Kumar had a curved back since 2003, curved enough that the spine was almost parallel to the ground and he was unable to walk without the help of a stick
Dheeraj Kumar, a 28-year-old man from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, has not stopped thanking the doctors at a Delhi hospital, who helped him stand straight after 15 years.
Kumar had a curved back since 2003, curved enough that the spine was almost parallel to the ground and he was unable to walk without the help of a stick. The doctors performed a spine deformity corrective surgery to help him walk again after he went completely bedridden in 2015.
"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.
Kumar had undergone a total hip replacement earlier this year but it had limited benefits and a spine deformity corrective surgery which was essential posed the risk of developing weakness in limbs and other complications. Despite the challenges, the doctors performed an eight-hour long operation to fix the deformity with minimal risk.
"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.
Dheeraj and his family have been elated with the results as they never thought that he would ever walk straight. Having walked for the past 15 years in a different way, Dheeraj is gradually getting accustomed to new ways.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Dheeraj Kumar")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}