your symptoms, and what each one involves.
MRI scans of the spine
When a spinal MRI scan helps, when it does not, how to prepare, what happens in the scanner and how to make sense of your report.
CT scans of the spine
Why spinal surgeons use CT scans, how they differ from MRI, what the radiation dose means and how to prepare for the scan.
Spine X-rays and dynamic views
What spine X-rays can and cannot show, why standing and bending views are used, the radiation involved and what happens on the day.
SPECT-CT scans
How a SPECT-CT bone scan works, when spinal specialists use it, what happens on the day and what to know about radiation and pregnancy.
Discography
Discography tests whether a particular disc is causing your back pain. Here is why it is done, what happens on the day and the possible risks.
Surgery
Operations on the lower back and neck, from decompression to fusion, including emergency surgery.
Lumbar discectomy and decompression
What discectomy and decompression involve, who they help, the expected benefits, recovery, and the risks, with figures from the British Association of Spine Surgeons.
Lumbar spinal fusion (TLIF and ALIF)
How lumbar interbody fusion works, how the back (TLIF) and front (ALIF) approaches differ, recovery, and the risks of each.
Neck surgery from the front (ACDF and disc replacement)
How surgeons free a trapped nerve or squeezed spinal cord through the front of the neck, what recovery involves and how the risks compare.
Neck surgery from the back
How operations at the back of the neck relieve pressure on the spinal cord or a trapped nerve, what recovery is like and what the risks are.
Adult scoliosis surgery
What surgery for adult degenerative scoliosis involves, who it suits, recovery, the BASS risk figures and what long-term studies show.
Emergency surgery for cauda equina syndrome
What happens from arriving at A&E with suspected cauda equina syndrome to surgery and recovery, including bladder recovery, risks and the evidence on timing.
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
How collapsed spinal bones are treated, and what to expect if bone cement is recommended to stabilise a painful fracture.
Coccygectomy and tailbone injections
Tailbone pain usually settles on its own. Learn about causes, self-help, injections and, rarely, surgery to remove the coccyx, including the risks.
Minimally invasive surgery
Keyhole techniques using an endoscope or a small tube. Not every hospital offers them, and long-term results are similar to standard surgery.
Endoscopic lumbar discectomy
How keyhole endoscopic surgery removes a slipped disc in the lower back, how it compares with microdiscectomy, and what the latest trials show.
Endoscopic cervical foraminotomy
A keyhole operation from the back of the neck to free a trapped nerve causing arm pain, without fusion. How it compares with ACDF and open surgery.
Tubular over-the-top decompression
How surgeons free both sides of a narrowed lower spinal canal through one small tube, how it compares with open laminectomy, and what trials show.
Making a decision: every procedure has benefits and risks. These guides are to help you prepare questions for your surgeon. They cannot tell you whether a procedure is right for you.
