Paul Rhys Davies: Consultant Spinal Surgeon, Cardiff, South Wales

Mr Davies is a Consultant Spinal Surgeon, based in Cardiff, South Wales and the Vale of Glamorgan. He treats conditions ranging from neck and low back pain (including sciatica) to complex conditions such as scoliosis, tumour, trauma, osteoporotic collapse and sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Mr Davies has a particular interest in sports related spinal conditions having treated many international and recreational athletes.

Mr Davies is the senior and most experienced Fellowship trained Spinal Surgeon in South Wales. Mr Davies is based at the University Hospital of Wales, and the University of Llandough Hospital, Cardiff. His private practice is carried out at the Diagnostic and Interventional Spine Centre (D.I.S.C.) in Vale Healthcare's Cardiff Bay Clinic and at The Vale Hospital.

Mr Davies was born in Cardiff and is a Welsh speaker, having been schooled at Rhydfelen Welsh school. Thereafter he gained a sports scholarship to Millfield (tennis and rugby) and subsequently went to Westminster Medical School to pursue a career in medicine. Having completed his medical degree he went on to be an anatomy tutor and surgical registrar at St Thomas' Hospital, London.

Spinal surgery training and specialistion

Mr Davies then trained in orthopaedics and spinal surgery at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, and was senior spinal fellow at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham. He was a senior registrar at St Bartholomews' and the Royal London Hospital. He was also awarded the Charles Manning Scoliosis Prize and travelled to the Twin Cites Scoliosis unit in Minneapolis and to the spinal unit in Berck, France as part of his training.

Having turned down offers of posts in London, he decided to return to his roots in Cardiff at the University Hospital of Wales in order to set up a spinal unit. He was the first Fellowship trained whole time spinal surgeon to be appointed in Cardiff over 14 years ago. In the last 10 years he has been joined in the unit by 6 other spinal surgeons and is the Senior Clinician in the Spinal Unit. The Cardiff Spinal Unit now has a national and international reputation for spinal surgery. The unit is one of the two European reference centres for spinal surgery within the UK and is recognised as being one of the busiest spinal departments in the country.

Mr Davies has a specialist interest in scoliosis and complex spinal surgery. He also treats all aspects of neck and back pain using new and innovative minimally invasive techniques. He has lectured extensively both at home and abroad and has demonstrated new and state of the art spinal surgical techniques to surgeons in the UK and Europe. He is involved in teaching neurosurgical and orthopaedic trainees on the All Wales Orthopaedic Training Scheme and is proud of the fact that he has inspired several of these trainees to become consultant spinal specialists locally in Cardiff, nationally and internationally (even as far as Australia!)

Mr Davies was the Host Chairman of the Britspine meeting held in Cardiff in 2006, and has served as an executive on the British Scoliosis Society committee.

Spine surgeon in Cardiff, South Wales

Mr Davies carries out his private clinics at the Diagnostic and Interventional Spine Centre in Vale Healthcare’s Cardiff Bay Clinic and The Vale Hospital. The clinic and hospital provide access to

diagnostic tests (X-ray, screening, Ultrasound, and MRI), physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathic therapy, all on one site. Patients are often seen, diagnosed with a scan and treated on the same day. It is therefore a one-stop clinic, with immediate access to non operative therapy such as physiotherapy and rehabilitation, osteopathy and injection techniques. When non-operative treatment fails to help it is sometimes necessary to consider surgery, and Mr Davies routinely carries out open operations in the local private hospital.

Mr Davies also practises at Vale Healthcare’s brand new Vale Hospital, a state of the art independent hospital at Hensol (in the Vale of Glamorgan) within the wonderful setting of the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel, with its spa and sporting facilities. The hospital forms part of the same campus as the Cardiff Blues Rugby Football, Cardiff City Football training facilities, and the WRU training grounds. The new Vale Hospital has unparalleled facilities for private care and sets new standards of care for patients in South Wales.

