Spine surgery in Nigeria or abroad: how to decide

First, is an operation needed?

Most back and leg pain from a slipped disc settles with time, physiotherapy and pain relief. Surgery is usually for nerve pain that has not settled, worsening weakness, or narrowing of the spinal canal that limits walking. A tumour or infection in the spine is different and more urgent. A second opinion is worth having before any spine operation, wherever it is done.

When there is no time to travel

Go to an emergency department the same day for new weakness in the legs, numbness between the legs or around the back passage, or loss of bladder or bowel control. Pressure on the nerves at the base of the spine or on the spinal cord needs treatment within hours, and strength that is lost can stay lost.

What a spine surgery quote usually covers, and what it leaves out

A spine operation is priced from the surgeon and anaesthetist, theatre time, any screws, rods or disc implants, the ward stay and physiotherapy in hospital. The biggest swings come from fusion with implants and how many levels are operated on. Ask for each part in writing, and add the trip costs below.

• Flights for the patient and at least one companion, and the visa process
• Hotel nights before admission and after discharge, while you wait to be cleared to fly
• The companion's time off work, and money for food and local transport
• Tests the foreign hospital repeats on arrival, even when you bring recent ones
• Medicines to bring home, and the blood tests, scans and reviews after you return
• What happens, and who pays, if a complication shows up after you are back in Nigeria

Recovery time and flying home

After a decompression most people stay two to five days, return to desk work in four to six weeks and to usual activities within about three months. A fusion takes longer. Sitting for a long flight soon after spine surgery is uncomfortable and raises the risk of blood clots. Ask the surgeon how long to stay before flying, and plan to walk the aisle and keep moving.

The risks of going home too early

Wound infections, a leak of spinal fluid, and new or returning leg pain tend to show in the first weeks. The result also depends on months of physiotherapy, which happens where you live. Arrange it before you travel, and carry the records a doctor at home will need.

• The full operation note, not only a discharge summary
• Copies of every scan and the images themselves, on a disc or a download link
• The tissue (histology) report, where anything was removed
• Details of any implant, valve, shunt or device, with its make and model
• Your medicine list with doses, and how long each one continues
• A named contact at the hospital abroad, and how a doctor in Nigeria can reach them

Questions to ask any spine surgeon

• What exactly will this operation fix, and what will it not?
• What happens if I wait, or try physiotherapy first?
• Will screws, rods or a fusion be used, and why?
• Exactly what does the quote include: surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre, intensive care days, implants, tests, medicines?
• What is excluded, and what is the daily rate if I need more days in intensive care or on the ward?
• How long must I stay after discharge before I can fly home?
• Who looks after me if something goes wrong at week two, week six or month six?
• Will you send my records and operation note to my doctor in Nigeria?

How it works on Mezo

For a slipped disc or narrowing of the spinal canal, Mezo lists spinal decompression with an orthopaedic or spine surgeon in the network, and a written quote follows the assessment so you can compare it line by line with one from abroad. For a tumour in the spine, a surgeon reviews the MRI and writes a plan, and Mezo helps arrange the referral. Physiotherapy at home can be booked for the weeks after.

Common questions