In a fresh lease of life, Jodhpur man is able to walk straight after 15 years
A 28-year-old patient from Jodhpur, who was suffering from a major hunchback since 2003, got a new lease of life after successful treatment at a Delhi-based hospital. Due to the major hunchback, the patient was not able see straight in front and could not walk without stick, the spine loop was so curved that he seemed to be sitting even when he was sleeping.
“Upon detailed investigation, he was diagnosed with spondylitis of a severe nature, medically known as Ankylosing spondylitis with severe kyphotic deformity of spine (hunchback) with ankylosed hip joints. The initial ailment of a bilateral hip pain in Dheeraj was first diagnosed in 2001 and he was treated for rheumatic fever. Later, he had been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis in 2003 . 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 spread as a complete flexion deformity of bilateral hips with thighs in contact with abdomen,” says Dr Gururaj Sangondimath, Consultant Spine Surgery, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC ).
The deformity of bilateral hips and spine made Dheeraj completely bed-ridden since 2015. He was operated on in April this year for a total hip replacement which partially improved Dheeraj's condition – he was able to get out of bed and move with support but did not gain the front gaze yet and still had difficulty in activities of personal care like bathing, wearing clothes, eating, etc.
At ISIC, doctors ascertained that a spine deformity
corrective surgery may be the solution to Dheeraj's condition. “Even for a spine deformity corrective surgery, there were major challenges that we needed to consider. But after much deliberation, systematic evaluation, the team of doctors at ISIC carried out corrective
osteotomies and fixation surgery on Dheeraj to correct his deformity in an 8-hour long surgery. The surgery went well and the patient recovered well with mild weakness he had in left lower limb with post-operative rehabilitation. Now, he can sleep properly on bed and is able to stand with forward gaze. We are hopeful that he will be able to lead a normal life very soon,” says Dr Gururaj Sangondimath.
After the operation, Dheeraj and his family are elated with the results of the surgery, as they never thought that he would ever walk straight again. However, Dheeraj continues to undergo physiotherapy.
Having walked and moved for the past 15 years in a different way, Dheeraj is gradually getting accustomed to the normal life. Dr Gururaj also wants to convey to the public that if these kinds of deformity surgeries are done at the right time, such severe deformity and complications associated with it can be prevented. He urged general public to be in touch with their doctors regularly and avoid developing such a deformity.