Dheeraj Kumar, 28 from Jodhpur in Rajasthan didn’t stand up straight for nearly 15 years. Now, he doesn’t have enough words to thank the doctors of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Delhi who helped him stand straight after 15 years.
Dheeraj’s life was as normal as anyone’s till 2001. It all started with a rheumatic fever.
“Upon detailed investigation, he was diagnosed with spondylitis of a severe nature, medically known as Ankylosing spondylitis with severe kyphotic deformity of the spine (hunchback) with ankylosed hip joints. The initial ailment in Dheeraj was a bilateral hip pain and he was treated for rheumatic fever in 2001. However, the response to the treatment was poor and soon flexion deformity of bilateral hips set in. The right hip was the first to be affected. By 2012, the deformity progressively spread as a complete flexion deformity of bilateral hips with thighs in contact with the abdomen.” said Dr Gururaj Sangondimath, Consultant – Spine Surgery, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi.
When he walked into the hospital, doctors knew this is not going to be an easy task. His back was curved, curved enough that the spine was almost parallel to the ground. Because of this problem, Dheeraj needed the support of a stick while walking. He seemed to be sitting even when he was sleeping.
Though Dheeraj has undergone a total hip replacement surgery earlier this year, it partially improved Dheeraj’s condition. He was able to get out of bed and move with support but still had difficulty in activities of personal care. That’s when the doctors ascertained that a spine deformity corrective surgery might be the solution to Dheeraj’s condition.
“Even for a spine deformity corrective surgery, there were major challenges that we needed to consider. For such a major deformity, any minor error could mean that Dheeraj could develop post-operative complexities like weakness in lower limbs, intestinal obstruction, blindness, and aortic dissection – all of which can be life-threatening. After much deliberation, systematic evaluation, the team of doctors carried out corrective osteotomies and fixation surgery on Dheeraj to correct his deformity in an 8-hour long surgery,” said Dr Sangondimath.
“The surgery was successful and the patient is recovering well with mild weakness in the left lower limb. Now, he can sleep properly on the bed and is able to stand with a forward gaze. We are hopeful that he will be able to lead a normal life soon,” he added.
The results made Dheeraj and his family so delighted as they never thought that he would be back to normal. He is continuing to undergo physiotherapy sessions.

Image: Asian Age

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/man-with-curved-back-stands-straight-after-15-yrs/article25315677.ece
https://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-after-15-years-man-with-curved-spine-stands-straight-delhi-hospital-2677784

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