Private Spinal Surgery Darlington

For something as specialised as spinal surgery, the symptoms you experience with a spinal concern can be surprisingly general. You may have no idea what’s wrong, and no idea what the treatment is, leading to growing anxiety alongside any pain you may be in.

Possible symptoms of a spinal condition include:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Pain radiating down your leg into your foot
• Sciatica (pain in the sciatic nerve, normally felt as pain in the hips, buttocks and upper legs)
• Numbness/weakness

These symptoms tend to affect those of working age, commonly in the 35-65 age bracket. They can arise due to lifting something awkwardly, or perhaps incurring a sports injury. You may not realise it at the time, but after a few days the severe pain sets in. An accurate diagnosis is clearly necessary to get you on the right path towards recovery.

Very often, the injury or condition is nothing serious, and our consultants can provide reassurance. The team can also draft in our dedicated physiotherapy team to help in your rehabilitation.

Some patients are referred through their GP, but increasingly our patients are self-referring, allowing you to take control of your own healthcare needs.

If the pain is severe, or you’ve tried alternative measures and they haven’t been effective in reducing your pain, give our team a call on 01325 968 195 or book an appointment online with one of our specialist spinal surgeons.

Many conditions can be effectively managed with non-interventional means. However, should you require surgery, our team offer exemplary care and advanced surgical procedures to best help you recover.

A discectomy is normally performed for a slipped disc which impinges on a nerve. It involves removing a small portion of the disc. Traditionally, this is done under general anaesthetic in open surgery, with an incision usually a couple of centimetres long. This is a reliable form of surgery, but patients often need up to 6 weeks off work for recovery.

Alternatively, a percutaneous discectomy can be offered under sedation as a day case, enabling you to go home on the same day. This is a minimally invasive procedure that is carried out to treat herniated discs in the spine. It involves inserting a large needle into the disc under x-ray guidance. Through the disc your surgeon can vaporise the affected area with a laser. With no incision, there is nothing to heal, meaning patients can normally return to work after a few days.

This surgery is not widely offered elsewhere in the North East, making Woodlands Hospital the ideal choice for minimal-access spinal surgery.

A spinal fusion is for patients with a lot of back pain, who have been unresponsive to other measures. If a very worn or arthritic disc is uncovered during an MRI or x-ray, a spinal fusion may help by stopping any movement of the painful segment. This is achieved under general anaesthetic by placing titanium screws into the vertebrae, linking them together with rods and bone graft around the joints of the spine, which fuse together over time. Although it normally takes from 6 months to 2 years to fully fuse, many patients feel the benefits within a few weeks.

At Woodlands, we have the benefit of minimal-access spinal fusion techniques, with smaller incisions in the back, allowing for a quicker recovery. Patients are often able to carry out physically-demanding work within 6-12 weeks.

The first stage of any consultation is for your consultant to take a medical history and have a detailed discussion about your condition and symptoms, typically lasting around 30 minutes.

They will want to know:

• What are your symptoms? How long have you had these symptoms?
• Can you describe the pain?
• Is it a stabbing pain or does it spread out?
• Are your symptoms constant or intermittent?

A physical examination will then be conducted carefully and thoroughly. This can be to assess the health of your spine and check for any nerve root dysfunction, or signs of pain coming from somewhere else.

For example, you may present with back pain. But upon investigation, it may be revealed that the source of pain is in your sacroiliac joint (which attach the base of the spine to the pelvis), and treatment can be tailored accordingly.

An MRI is normally required to confirm a diagnosis, and this can be done at our on-site imaging department. These scans help to highlight inflammation, as well as issues like disc bulges and vertebrae problems. With an accurate diagnosis confirmed, your consultant can present you with all of the available treatment options, depending on your specific condition and the expected outcomes.

Treatment for many conditions can be administered within this initial consultation, such as steroid injections or local anaesthetics. These injections may be into the source of pain (such as directly into the sacroiliac joint) or around the nerve root. This is known as a foraminal epidural injection, with a 0.7mm in diameter needle, far removed from the kind normally associated with epidurals.

You can also opt to have these injections performed under x-ray guidance for added accuracy. This is available as a day case procedure. In 70% of cases, these injections can make your condition permanently better, with 90% of patients reporting improvements for conditions such as sacroiliac joint pain. This means a vast majority of patients need no further treatment, except for some repeat injections if appropriate.

If injections and other measures such as physiotherapy have been ineffective, surgery is sometimes necessary to bring you relief.

Our experience spinal team at Woodlands Hospital are experts in minimal-access surgery. They ensure an efficient process and faster recovery times, getting you back to good health with reduced symptoms as soon as possible.

