Low Back Pain — Understood, Treated, Relieved.

The most common causes of low back pain are mechanical in nature — meaning related to the spine’s structures rather than systemic disease. These include degenerative disc disease (wear and tear of the intervertebral discs), facet joint arthritis (spondylosis), herniated or slipped disc (pressing on nearby nerves), muscle or ligament strain, and sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Over 90% of low back pain presentations are non-specific mechanical pain that can be managed without surgery when properly diagnosed and treated.

Yes — the vast majority of low back pain, including slipped disc, spondylosis, sciatica and spondylolisthesis, can be successfully managed without surgery. Interventional pain treatments such as epidural steroid injections, radiofrequency ablation, facet joint blocks, transforaminal nerve root blocks and regenerative therapies like PRP offer targeted, evidence-based relief. Surgery is reserved for a small minority of cases with severe structural instability, cauda equina syndrome, or those who have not responded to conservative and interventional management.

Low back pain is pain localised to the lumbar region of the spine. Sciatica is a specific subtype where the sciatic nerve — the longest nerve in the body — is compressed or irritated, causing pain to radiate from the lower back through the buttock and down the leg, sometimes reaching the foot. Sciatica is most often caused by a slipped disc or bone spur pressing on a nerve root at L4, L5 or S1. It is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and identifying the exact nerve root and cause is essential for targeted treatment.

Yes — these terms all describe the same condition. A slipped disc, herniated disc, prolapsed disc and ruptured disc all refer to when the soft gel-like nucleus (nucleus pulposus) of an intervertebral disc pushes through a tear or weakness in the tougher outer ring (annulus fibrosus). This material can press on adjacent nerve roots, causing local back pain, sciatica, numbness or muscle weakness. The term “slipped disc” is a slight misnomer — the disc does not actually slip out of place; rather, its contents herniate.

You should seek specialist care if your low back pain: (1) lasts longer than 6 weeks without improvement; (2) is getting progressively worse; (3) is accompanied by leg numbness, tingling or weakness; (4) is interfering with sleep or daily activities; or (5) is not responding to physiotherapy and over-the-counter pain medications. Additionally, any of the red flag symptoms listed on this page (such as bladder/bowel dysfunction or bilateral leg weakness) require urgent same-day assessment.

At IBAP Clinics, Hyderabad, we offer a full spectrum of evidence-based interventional treatments including epidural steroid injections (interlaminar, transforaminal and caudal), medial branch blocks, facet joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, sacroiliac joint interventions, PRP regenerative therapy, intradiscal procedures and — for refractory complex pain — spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal drug delivery systems. All procedures are performed under fluoroscopic guidance to the same standards practised in leading UK pain centres.

Spondylolisthesis occurs when one vertebra slips forward over the vertebra below it — most commonly at L4–L5 or L5–S1. It is graded I–IV based on severity. Grade I and II spondylolisthesis (less than 50% slip) are typically managed non-surgically with targeted physiotherapy, epidural injections and radiofrequency denervation to control pain and stabilise the affected segment. Grade III–IV or rapidly progressive cases may require surgical stabilisation. At IBAP Clinics, we thoroughly assess each case and will only refer for surgery when non-surgical options have been appropriately trialled.