Patient support

Request A Consultation

I want my patients to feel fully informed and supported throughout their treatment and it’s natural that you’ll have a lot of questions.

Below you’ll find an overview of how the consultation process works so that you feel prepared.

The next steps

Consultations

My private clinics take place at the Winfield Hospital, Gloucester or in Cheltenham at the Nuffield Hospital or Linton House. For information on clinic times and to make an appointment, please get in touch with my secretaries at the hospitals.

  • Initial consultation

    Referrals are usually made through your GP or physiotherapist.  At your initial consultation I will talk to you about your particular condition, previous medical history and medication, and carry out a medical examination.

    You will have opportunities to ask questions and I recommend you write down a list of questions to ask and bring it with you.

  • Investigations

    I will usually request X-rays or MRI scans of the affected area(s) and these are done at the hospital which you are seen at. If you are claustrophobic, I can arrange an open MRI scan.

    Other tests such as nerve conduction studies or blood tests may be required, depending on your condition.

  • Follow-up consultation

    Following a scan I will arrange to see you again to go through in detail what the scans and investigations show and make a definitive management plan for your condition.

    Depending on your results, you will be:

    • discharged back to your GP; or
    • reviewed again after 6-12 weeks; or
    • referred for other treatments like physiotherapy etc; or
    • offered an injection or surgery.

Spinal Injections

If a spinal injection is offered to you, this is a day-case procedure with local anaesthetic performed in the operating theatre under sterile conditions.

  • You will be able to go home 1-2 hours after the procedure.
  • It may be a little uncomfortable that evening or the next day but two days after the procedure you should be able to return to work and normal activities.
  • I would recommend that a relative or friend takes you home.
  • I will usually see you in clinic approximately 6-12 weeks after the procedure.

For more details on spinal injections please see the section on Treatments.

Spinal Surgery

There are many different types of spinal operations.

There is more information in the Treatments section but this should give you an idea of your expected recovery period.

  • Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery
    • Most people are up and out of bed the evening or the morning after surgery.
    • You should be able to eat normally straight away.
    • You can usually go home 1-2 days following the surgery.
    • I would recommend that a relative or friend takes you home.
    • An X-ray of the neck is taken before discharge and you will have a follow-up appointment six weeks after the surgery.
    • After discharge from the hospital there are no real restrictions except to be sensible and gradually increase your activities over six weeks.
    • You should be able to go back to work and drive after around six weeks.
  • Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery
    • Most people are up and out of bed the evening or the morning after surgery.
    • You should be able to eat normally straight away
    • You can usually go home 2-4 days following the surgery.
    • I would recommend that a relative or friend takes you home.
    • An X-ray of the neck is taken before discharge and you will have a follow-up appointment six weeks after the surgery.
    • After discharge from the hospital there are no real restrictions except to be sensible and gradually increase your activities over six weeks.
    • You may be required to wear a collar for six weeks.
    • You should be able to go back to work and drive after around six weeks.
  • Lumbar Spine Surgery
    • Most people are up and out of bed the evening or the morning after surgery.
    • You should be able to eat normally straight away.
    • For lumbar microdiscetomy and decompression procedures, you can usually go home 1-2 days following the surgery.
    • Patients who require instrumentation and fusion procedure usually go home 2-4 days after the procedure.
    • I would recommend that a relative or friend takes you home.
    • An X-ray of the back may be taken before discharge and you will have a follow-up appointment six weeks after the surgery.
    • After discharge from the hospital there are no real restrictions except to be sensible and gradually increase your activities over six weeks
    • You should be able to go back to work and drive after around six weeks.
    • A brace is not normally required.

Dear Mr Sundaram. I just wanted to write to say thanks for your thorough assessment and kind reassurance following my recent back injury. I am really very grateful to you for taking the mechanism of injury seriously and for organising such a prompt MRI scan.

Dear Mr Sundaram. Just a small note to say a huge thank you for helping me to be more active. The nerve block was less traumatic than I thought.

She came singing the praises of Mr Sundaram who has turned her life around with spinal surgery.

Mr Sundaram and his clinic staff, I can’t thank them enough for the care and attention they gave my son….