The 26-year-old has been suffering from back problems after an injury in training in January.
It had been hoped that the disc injury would heal itself with rest, but medical experts now believe surgery is needed to correct the problems ahead of the RWC 2003.
Vickery has won 29 caps for England since his Test debut in 1998 and captained his country to a 26-18 away win over Argentina in July 2002 and joins his England team-mate Lewis Moody on the sidelines following operations.
