Scoliosis Surgery Abroad
If you’re living with scoliosis and facing long NHS wait times or high private fees in the UK, you may be looking at scoliosis surgery abroad.
Home › Orthopaedics › Scoliosis Surgery Abroad
What happens, step by step
Anaesthesia
General anaesthetic ensures you are fully asleep and pain-free
Procedure
The surgeon makes a midline incision along the spine, inserts metal rods, screws, and hooks to straighten and stabilise the spine, and performs a spinal fusion using bone grafts.
Post-Anaesthesia Recovery
You’re moved briefly to a recovery area where vital signs are monitored.
Duration
Surgery takes 4–6 hours depending on complexity.
Hospital Stay
7–10 nights in a private hospital suite with continuous monitoring and early physiotherapy.
Scoliosis Surgery Cost Comparison: UK vs Europe
Scoliosis treatment isn't one-size-fits-all, several types of surgeries may be recommended depending on the severity, age, and condition of the patient. These include spinal fusion, growing rods or vertebral body tethering (VBT), and more complex corrective procedures. Here's how the costs compare between the UK and several European destinations:
Learn more about scoliosis surgery costs.
Spinal Fusion Surgery
Growing Rods Surgery / Vertebral Body Tethering
Complex Corrective Surgery
Ask us about an operation abroad, free
Tell us what you're looking into. We send your enquiry to relevant, pre-vetted clinics, and up to 3 that can help contact you directly.
Thera is free for patients. No clinic can pay to change the prices we publish.
What Recovery Looks Like After Scoliosis Surgery
Week 1–2:
- Hospital stay, pain management, and assisted mobility begins.
Weeks 3–6:
- Walking with support, gradual physiotherapy, wound care.
Months 2–3:
- Return to light daily activities, improved mobility.
Months 4–6:
- Resume work or low-impact exercise (as advised).
Months 6–12:
- Full spinal fusion, return to normal lifestyle.
Ask the clinic whether it provides an individual rehab plan and remote check-ins once you are home, and arrange follow-up with a UK specialist.
Where Do UK Patients Go for Scoliosis Surgery?
Destinations UK patients often consider for scoliosis surgery include:
- Kaunas, Lithuania: spine clinics, some with English-speaking teams, and direct flights from London.
- Katowice, Poland: spinal surgeons in private hospitals, some with on-site rehab.
- Prague, Czech Republic: orthopaedic hospitals with modern imaging and surgical equipment.
Scoliosis surgery is highly specialised, so the surgeon's experience matters more than the city. You can browse clinics by country.
Is Scoliosis Surgery Overseas Safe?
It can be, but this is complex spinal surgery, and safety depends on the hospital and the surgeon rather than the country. Before you commit, check:
- The hospital's entry on its country's official register, and any ISO or other accreditation it claims
- The surgeon's professional register entry, where they trained, and how many scoliosis operations they carry out
- Whether the medical and nursing teams speak English
- What pre-op assessments and imaging are done, and what follow-up is arranged after you come home
Thera Travel never recommends a clinic. You can see what the official records say about a hospital, free.
Can I Pay With Finance?
Some clinics offer payment plans, and some lenders offer loans for medical treatment. Thera Travel does not arrange finance, so read any terms carefully.
What’s Included In The Price?
This varies by clinic. Ask for an itemised quote in writing covering surgery, hospital stay, implants, imaging and rehab, and check what is not included.
How Quickly Can You Be Treated?
Clinics abroad often offer surgery within 2 to 4 weeks, though this varies by clinic, surgeon and the complexity of your case.
How to Check a Clinic Before You Book
Five checks worth making before you pay anything:
- Check the register: find the hospital on its country's official register, under the legal name on the quote.
- Check the surgeon: get their name in writing and look them up on their professional register.
- Read the reviews: include the low-rated ones, and make sure the Google listing is the actual hospital.
- Get it in writing: an itemised quote showing what is included and what is not.
- Plan for problems: ask what happens if something goes wrong once you are home.
For more, see the 15 questions to ask a clinic.
Related Guides
- Scoliosis Surgery Cost in Poland: What UK Patients Actually Pay in 2026
- NHS Scoliosis Surgery Waiting Time: What Patients Are Actually Facing in 2026
What it costs: Scoliosis surgery cost · NHS scoliosis surgery waiting times
Clinics UK patients look at
The four with the most Google reviews among the orthopaedic clinics we hold. Each has a free page with its records.
Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, Chennai
KIMS-Sunshine Hospitals, Begumpet
Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda
Yashoda Hospitals, Malakpet