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ShareAbout 80 per cent of the world's population suffers from back pain at sometime in their life. But 52-year-old John Bradley from Queenstown, New Zealand, endured his chronic lower back pain for 20 long years.
His back pain was so debilitating that he even gave up the two loves of his life, skiing and golfing, entirely.
But thanks to a revolutionary four-hour long spine surgery, called lumbar disc replacement, conducted for the first time in Mumbai on Tuesday, Bradley will be able to go back to a completely normal life and even take up active sports in six months time.
"So far, the only treatment for this kind of discogenic problem was lumbar spinal fusion, where two or more vertebrae are welded together to eliminate pain caused by a damaged disc in the spine.
On Tuesday, we removed two discs from the patient's vertebral column and replaced them with artificial metal discs," explained Dr Arvind Kulkarni, consultant spinal and disc replacement surgeon, Bombay Hospital.
This is the first time in India that two discs from the lumbar (lower back) region of the vertebral column have been replaced with artificial discs. "The artificial disc replaces the degenerated disc and allows movement at that level, something that was not possible with fusion spine surgery," he added.
"While the technique is accepted abroad, there are no surgeons trained in disc replacement surgery in India," said Kulkarni, who has received training from hospitals in Australia and Canada.
As opposed to the knees that share the weight of the body equally, the back takes 100 per cent of the weight, as a result of which more people suffer from back problems than joint problems, say spine surgeons. Degenerative disc disease is a disorder of the spine that occurs when discs in the vertebral column are damaged.
"People with sedentary jobs who feel a recurring pain while sitting or bending forwards suffer from discogenic back pain and might require this surgery if the pain becomes debilitating," said Kulkarni.
"My job as a tour host for wineries in New Zealand, involved sitting for long periods and driving for long hours at a stretch," explained Bradley who is recuperating at Bombay Hospital.
A day after his surgery, Bradley was able to walk. In six months, say doctors at the Bombay Hospital, he will be able to get back to sports. But for now, Bradley wants to make the most of his visit to India. "I will be off next Sunday for a six-week vacation to Kerala."
