Q: My 33 years old brother-in-law is having severe low back pain for more than a year. He cannot stand for more than 10 minutes. He used to take Neurobion 20 for the same about 4-5 years back. He has multi level prolapsed inter-vertebral discs and secondary canal stenosis. He took Flunil 20 and Neugaba 75, but in vain. Several black spots have also developed on his body. Now, the doctor has prescribed Epidural injection in the back. Is it advisable to take this injection? Or, should he go for surgery? Please advise.

A:Your brother-in-law will make a considerable recovery (close to 90%) with surgery. Surgery will be in the form of Micro Endoscopic Internal Decompression of Spinal Stenosis (IDSS) in case the spine is stable. The surgery is performed using a keyhole, the advantages being a smaller incision, minimal blood loss, minimal post-operative pain, early mobilisation etc. In case the spine is unstable, spinal fusion using instrumentation needs to be performed. The hospital stay will last for 5-7 days.