Dr. Anup P Nair didn't stumble into spine surgery. He pursued it with intention, building one of the most rigorous training paths you'll find among spine specialists in India. With over two decades of medical experience — and more than a decade specialising in neurosurgery and advanced spine care — he has spent years learning from the best, so his patients don't have to worry about anything less.
His journey began at Government Medical College, Calicut, where he completed his MBBS and later served as a Lecturer in General Surgery. He then went on to complete his MS in General Surgery at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, followed by his MCh in Neurosurgery at the prestigious SGPGIMS, Lucknow. He further deepened his expertise through a Post-Doctoral Certificate Course in Advanced and Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, and an Indo-Japanese Skull Base Fellowship in Japan.
Before joining Aster Medcity, he served as a Consultant at Lourdes Hospital, Kochi. Today, he is Senior Consultant in Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery at Aster Medcity, Kochi, and a Visiting Consultant — holding the designation of Specialist Neurosurgeon — at Medcare Hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah. He sees patients from across India and the Gulf region, drawn not just by his surgical skill, but by how he listens, explains, and genuinely cares about the person in front of him — not just the scan.
Here's something most people don't realize: your spine isn't just a stack of bones. It's a living, intricate structure made up of 33 vertebrae — 24 of which are movable, with the lower segments naturally fused — along with cushioning discs, nerves, ligaments, and muscles, all working together every single moment of every day. It holds you upright, lets you bend and twist, and most importantly, protects your spinal cord — the nerve superhighway that connects your brain to the rest of your body.
So when something goes wrong there, you feel it. Sometimes as a dull ache in your lower back after a long day. Sometimes as a sharp, shooting pain down your leg that wakes you up at night. Sometimes as tingling fingers or a neck that refuses to turn without protest.
The problem? Most of us shrug it off. We pop a painkiller, sleep it off, and convince ourselves it'll pass. And sometimes it does. But often, what starts as a minor annoyance quietly becomes something more serious — precisely because it wasn't taken seriously early enough. If your back pain has lasted more than two to three weeks, it's time to pay attention.
"Most spine conditions, when caught early, can be managed without surgery. The goal is always to restore function and eliminate pain — surgery is the last resort, not the first."
— Dr. Anup P Nair
Spine problems come in many forms. Some develop gradually over years. Others show up suddenly after an accident or awkward movement. Here's what Dr. Nair sees most often in his clinic — and what each condition actually means for you.
Think of your spinal discs like jelly doughnuts — a tough outer ring with a soft centre. When that outer ring weakens or tears, the soft inner material can push outward and press on a nearby nerve. The result? Radiating pain, numbness, or weakness — often shooting down the arm or leg depending on where in the spine the disc is affected. It sounds alarming, but most cases improve with the right treatment and time.
As we age, the canal through which the spinal cord runs can gradually narrow — a condition called stenosis. It most commonly affects the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) regions. When the cord or nerve roots get squeezed, it causes pain, cramping in the legs, and balance issues — typically worsening with walking and easing when you sit or lean forward. If your grandparent walks hunched over a shopping cart for relief, this could be why.
Most people associate scoliosis with school screenings in childhood, but it can develop at any age. It's an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine that also involves rotation — making it a three-dimensional condition. It can cause uneven shoulders, a prominent rib, or chronic back pain. Mild curves are monitored. More severe cases — especially when they start affecting breathing or quality of life — may need surgical correction.
This is when one vertebra slips forward over the one below it. The pain can be significant — particularly in the lower back and down into the legs. It's common in people who have done heavy manual labour for years, and is also frequently seen in athletes whose sports involve repeated hyperextension of the spine — such as gymnasts and cricket fast bowlers.
This is simply wear and tear — the natural aging of spinal discs as they lose water content, height, and shock-absorbing ability over time. Not everyone with degenerated discs has pain, but for many, it leads to chronic stiffness and aching that makes daily life harder than it should be.
Growths within or around the spinal column — whether benign or malignant — can press on the cord or nerves, causing pain that doesn't respond to usual treatments, along with progressive weakness or numbness. These cases demand early diagnosis and precisely planned surgery.
A fall from height, a road accident, a sports injury — any of these can fracture vertebrae or, in severe cases, injure the spinal cord itself. Speed of treatment here is critical. The faster the pressure on the cord is relieved, the better the chance of preserving movement and function.
These are rare but serious conditions at the point where the skull meets the top of the spine. Congenital defects, injuries, or inflammatory conditions in this region can compress the brainstem or upper spinal cord — requiring the kind of highly specialized surgery that Dr. Nair trained in Japan to master.
Children are not small adults — their spines are still growing, and conditions like early-onset scoliosis or congenital vertebral anomalies need treatment approaches tailored specifically to their developing anatomy. Getting the right care early can prevent a lifetime of complications.
If you're picturing a dramatic open-back surgery with a long, painful recovery, you're thinking of the old way. Spine surgery has transformed. At Aster Medcity's Centre for Spine Care — equipped with Stealth Station Neuro-Navigation, 3D C-Arm imaging, Leica Microscopes, and the Allen Spine System Table — Dr. Nair and his team perform procedures that would have seemed impossible just a decade ago.
Using small keyhole incisions instead of large cuts, MISS protects the muscles around the spine, dramatically reducing blood loss, post-operative pain, and recovery time. Many patients who once faced weeks in hospital now go home in a day or two — and return to work within weeks, not months.
A tiny camera guides the surgeon to the exact point of the problem — a slipped disc pressing on a nerve — and removes it through an incision smaller than your thumbnail. It is often done as day surgery. Patients who hobbled in leave walking comfortably.
When the spine itself is unstable — vertebrae slipping or shifting — this percutaneous fusion technique stabilises it through tiny punctures in the skin rather than a large open wound. Less disruption. Same solid result.
For patients with spinal stenosis, these procedures create more room for the spinal cord by removing or reshaping the bony arch of the vertebra. Relief can be dramatic — people who struggled to walk a hundred metres are often back to their normal lives within weeks.
Correcting a scoliosis or complex spinal curvature is intricate surgery, but the impact on a patient's life — their posture, confidence, breathing, and freedom from pain — can be life-changing.
This sounds terrifying, but it's a remarkable advancement. Performed under regional anaesthesia, the patient stays awake and can respond to questions during surgery. This gives the surgeon real-time neurological feedback — making the procedure safer and more precise than ever.
Think of neuronavigation as GPS for the spine. Combined with intraoperative imaging, it allows Dr. Nair to operate with millimetre-level accuracy — crucial when working centimetres from the spinal cord.
Dr. Nair is clear about one thing: he would far rather help you avoid his operating table than put you on it. Most spine problems are preventable — or at least manageable — if you take care of your back before it starts screaming for attention.
What makes care at Aster Medcity's Centre for Spine Care different isn't just the technology or the surgical expertise — though both are exceptional. It's the approach. Every patient who walks through the door is assessed by a multidisciplinary team: neurosurgeons, orthopaedic spine surgeons, interventional neuroradiologists, pain management specialists, rehabilitation therapists, and critical care experts — all working together, all focused on one goal: your recovery.
Not every spine problem needs surgery. In fact, the majority don't. Dr. Nair and his team explore every conservative option first — physiotherapy, pain management, and lifestyle changes — before considering any procedure. And when surgery is necessary, it's planned meticulously, performed precisely, and followed up with comprehensive spine rehabilitation.
Because the real measure of good spine care isn't a successful surgery. It's a patient who gets their life back.
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