
On the Cutting Edge
Since 2016, two of the country’s leading surgeons, based at Spire Hospital in Liverpool, have been working to develop pioneering, minimally-invasive spinal surgery
words by Elliot RAMSEY

The question of how to treat spinal conditions is one which has been present throughout history. Degenerative changes in the spine have been found by archaeologists in the earliest of human remains, and the Edwin Smith papyrus, a surgical text written in around 1500 BC, details some of the same common afflictions that continue to plague us in the present. But to this day, many healthcare professionals are still conflicted as to the best method of treating these conditions.
In the last two decades, there has been a 12% increase in people in the UK developing disabilities due to lower back pain, and in Europe, back pain is the most common reason for sick leave and early retirement. Meanwhile, invasive spinal surgery has been criticised in recent years due to the perceived over-willingness of surgeons to operate on patients who might otherwise have benefited from different treatment. But two leading surgeons at Spire Hospital in Liverpool have now developed a minimally-invasive surgical technique which will transform the treatment of spinal conditions.
Radu Popa and Prokopis Annis, both consultant spinal surgeons at Spire, have spent the last three years fine-tuning their spinal services programme which implements revolutionary surgical technique to treat patients. Having previously only held occasional clinics for minor back problems, the duo have since built up the service to take on more complex and challenging disorders and it now stands as a one-of-a-kind facility within the country.
Uniquely, Spire doesn’t deal with trauma patients, but instead mostly treats individuals with degenerative spine conditions, chronic leg pain and people who require follow-up surgeries from previous treatments. Due to the fact that the surgery requires only minimal invasion, patients are able to go home the day following their surgery, reducing the time that they spend in recovery at the hospital and minimising the overall disruption to their lives.
The kind of patients that Spire now treat speaks to the enduring effect of back conditions on the population, and the way in which people are now far less likely to put up with persistent pain. With a vast proportion of people experiencing some form of back pain in their lives, and with the number of young sufferers on the rise, Spire’s minimally-invasive surgery for non-trauma patients is leading the way with cutting-edge, world-class technique.
Head to spirehealthcare.com to find out more about Spire Liverpool Hospital’s treatment and care plans for spinal surgery