Choosing to have your spinal surgery at Woodlands comes with a host of benefits, such as:

• Assessments ASAP – Certain back and neck conditions are best treated at the earliest possible stage. If you’ve been experiencing any of the associated symptoms, our consultants can see you for an assessment without delay, getting you an accurate diagnosis and the necessary treatment before your symptoms progress any further.
• Patient Satisfaction – 98.2% of other patients in 2019 said they would happily recommend Woodlands Hospital to friends and family in an independent report, and we’re confident that you’ll agree. 98.3% also said that the quality of care here at Woodlands Hospital was either ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’. We aim to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible, and these results highlight our continued efforts to ensure this is achieved.
• Advanced Surgical Procedures – Woodlands is the premier practice site for advanced spinal surgical procedures, with top consultants in the area offering these procedures exclusively. With quicker recovery times thanks to minimally-invasive specialist techniques, it’s no wonder patients travel from far and wide for these services.
• Personalised care – We believe in a bespoke approach to treatment, tailoring each experience to our patients’ needs and whatever may be best for you. This is regularly reviewed, ensuring you get the necessary treatment at every stage of your patient journey.
• A Multidisciplinary Approach – Our teams at Woodlands work in tandem with each other to provide you with the best possible care from start to finish. Working closely with a dedicated team of physiotherapists, radiographers, anaesthetists, and nurses, as well as links with Oncology and Neurology, you have support from medical professionals every step of the way during your treatment.
• Convenient Appointments – With flexible appointments available at dedicated clinics, you are sure to find an appointment slot that suits your needs and availability.

If you have a pre-existing back condition, or if your back and neck have been causing you problems, why not book a consultation with one of our orthopaedic specialists today?

Our consultants can outline all treatment options for you promptly, arranging any necessary diagnostic scans, treatment and surgery if required. For peace of mind and expert care, please contact Woodlands to book an appointment now.

Accessing private healthcare with us is easy, whether you choose to pay directly or use private medical insurance.

If you are paying for yourself, we can usually offer an upfront cost which you can then choose to pay in full or access one of our easy payment options.

If you have insurance, we can arrange direct settlement with your insurance provider, although you should check in advance to see if your treatment is covered. There are usually only three steps to accessing private treatment using insurance:

• Speak to your GP: Let your GP know that you have private medical insurance during your appointment with them. Ask them to refer you to Woodlands Hospital, and in you have already chosen which consultant you would like to see, let your GP know their name so they can give you a specific referral letter. The letter should include the hospital and consultant name, as well as the recommended treatment. Your GP can also give you a referral letter with no specified consultant.
• Speak to us: Once you have your referral letter from your GP, give our friendly Patient Liaison Officers a call on 01325 341786. If your GP gets in touch with us directly with your referral, we will be in touch with you.
• Speak to your insurer: After speaking to your GP, ensure that you call your insurer and activate your insurance. Have your insurance details to hand when you call, as they will need it to confirm that the treatment you need is covered by our policy. If the treatment is not covered but you would still like to go private, you can explore alternative methods.

For more information, visit our private medical insurance page.

Woodlands Hospital first opened in Darlington in 2001, and we have been treating patients from Darlington and the wider area ever since.

We are located on Morton Park Way, opposite Dunelm and Premier Inn and over the road from Morrisons. Darlington Train Station is approximately 3.5 miles away and there is a taxi rank at the station with cabs available throughout the day. We are also a short walk from numerous bus routes, with stops at Morrisons and on Yarm Road. We are a short distance from local attractions such as Hopetown, the brick train sculpture and the Hippodrome.

We have free parking available on-site, with 4 electric vehicle charging points. The hospital has an accessible entrance, however please do let a member of the team know if you require a wheelchair and one of our friendly porters can assist you into the building.

Each of our rooms feature an en-suite for added comfort and privacy. The rooms are spacious with a remote controlled TV and free Wi-Fi available during your stay. Our catering team are on-hand to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at regular mealtimes. We offer a range of choices available, please do let us know of any special dietary requirements you have prior to your admission.

As well as offering surgery, we have a number of fantastic facilities on-site at Woodlands.

Our physiotherapy department consists of many experienced senior physiotherapists with a range of clinical interests including hand, women's health and men's health. We also have a fully equipped gymnasium, including an anti-gravity treadmill, exercise bike and numerous weights. The team will work closely with you to reach your goals, and you can self refer to book an appointment. If you're interested, please give the team a call on 01325 341712 and choose option 2.

We also have imaging facilities on-site, including a wide-bore MRI scanner, x-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy and access to a CT scanner. Please note: appointments for any imaging service at Woodlands Hospital can only be made once the department receives a referral from a GMC-registered consultant. For more information, please give our friendly enquiry team a call on 01325 968 195.