Spinal

About

The spine is an invaluable part of the body and is responsible for supporting your back. It is a network of 24 separate bones called vertebrae which are stacked on top of one another and allow you to stand and bend.

Back pain and related spinal problems can affect people of all ages and, depending upon the severity, can be debilitating or even disabling.

Spinal surgeons specialise in dealing with spinal pain and movement problems and will often begin with a plan of non-surgical treatment.

Common Applications

Back pain is extremely common and can be caused by many things including poor posture, injury or disease. In many cases, back pain does not have a serious cause and will improve itself within 4-6 weeks. For others, however, back pain can be more intense and continue for months, if not years.

The complex network of the spine makes it very vulnerable to damage, this may be mild or severe and can cause pain, neurological symptoms or loss of mobility.

Common problems that can cause spinal pain include:

  • Sciatica
  • Infections
  • Trauma injuries
  • Slipped disc
  • Tumours
  • Conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis, spinal stenosis, kyphosis or scoliosis

Treatment options

If you have long-term spinal pain that isn’t improving, you should seek advice from a specialist who can carry out further investigation.

Our specialists offer a wealth of advice and solutions for treating back pain and other spinal problems, including both surgical (minimally-invasive surgery) and non-surgical treatments such as image-guided intervention injections, osteopathy, acupuncture and physiotherapy.

We are able to complete a consultation, offer a diagnosis and create a treatment plan for spinal problems in a single visit – including an MRI scan using the only open MRI scanner in the region, x-ray or other examinations if required.

Specialists


Mr Andrew Wojcik

Mr Andrew Wojcik has been working in the field of spinal disorders since 1984. He has held the post of orthopaedic and spinal surgeon in Hinchingbrooke Hospital as well as being an honorary consultant spinal surgeon in Cambridge University Hospital and Nottingham University Hospital.

Andrew specialises in degenerative disorders of the spine, back pain and sciatica, treatment of post traumatic disorders and minimally invasive spinal surgery. He is also prepared to advise and assess patients with spinal deformities.

Andrew is a Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and of the Royal College of Surgeons and a member of the British Association of Spinal Surgeons, the British Scoliosis Society and the British Orthopaedic Research Society.

Mr Masood Shafafy

Mr Masood Shafafy qualified in 1994 from the medical college of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, University of London.  He is a highly experienced spinal surgeon, specialising in all aspects of spinal surgery from the cervical to lumbosacral regions

Masood has been a consultant in spinal surgery since 2007 and is currently working at the Centre for Spinal Study and Surgery at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham.  Here he has been privileged to take over the NHS practice of one of the most internationally renowned and prestigious complex spinal deformity practices in the country.

He is a presenter and a faculty member for numerous national and international spinal courses.