Spine Surgery in Sharjah

What is spine surgery?

Spine surgery is an umbrella term for several different operations on the bones, discs, joints and nerves of the neck and back. Each one answers a specific mechanical problem: a nerve that is squeezed, a segment that moves too much, a vertebra that has broken, or a curve that keeps progressing. Knowing which of these problems you have matters far more than the name of the operation, because the problem decides the procedure.

This page is the starting point. It sets out which conditions lead to surgery, the main families of operation in brief, and how the decision is reached. Each operation has its own page with the detail.

At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, spine surgery sits within Neurosurgery and is also reached through Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Your assessment and any operation are led by the neurosurgeon.

Who needs it

Surgery is considered for a small group of spinal conditions, usually after other care has had a fair trial:

• Disc herniation — part of a disc presses on a nerve root, causing leg or arm pain that outlasts sensible treatment.
• Spinal stenosis — the canal narrows with age, and walking distance shrinks because the nerves run short of room.
• Instability — one vertebra slips forward on another, or a segment moves abnormally and pinches nerves as it moves.
• Fractures — from a fall, a road accident or weakened bone, where the spine needs holding while it heals.
• Tumours — growths in or around the spine, assessed together with specialists in spinal tumour surgery and cancer care arranged by referral.
• Deformity — a curve such as scoliosis that is progressing or trapping nerves; see scoliosis treatment.

The alternatives come first for most people: time, staying active, physiotherapy, pain relief and, for some, a targeted injection. Many recover fully this way, and the operation remains available later if they stall.

Three things together point towards surgery. First, your symptoms match what the scan shows, on the same side and at the same level. Second, well-run non-surgical care has been tried for long enough and your life is still limited. Third, and more pressing, there is a neurological deficit — a weak foot, a clumsy hand or changes in bladder control. A deficit that is worsening moves surgery earlier; stable pain alone leaves the timing in your hands.

What happens

Spine operations fall into a handful of families, each explained on its own page:

• Microdiscectomy removes the piece of disc pressing on a nerve in the lower back.
• Spinal decompression creates more room in a narrowed canal by trimming bone and thickened ligament.
• Spinal fusion joins two or more vertebrae so an unstable segment stops moving.
• Cervical disc surgery relieves pressure on nerves or the spinal cord in the neck.
• Minimally invasive spine surgery reaches the same targets through smaller openings when the problem suits it.

Some patients need a combination, for example decompression with fusion where a narrowed canal sits beside a slipped vertebra. The surgeon explains which family fits your scan and why, and may use magnification during the operation. Specialised equipment such as neuronavigation or nerve monitoring is arranged where a case calls for it.

Preparing for it

Preparation begins with the images. Your surgeon wants the MRI itself, and sometimes X-rays taken standing or bending to show movement between vertebrae, or a CT scan to show bone detail. A nerve conduction study helps where it is uncertain whether the spine or a peripheral nerve is the source; see EMG and nerve conduction study.

Before any operation you have blood tests, a pre-operative check with the anaesthesia team and a review of every medicine you take, as blood thinners and diabetes treatment each need a plan. Stopping smoking helps bone heal, especially after fusion.

Think ahead about work. People with desk or driving jobs usually plan differently from those whose work involves heavy lifting, and your surgeon can help you plan leave around your role. If the operation falls near Ramadan, raise fasting early so medicines and fluids can be planned.

Afterwards

Recovery depends entirely on the operation, and each sibling page sets out its own course. In general, walking starts early, lifting and twisting are limited for a period, and a rehabilitation programme arranged through your care pathway rebuilds strength. In summer heat, drink regularly, because dehydration makes recovery harder. Long-haul flights are best discussed with your surgeon before booking.

Contact the hospital if the wound becomes red, swollen or starts to leak, if you develop a fever, or if leg or arm pain returns sharply. Go to the emergency department straight away for new numbness in the groin, loss of bladder or bowel control, or rapidly increasing weakness in the legs.

Cost and insurance

In the UAE, both the MRI and any spinal operation usually need insurer pre-approval, and some insurers ask for their own reviewing opinion before approving surgery. Keep copies of your images, reports and a record of treatment already tried, because insurers often ask for evidence that non-surgical care came first. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you check your cover on 06 599 7777.