VHS Hospital successfully performs surgery on a 15 year old girl with Scoliosis
- Scoliosis (abnormal curvature in spine) if not treated at an early stage leads to lung diseases, reduces life expectancy
- 1% of children between 0 -18 years of age have Scoliosis, ie 5 million kids in India as per 2018 survey
- More than 60% leave it untreated in India
Chennai , 1st September 2021 : Scoliosis is a curvature in spine, which develops in children at any age. If not treated early, the condition can lead to complications like lung disease, poor quality of life, difficulty in walking, and severe back pain on exertion. In India, 5 million children suffer from deformity in the spine and out of this more than 60% leave untreated because of lack of awareness and poor socioeconomic status of the family.
This being the scenario, Voluntary Health Services Hospital, Chennai successfully treated a 15 year old girl who suffered from Scoliosis for the last couple of years. “The patient developed a hunchback couple of years ago and eventually the condition worsened to an extent where she was unable sleep flat, walk freely and had breathing issues as well. Upon several consultations, a surgery was not provided fearing the probability of lower limb paralysis. The patient then reached out to our hospital, and upon examination we decided to go ahead with the surgery and we instilled confidence in her parents, who were worried if she will ever be able to walk again,” says Dr Vignesh Pushparaj, Consultant Orthopaedic and Spine Surgeon, VHS, Chennai.
The patient was diagnosed with Scoliosis and recommended corrective surgery, and post surgery the patient was able to walk normally within two days. ” Usually, the method of bracing is recommended for younger population, to slow down the progress of curvature or reduce the bent on the spine. In many case the patient as asked to wear Braces to correct the spine posture, but in this patient, brace was not an option because of the severity of the curve. With much advanced technology in the medical field today, conditions like Scoliosis can be treated effectively with less to no complications depending on the severity of the case,” adds Dr. Vignesh.
A Scoliosis can be identified in a child as young as 3 years, if there are crooked shoulders (difference in height of both the shoulders), body is bent towards one side, larger gap between waist and arm on one side, difficulty in breathing and hunch over the back while bending forward.
“The success and precision of surgery is much larger when detected at a very early stage. Also, it helps the child to grow and lead a normal life like others. More young female children are affected when compared to boys. In many parts of the country, scoliosis (Hunchback) is a poor man’s disease. Lot of them do not approach the Spine specialist due to the expensive nature of the treatments. However, in VHS hospital, we provide surgeries and treatments at free of costs especially for those from a poor economic background where children get the support from our administration and help with funding the surgery from our kind Donors” he adds.
To help a Scoliosis child lead a normal life kindly donate to VHS Donations – 98847 30000