New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS): A Mumbai-based chain opened two clinics here Thursday promising to provide effective diagnosis and treatment -- without needless surgery -- for spinal problems.

"Qi Spine Clinic", which till now had a presence only in Mumbai, began its Delhi operations by opening a clinic each in Greater Kailash-1 in south Delhi and Punjabi Bagh in west Delhi.

"The treatment for back pain usually starts with MRIs and X-ray tests which only detect (troubled spots in) the bones that carry 30 percent of the body's weight and not the muscles on which the other 70 percent rests," said Nithiij Arenja, managing director of Qi Lifecare, which owns the clinics.

"As a result, the patient either ends up popping pain killers for years or undergoes surgery which less than two percent of all patients actually need.

"This is where we come in by providing effective diagnosis and focused treatment," he said.

According to Arenja, a "Digital Spinal Analysis" test with the help of five patented computer-controlled devices helps in identifying the causes of back pain by scanning the bones and muscles.

"This accuracy in diagnosis makes the treatment path precise and effective when compared to other treatments that take months and years," he said.

The first Qi Spine Clinic was launched in 2010 in Mumbai. It now has five clinics in India's financial capital and claims to have treated some 5,000 patients with a success rate of 93 percent.