QI Spine Clinic, a leading healthcare service provider focused on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic back and neck pain, plans to scale up its presence in India and grow from 28 clinics to 150 clinics in the next five years.

The plans to scale up have been prompted by the rising prevalence of back and neck conditions in India. Besides India, we are also planning to set up clinics abroad, preferably in the US, Europe and Middle East. Over the next decade, we aim to open 1,000 clinics globally. A large chunk of expansion will be funded by internal resources. In addition, we are looking to raise US$ 150 million over the next five years which will be utilised to expand geographical footprint and technology upgradation, said Anuj Arenja, MD and CEO, QI Spine Clinic.

Over the next five years, around 1,200 doctors will be taken on board by the company to serve people with back and neck conditions in the upcoming clinics, he informed.

Started its operation six years back, QI Spine Clinic has presence in 28 locations spreading over Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi across the country. With over 250 spine specialists and an expert orthopaedic panel comprising of India’s leading spine surgeons, it is the first healthcare provider in the country offering spine rehabilitation programme spanning over 4-12 weeks. It has prevented 5000 spine surgeries so far.

QI Spine’s multi-disciplinary clinical methodology is grounded on evidence-based studies published in the leading Spine journals and the latest clinical guidelines set out by European and American medical associations. A success rate of over 90% has seen QI Spine Clinic handle some of the toughest of back and neck cases in India, said Arenja.

Back pain is a generic symptom that may arise due to hundreds of different underlying medical conditions. QI Spine’s custom built clinic management system uses the intelligence generated in the treatment of over 47,000 patients, to bring an algorithm led, precision medicine approach to each and every case. QI has pioneered the Digital Spine Analysis (DSA), a spine function test to objectively diagnose and measure loss of flexibility and strength in specific muscle groups that are the cause of the pain. Another innovation is the Accelerated Spinal Muscle Regeneration protocol that targets and isolates the identified muscle groups in each patient, to accelerate their regeneration. Yet another advancement is our use of Frequency Specific Micro-currents, the safest and most effective method of Pain Management, said Dr. Garima Anandani, PT, clinical director, QI Spine Clinic.

Global clinical guidelines repeatedly emphasise that surgery and painkillers are neither warranted nor effective for over 90% of back pain cases. And such drastic treatment should be used only after conservative treatment methods, such as QI Spine’s, have been attempted without success. Yet the world over, private medical practice ignores these guidelines and millions of patients undergo expensive, traumatic and ultimately ineffective surgeries and treatments. This leads to increasing levels of patient frustration and dismay. Qi Spine partners with leading spine surgeons, neurosurgeons, rheumatologists and physicians to advocate a conservative approach to treating and curing back pain, she added.

80 per cent of back pain cases occur due to sedentary life styles and lack of physical exercise. Majority of sufferers are aged between 25-35 years.  The doctors at Qi Spine Clinic use advanced technology and latest research-based techniques to diagnose and isolate the root cause of back pain and customize treatment based on the diagnosis & patient history. We have treated 47,000+ patients without surgery, Dr Anandani added.