Chief, Neuro Spine Surgery & Additional Director, Neurosurgery, Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, India
Part 11 of 13 in Making Spine Surgery 100% Safe
Treating Spinal Tuberculosis in India
August 6, 2026
Spinal tuberculosis, which can destroy the vertebral body and cause complete leg paralysis, is treated through pus drainage, bone debridement and screw and rod fixation, restoring function in many patients. Dr. S. K. Rajan, Chief and Unit Head, Orthopaedics and Spine Neurosurgery at Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, describes spinal tuberculosis as very common in India and also in the African subcontinent.
How Spinal Tuberculosis Damages the Spine
Dr. S. K. Rajan shares the case of a patient with spinal tuberculosis that had destroyed the vertebral body and caused complete leg paralysis. Surgery involved draining the pus, debriding the affected bone, and fixing the spine with screws and rods, after which the patient improved. He also describes a child with spinal tuberculosis and resulting deformity who was unable to straighten their legs before surgery; after the spine was straightened surgically, the child's gait improved.
Why Spinal Tuberculosis Is Common in Patients from Africa
Dr. S. K. Rajan specifically notes that spinal tuberculosis is very common both in India and in the African subcontinent, which is one reason spine surgery in India, and specifically at Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, sees a significant number of patients travelling from Africa for this condition.
What Recovery Looks Like After Spinal Tuberculosis Surgery
The two cases Dr. S. K. Rajan describes, an adult with complete leg paralysis and a child with spinal deformity, both showed meaningful improvement after surgery combined with post-operative care. For patients and families considering spine surgery in India for spinal tuberculosis, these outcomes reflect the kind of recovery that is possible when the infection and its structural damage are addressed together.
← Intraoperative Neuromonitoring in Spine Surgery | Series index | Scoliosis Correction Surgery in India →
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. Buffa
What about the cost of treatment, and the duration of treatment, for a spine problem?
Dr. S. K. Rajan
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 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.
How does spinal tuberculosis damage the spine?▼
It can destroy the vertebral body and, through resulting compression, cause complete paralysis of the legs in severe cases.
How is spinal tuberculosis surgically treated?▼
Treatment involves draining the pus, debriding the affected bone, and fixing the spine with screws and rods to restore stability.
Why is spinal tuberculosis particularly common among patients from the African subcontinent?▼
Dr. Rajan notes that spinal tuberculosis is very common both in India and in the African subcontinent, which is one reason it accounts for a significant share of patients travelling to Artemis Hospitals for spine surgery.
What recovery is possible after spinal tuberculosis surgery, even in severe cases?▼
Dr. Rajan describes an adult with complete leg paralysis who improved after surgery and post-operative care, and a child with resulting spinal deformity whose gait improved once the spine was surgically straightened.
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