The Priory Hospital
Priory Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 7UG DirectionsPhone
Opening hours
Mon - Fri: 6am - 9pm
Sat - Sun: 7am - 6pm
Car parking
Yes - 285 spaces
2 electric vehicle charging stations
Orthopaedic spinal services at The Priory Hospital
However if you’re suffering from chronic pain and it isn’t getting better – or you’ve been diagnosed with a spinal condition and want a second opinion there’s no need to suffer in silence.
Book an appointment with a leading back pain consultant at The Priory Hospital.
Misdiagnosis or non-diagnosis of back pain can cause prolonged and unnecessary suffering. However the wait for specialist evaluation and treatment is often lengthy.
By booking an appointment at The Priory Hospital you can be seen by a specialist spinal consultant in a matter of days rather than weeks or even months. Then you can start your treatment right away – whether this be a course of physiotherapy or something more interventional.
Degenerative disc disease is an unwanted aspect of ageing. The protective discs that sit between the vertebrae in the spine can start to wear down and shrink. This causes the bones in the spine to rub against one another leading to back pain and stiffness. Sufferers can also experience weakness in the legs.
Discs can also get torn and ruptured, due to a sports injury, or because of an occupational hazard when turning, twisting, or lifting items. A herniated disc (sometimes referred to as a slipped disc) occurs when part of the disc’s central nucleus pushes out through a tear. When it comes into contact with a nerve this can lead to pain or weakness in an arm or leg.
These are some of the most common conditions we see at The Priory Hospital, Birmingham:
Sciatica: This refers to irritation of the nerve that runs from the pelvis to the feet. People with sciatica can experience sharp, burning or stabbing pain in the lower back, a pain that can radiate down either one or both legs. A tingling sensation, weakness or numbness can also occur in the legs. Causes are arthritis, injuries, and herniated discs.
Spinal stenosis: This form of nerve root compression is caused when the spinal canal reduces in size so the spinal nerve can no longer function properly. The narrow spinal canal affects the nerves and symptoms can include having a numb, cramp-like pain. It often presents in older patients due to degeneration.
Spondylolisthesis: A condition that can cause back pain and stiffness as well as reduced flexibility and fatigue. It occurs when one spinal vertebra slips forwards relative to the one below – and this is again, often as a result of disc degeneration.
Treatment for back problems can include medication, physiotherapy, and injections. In severe cases surgery is a last resort. In many cases, in fact, problems get better by themselves, or respond well to physiotherapy or injection or laser therapy.
In some cases your first consultation can take place via telephone so that you consultant can get an initial understanding of your symptoms. But this would have to be followed by a face-to-face meeting before any form of treatment is agreed upon.
Given their extensive experience in treating back problems, your consultant will usually be able to quickly get an early idea of what’s wrong and they will refer you for any necessary diagnostic tests. These could include an MRI scan (which uses radio waves to create 3D images) or an X-ray.
All necessary tests will be carried out in The Priory Hospital's state of the art imaging suite – after which you’ll return for your second appointment with your consultant. They will go through the results of the scan with you in detail then discuss your treatment options. While your consultant will give you their expert recommendations - what happens at all stages of your treatment will be a joint decision-making process.
Treatment for a back condition could involve a series of Injections over a number of months, a course of physiotherapy, or laser therapy. Laser therapy is an entirely day case procedure to relieve pain and inflammation that’s non-invasive and results in no tissue damage. The risk of infection is virtually non-existent, and it’s an extremely effective way to treat certain spinal conditions.
If any form of medical intervention is required, you’ll be given all the details of what will happen pre, post and during procedures, as well as advice on what to expect in terms of recovery times.
At The Priory Hospital our leading spinal consultants see and treat a wide variety of back problems. They have expertise in the latest and most effective treatments and act as a first point of contact for the diagnosis of back conditions as well as offering a faster route to specialist treatment. There are many clear benefits to opting for treatment at The Priory Hospital: