Cervical Corpectomy Treatment in India

Pooja Joshi, a 42-year-old elementary school...

Pooja Joshi, a 42-year-old elementary school teacher and mother of two, had been living with worsening neck pain for over a year. An avid gardener, she began noticing a persistent ache that radiated down her right arm, causing weakness in her hand that made holding chalk and grading papers difficult. Her symptoms progressed to include occasional clumsiness in her legs and a feeling of 'pins and needles' in her fingers. An MRI revealed severe cervical spinal stenosis and a large disc herniation at the C5-C6 level, compressing her spinal cord, a condition called myelopathy. Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Sharma, explained that the pressure on her spinal cord was causing the neurological symptoms and, if left untreated, could lead to permanent nerve damage. He recommended a cervical corpectomy to remove the damaged vertebra and disc, followed by a fusion to stabilize her spine. Terrified of surgery near her spinal cord but more afraid of losing her ability to teach and care for her children, Pooja consented. The surgery was long, but successful. Her post-operative recovery in the hospital was challenging, with a neck brace and initial difficulty swallowing, but the radiating arm pain was gone immediately. After six weeks of strict rest and three months of physical therapy, she regained strength in her hand and leg. A year later, she is back in her classroom and can garden again, albeit more carefully. Her emotional journey was one of profound fear, fear of paralysis, of being a burden, giving way to immense relief and gratitude for regained function and a pain-free life.