Private neck and back treatments available

Non operation and advanced minimally invasive techniques can be used to treat a variety of neck and back problems. Neck pain accompanied by shoulder or arm pain (radicular pain) can be treated by cervical facet joint injections or cervical nerve root injections.

Low back pain and sciatica can also be treated by injection techniques. These techniques include:

Lumbar facet injections
Lumbar nerve root blocks for sciatica
Radiofrequency treatment to facets and discs (e.g. percutaneous nucleoplasty or IDET)
Spondylolysis can be treated by pars injections
Caudal and lumbar epidurals for spinal stenosis and prolapsed intervertebral discs
Coccydinia can be treated by injection therapy
Vertebroplasty for osteoporotic fractures

Thoracic disc disease can also be treated non operatively.

Spinal surgery offered by Mr Davies in Cardiff

Operations are sometimes required and are carried out usually if conservative treatment fails to help.

A full and detailed discussion of the surgery intended will occur with every patient who requires surgery.

Operations carried out for neck pain and cervical prolapsed discs

Anterior cervical disc replacement or anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Sometimes posterior surgery to the cervical spine is necessary, e.g. in cervical myelopathy.

Operations for lower back pain and sciatica

Lumbar minidiscectomy/lumbar discectomy/lumbar decompression for disc prolapse, spinal stenosis or lumbar facet ganglion nerve compression
Interspinous devices via minimally invasive techniques can be implanted to alleviate neural stenosis – e.g. Xstop, Coflex, Wallis ligament
Spinal fusion is the gold standard for treatment of spondylolisthesis or spondylolysis with around 80% success rate
Lumbar disc replacement
Lumbar fusion for degenerative lumbar disc disease and facet joint disease
Soft stabilisation – such as Wallis ligament reconstruction, DSS and Dynesis
Scoliosis and Scheuermann’s kyphosis correction with titanium rods and fusion
XLIF and degenerative scoliosis as well as paediatric and adolescent scoliosis
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction treatment: DIANA technique. Mr Davies was the first British surgeon to undertake the DIANA technique for sacroiliac joint pathology in the UK.

Mr Davies is extremely experienced at these techniques and anterior and posterior lumbar interbody fusions for different conditions.

Fracture fixations
Tumour – metastatic spine disease – fixation
When neurological deficit or pain are present

Spine surgery clinical and research interests, teaching and publications

Mr Davies has a keen interest in both clinical and basic scientific research involving the spine and has published many papers in peer review journals. He is constantly looking at new developments and new treatment in spinal surgery having been involved in clinical trials of new surgical techniques and implants.

Mr Davies' main clinical interests include scoliosis – he set up the scoliosis clinic at Llandough and established clinic in Swansea. Clinical research projects are a regular part of the spinal unit day to day work in Cardiff. Basic science research projects in conjunction with the University have been set up to look at various spinal applications and new techniques. Mr Davies has been instrumental in setting up many teaching and clinical educational courses. He has been a faculty member of many peer review spinal courses, this includes chairing several of them.

In addition to this work, Mr Davies is a senior 'Governor' of SWS (Support with Scoliosis), a charitable organisation specifically interested in promoting information and knowledge about scoliosis in south Wales.

In the last two years, Mr Davies has been to Zambia in Africa to carry out charitable spinal surgery work at the Beit CURE International Hospital in Lusaka.

Locations for spinal surgery

Cardiff
Vale of Glamorgan
South Wales

Professional qualifications

M.B. B.S. (London) 1987
F.R.C.S.
F.R.C.S. (Orth)

Sports, hobbies and personal interests

Mr Davies has a strong sporting background having played rugby to senior county (Oxfordshire) and first class standard with London Welsh before the professional era. He also played tennis to a high standard and was a junior Welsh representative and champion. He still play competitive tennis. He completed the Etap du Tour cycling event in 2007 from Foix to Loudenville which was a great cycling feat especially carrying a few extra pounds!! Mr Davies is also a keen sailor but most of the time he enjoys supporting his family with their activities!