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"I took an eight-hour flight to the States ten days after spinal surgery"
After suffering months of discomfort, Sara’s lower back and shooting leg pain became so excruciating she could barely stand.
The 55-year-old was diagnosed with a herniated disc which was inflaming a nerve root. When medication and physiotherapy failed, her only option was surgery.
Her consultant advised the only person for the job was Mr Irfan Malik, a highly experienced consultant neurosurgeon at The Harley Street Clinic, part of HCA Healthcare UK. A leading practitioner of endoscopic ‘keyhole’ spinal surgery, his expertise at this cutting-edge procedure eliminated the need for a more complex operation.
Sara was home the day after surgery, off painkillers in under a week, and flying to the USA to visit family ten days later.
A rollercoaster of pain
Diagnosis
An MRI scan last April revealed Sara had a herniated disc in her lower spine. One of these cushion-like shock absorbers which separate the spine’s vertebrae was protruding and pressing on a root nerve. This can be caused by exercise, lifting something the wrong way, or simply aging.
Her consultant recommended different physiotherapy and pain medication and Sara tried them for several months. Neither worked. She explains:
The medication was helpful at the maximum dose but then I became drowsy. I was napping at three in the afternoon. I could only do what I had to. Following one trip abroad for work I couldn’t even get the tube home so I waited for a taxi. In the queue I dropped to my knees in pain.
Innovative surgery
In September Sara’s consultant advised surgery. But although a surgeon himself, he admitted there was only one person he’d recommend: Mr Malik at The Harley Street Clinic, part of HCA Healthcare UK.
Mr Malik specialises in endoscopic, or keyhole, spinal surgery, carrying out more procedures than any other surgeon in the UK. Sara didn’t hesitate. “If another surgeon says ‘he’s the best’, what can you say?” she smiles.
She met Mr Malik in October and instantly felt safe. He explained the minimally-invasive procedure would involve removing the protruding section of her herniated disc through a single, two-centimetre incision in the lower back.
This surgery is at the forefront of cutting-edge spinal treatment and Mr Malik was the first surgeon in the UK to perform it, in 2011. Since then he has conducted almost 2,000 operations.
More traditional surgery would involve a far larger incision of at least ten centimetres, with extensive rehabilitation to rebuild cut spinal muscles.
“I felt very confident in Mr Malik,” explains Sara.
Most incredible to Sara was her predicted recovery. Traditional surgery would be followed by a recovery period of three months. Yet when she explained she had an eight-hour flight booked to the States ten days after her proposed procedure date in early November, assuming she’d need to cancel, Mr Malik assured her there was no need.
I wanted to see my family for Thanksgiving. He said I should be up and about which was incredible news. That getting back to my life would be so quick was astonishing.
Seamless skill
When Sara arrived for surgery she could immediately see the familiarity between Mr Malik and his team, which only placed her further at ease. “It was obvious they worked well together and they couldn’t have been more kind,” she says.
The procedure took around two hours because of the awkward position of Sara’s herniated disc. It can take as little as an hour.
A small incision was made at the base of Sara’s back, through which a small camera on a thin, flexible tube was inserted. The protruding disc was then shaved.
Sara remained in hospital overnight, but only because her surgery had been scheduled late in the day. “I had some pain, but the shooting, debilitating pain was almost immediately gone,” she describes.
She took painkillers for under seven days and initially wore a back brace as a reminder not to bend. “I couldn’t lift anything over the size of a bag of sugar or bend for six weeks,” she explains. “The next couple of days I took it easy, but then resumed pretty much normal activity,” she adds.
And she did make that flight to the States. “It was great, I saw family and did all kinds of things, walking around a mile a day,” she describes.
"I just wish I’d done it sooner"
Five months on, Sara’s only regret is not having surgery earlier.
It was so seamless. People are incredulous when you tell them it was such a small incision, and that you are up and moving almost immediately. I’m as mobile as I ever was, and within two or three weeks my sleep pattern was back to normal.
Her renewed lease of life means more travel on the horizon. “My husband and I had ruled out a trip to Venice because of my pain,” she explains. “Now we are hoping to go in October.”
The Harley Street Clinic, part of HCA Healthcare UK, is a hospital in central London offering a wide range of cutting-edge treatments and services in buildings steeped in history.
With over 30 years' experience, Mr Malik is a consultant neurosurgeon with a specialism in spinal neurosurgery. Expert in the areas of disc replacement, neck, back and arm pain, he also holds a wealth of experience in the diagnosis and management of spinal problems including degenerative disease and malignant spinal disorders. He has carried out more endoscopic or keyhole spinal surgeries than any other UK surgeon.
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.