Chief, Neuro Spine Surgery & Additional Director, Neurosurgery, Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, India
Part 7 of 13 in Making Spine Surgery 100% Safe
Lumbar Canal Stenosis: Keyhole Surgery and Recovery
August 6, 2026
Lumbar canal stenosis, which limits how long a patient can stand or walk and causes leg pain, tingling or burning, can be treated with keyhole surgery through incisions of about one inch, with many patients walking the next day. Dr. S. K. Rajan, Chief and Unit Head, Orthopaedics and Spine Neurosurgery at Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, describes lumbar canal stenosis as a very, very common problem, particularly among patients travelling from the African subcontinent for spine surgery in India.
What Causes Lumbar Canal Stenosis
Dr. S. K. Rajan explains that lumbar canal stenosis commonly results from a slipped disc, spondylolisthesis, or facet hypertrophy, conditions that narrow the space available for nerves in the lower spine and lead to pain, tingling or burning in the legs that affects a patient's quality of life.
How Keyhole Surgery Treats Lumbar Canal Stenosis
Rather than open surgery, Dr. S. K. Rajan treats lumbar canal stenosis through keyhole surgery using approximately one-inch incisions, relieving pressure on the affected nerves and adding screw fixation where needed. He shares that patients treated this way have been walking the day after surgery.
Why This Matters for Patients Seeking Spine Surgery in India
Dr. S. K. Rajan specifically highlights that Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon receives a lot of lumbar canal stenosis patients from the African subcontinent seeking spine surgery in India. The combination of keyhole technique with O-arm navigation and neuromonitoring is central to why these patients can expect both safety and a fast return to walking.
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This article is based on a Jivo Masterclass session conducted by Dr. S. K. Rajan, Chief and Unit Head, Orthopaedics and Spine Neurosurgery, Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, India. The article has been summarised with the assistance of an AI tool from the original masterclass recording. Watch the full Masterclass recording
This guide is based on a live Jivo Masterclass — Dr. S. K. Rajan taught doctors across Africa on September 15, 2024.
FROM THE LIVE Q&A
Dr. Navala Gabriel
Do you have provisions for doing spine surgeries for children with neural tube defects?
Dr. S. K. Rajan
Yes, we have specialist spine surgeons and pediatric surgeons also, and I myself do a lot of spine surgery in children — whether they have neural tube defects such as meningocele, Chiari malformation, or tethering of the spinal cord which can cause weakness of the legs. In all those patients we do spine surgeries, also in children who've got scoliosis or hemivertebra deformities, or tumours of the spine. All those patients we have been tackling from the age of 6 months to 18 years of age.
Frequently Asked Questions
What about the cost of treatment, and the duration of treatment, for a spine problem?▼
The cost of surgery in our hospital for spinal problems can range anything from $3,500 for a discectomy and decompression to $5,500 or $6,000 for fixation of the spine at one level, and even up to $10,000 for more complicated cases — that's usually the range of costs patients most commonly have to bear. Most of these patients, who come walking because of pain in the neck, arm, or lower back going into the legs, usually stay in the hospital for about three to four days, and in the country for about two weeks.
Do you use intraoperative neuromonitoring?▼
Yes, we do use intraoperative neuromonitoring — we are one of the very few centres in the country who have been using this quite regularly. We were focusing on minimally invasive spine surgery and spine navigation in this talk because of limited time, but yes, we do have neuromonitoring available to us as well.
Do you have provisions for doing spine surgeries for children with neural tube defects?▼
Yes, we have specialist spine surgeons and pediatric surgeons also, and I myself do a lot of spine surgery in children — whether they have neural tube defects such as meningocele, Chiari malformation, or tethering of the spinal cord which can cause weakness of the legs. In all those patients we do spine surgeries, also in children who've got scoliosis or hemivertebra deformities, or tumours of the spine. All those patients we have been tackling from the age of 6 months to 18 years of age.
What symptoms does lumbar canal stenosis cause?▼
It limits how long a patient can stand or walk, and causes leg pain, tingling or burning that affects quality of life.
What conditions commonly cause lumbar canal stenosis?▼
Dr. Rajan explains it commonly results from a slipped disc, spondylolisthesis, or facet hypertrophy, all of which narrow the space available for nerves in the lower spine.
How is lumbar canal stenosis treated with keyhole surgery?▼
Through incisions of approximately one inch that relieve pressure on the affected nerves, with screw fixation added where needed.
How soon do lumbar canal stenosis patients walk again after surgery?▼
Dr. Rajan shares that patients treated this way have been walking the day after surgery.
In This Series: Making Spine Surgery 100% Safe
- 1.Making Spine Surgery 100% Safe
- 2.Cement Augmentation for Osteoporotic Spinal Fractures
- 3.Cost of Spine Surgery in India
- 4.Why an Integrated Spine Clinic Matters: Team-Based Spine Care
- 5.Intraoperative Neuromonitoring in Spine Surgery
- 6.Keyhole (Minimally Invasive) Spine Surgery Explained
- 7.Lumbar Canal Stenosis: Keyhole Surgery and Recovery
- 8.What Is the O-Arm and How Does It Make Spine Surgery Safer?
- 9.Pediatric Spine Surgery in India: Conditions Treated
- 10.Scoliosis Correction Surgery in India
- 11.Treating Spinal Tuberculosis in India
- 12.What Causes Spine Surgery Complications, and How They're Prevented
- 13.When Is Spine Surgery Actually Needed? Signs You Shouldn't Ignore