Even though the civic body claims to have solved the pothole problem in the city, doctors say they are attending to an increasing number of patients who have suffered because of them.
Even though the civic body claims to have solved the pothole problem in the city, doctors say they are attending to an increasing number of patients who have suffered because of them.
Every year, they treat people complaining of backache, neck pain, shoulder dislocation and even miscarriages because of the sudden jerks caused by gaping trenches.
“Just this week, I treated two patients whose rickshaw toppled because of potholes,” said Dr Sanjeev Jain, consultant orthopedic surgeon, LH Hiranandani Hospital, Powai. Jain added: “And this is just the beginning of monsoon. In a few weeks, we will start receiving patients suffering from back and neck pain because of the jerks during commutes on city roads, especially in auto rickshaws.”
Dr Jain, however, clarified that there has been no detailed study on the subject. “That said, at least half of our patients suffer from this kind of pain due to travelling in autos during monsoon.”
Dr Samir Dalvie, consultant spine surgeon at PD Hinduja Hospital in Mahim said, “Neck and back problems increase during monsoon because of the potholes. It also aggravates the problem of people who are already have backaches.”
Apart from these problems, riding through potholes can also cause miscarriages among pregnant women. In 2004, Dr Narendra Malhotra, the then-president of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society of India, and gynaecologist Dr Pranay Shah conducted a study among 200 women in the city who had had two or more abortions. They found that nearly 3% of pregnancies are lost are because of bad roads and related factors.
“We have had such episodes of miscarriages in the past, particularly in high-risk pregnancies. In cases where there is a low-lying placenta, women can bleed at any time. A normal healthy pregnancy can tolerate these jerks better,” explained consultant gynaecologist Reshma Dhillon Pai.
She added that in cases where the rickshaw topples with the pregnant woman inside, there can be significant trauma and bleeding. There can even be episodes of back or knee injury. “That is why we advise women not to travel extensively, especially in auto rickshaws, during pregnancy,” she said.
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