In the News

Osteoporosis and kyphotic deformity: A very real risk for post-menopausal women

Loss of bone mass during the post-menopausal period may cause abnormal spinal curvature and deformity. Dr Thomas Joseph Kishen from Manipal Hospitals shares a case of a 71-year-old woman who developed osteoporosis-induced kyphotic deformity.

International Scoliosis Awareness Day: All You Need To Know About Scoliosis, What Are The Causes And Treatments

A normal spine appears straight when observed from the back. Scoliosis (derived from Greek word – skolios – meaning crooked) refers to an abnormal sideward curvature of the spine.

Techies arrange 21-bed oxygen care centre in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: The frantic hunt for hospital beds and oxygen amenities by households of Covid-19 sufferers is an all too acquainted predicament now. In a bid to stabilise sufferers and provides their kin respiratory house to discover a mattress, a bunch of techies have pooled cash and arrange a 21-bed oxygen care centre within the metropolis.

Techies set up 21-bed oxygen care centre in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: The frantic hunt for hospital beds and oxygen facilities by families of Covid-19 patients is an all too familiar predicament now. In a bid to stabilise patients and give their kin breathing space to find a bed, a group of techies have pooled money and set up a 21-bed oxygen care centre in the city.

Bengaluru doctor donates gadgets to poor students

MYSURU: Lodge of Light, a Freemasons Group led by Dr Thomas Joseph Kishen donated seven laptops and three smartphones to the students of Government PU college in Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada and a student from Ejipura in the state capital.

This volunteer army provides relief to migrant workers

"Women, children and adolescent girls are the worst affected. Besides food, there are concerns of their health, hygiene and physical safety," said Kavita Ratna of the CWC. "In Krishnappa Garden, one of our locations, there is a pregnant woman. There is no Public Health Centre close by. We have identified the nearest PHC and requested the area councillor to facilitate her delivery," said Kavita. Well-known spine surgeon Dr Thomas Kishen of Manipal Hospital, on "behalf of the Lodge of Light – a Freemasons Lodge", launched his free food distribution drive from April 1, when he turned his car into a container of 400 cooked food packets for migrant workers and their children, camped in a government school off Hennur Road. "We will continue distribution of food till the lockdown ends," said Dr Kishen.

Dr Thomas Joseph Kishen

Bumpy roads in Bengaluru give young adults pain in the back

Source: The New Indian Express

BENGALURU: Recently, a Bengaluru man visited Columbia Asia Hospital in Hebbal with complaints of a severe back pain, which hindered his ability to sit as well. Surprisingly, the 30-year-old was dealing with a condition that mainly occurs post the age of 50 years. In another case, a 25-year-old visited Manipal Hospital on Old Airport road with a similar complaint. In both cases, doctors found that both the youngsters' commute to work involved bad road conditions.

Dr Thomas Joseph Kishen from Manipal Hospital on Old Airport Road pointed out that unscientifically built road bumps could also be at fault. "Leftover gravel on roads can cause sudden jerks too. Besides back pain, youngsters can also end up with head injuries or broken bones," he explained.

Growth Modulation in Scoliosis Surgery

Twintessential Troupers

Source: Deccan Chronicle

At the ripe age of 17, these twin girls are giving hope to children who are suffering from Scoliosis but are unable to afford treatment due to monetary constraints. They believe that every child needs to get equal opportunity to address the condition

Scoliosis survivor twins spearhead awareness campaign

Source: Times Of India

This is probably the largest scoliosis-screening programme in the country. While the cause among adolescents can be found out, its identification is tough as the person suffering from it does not feel pain, despite having an abnormal curve in the spine. It's important to conduct screening for schoolchildren," said Dr Thomas J Kishen, co-founder, Scoliosis Foundation of India

Well-wishers crowdfund essential surgery for young Bengaluru achiever

Source: The Hindu

Dr. Thomas Kishen, spine surgeon at Manipal Hospitals, who is treating Bhavya, said, "Along with scoliosis, she had a problem in her spinal cord which, over time, could weaken her legs. A surgery was needed to prevent this." He added that the surgery was successful and they were waiting to see how she fared over the coming days.

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Spine Clinic In Kolkata, West Bengal

Bartaman Pg Image

Inauguration of Manipal Hospital Information Centre at Mysuru

Spine Myths Busted

An altruistic �DOC�trine

They learn, they teach, they constantly embellish their knowledge. Then some go a step further to give back. Not many know that the word doctor actually comes from the Latin word doctoris meaning teacher, informs spine surgeon Dr Thomas Kishen who has taken the onus on himself to teach.

With his first-of-its-kind Bone School, Dr Kishen imparts very specific teaching programmes to young Orthopaedic trainees. The doctor with a graduate certificate on teaching from the University of New South Wales, keeps his Sundays for this free training. �It is so fulfilling to teach the next generation of orthopaedic doctors. Everybody does a regular teaching programme, but the Bone School is a one-of-its-kind entity which teaches topics with faculty and doctors coming in from all over India. I started it at Sparsh, and now it�s at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru, a one-day session where 40 to 50 PGs come on Sunday, and every month, we focus on a separate topic � bone parts, tieing knots, bone models,� says the spine surgeon.

An altruistic ‘DOC’trine

Spine Myths Busted

Twisting your neck can lead to serious injury

It is never advisable to have your neck manipulated to relieve simple aches, says Dr Thomas Kishen

Ramaswamy a 45 year old had same riggling neck pain for a few days. At the end of his hair cutting session, he allowed the hair dresser to massage his neck and head and as a parting gift, the barber held his chin with one hand and the top of his head with the other hand an d forcefully twisted his neck to the left and right producing a cracking sound.

This left Ramaswamy writing in agony with an electric shock like sensation and pain in his neck, right arm and forearm. Despite the barber's reassurance, Ramaswamy's pain did not subside and he spent a restless night in bed. As the pain was not settling down even after a couple of days, he decided to visit a hospital.

Ramaswamy was diagnosed to have a slipped disc in his neck that compressed a nerve that travelled down his right arm and forearm causing mild weakness in his muscles and numbness in his arm. The pain prevented him from going to work for a few weeks before it subsided.

It is a common practice for hair dresser in India and neighboring Asian countries to massage and twist the neck after a haircut. While a majority of patients get away unharmed, a few people like Ramaswamy may land in trouble. Fortunately, Ramaswamy's symptoms (pain, weakness and numbness) subsided with some medications and rest. There have been reports in medical journals of people having a stroke following neck manipulation due to damage to the arteries (blood vessel) that carry blood to brain. Others have had bleeding around the spinal cord and spinal cord injury and paralysis following neck manipulation.

These medical reports have followed neck manipulation by trained chiropractors who do not twist the neck all the way till the chin touches the shoulder (high velocity low amplitude technique). Our hair dressers, despite their good intentions, tend to forcefully twist the neck till the chin touches the shoulder (high velocity low amplitude technique) which theoretically has a greater potential of damaging the arteries around the neck causing bleeding around the spinal cord or resulting in a slipped disc.

Hence, it is advisable not to get a neck manipulation performed after a haircut. A majority of simple neck aches that occur on and off, without radiation (spread) to the arms, settle down with neck strengthening exercise and the occasional use of pain relieving gel followed by a hot water fomentation.

(The author is a surgeon)