Corpectomy Treatment in India

Aditya Joshi, a 58-year-old architect, had...

Aditya Joshi, a 58-year-old architect, had always been active, but a nagging pain in his neck and weakness in his hands began to derail his life. Over two years, the pain became constant, radiating down his arms. He started dropping his drafting tools, and his handwriting became shaky. An MRI revealed severe cervical spinal stenosis with a large disc herniation and bone spurs compressing his spinal cord at the C5-C6 level, a condition called myelopathy. His neurosurgeon, Dr. Mehta, explained that the pressure was causing permanent damage to the spinal cord nerves. She recommended a corpectomy to remove the damaged vertebra and disc, followed by fusion with a bone graft and plate to stabilize the spine and create space for the cord. Aditya was terrified; the idea of someone operating on his spine filled him with dread. He feared he might never draw again. The surgery lasted four hours. Waking up, his neck was stiff and sore, but the sharp, shooting arm pain was gone. He wore a rigid cervical collar for 12 weeks. Physical therapy was slow and frustrating, but he celebrated small victories, holding a pencil, then a coffee cup. Six months later, the weakness in his hands had significantly improved, and the constant pain was replaced by manageable stiffness. Emotionally, he journeyed from fear and loss of identity as an artist to immense gratitude and a redefined patience. He returned to work part-time, adapting his process, and found a new appreciation for his body's resilience.