Surgery for Spasticity Treatment in India

Emma Reddy, a 28-year-old graphic designer,...

Emma Reddy, a 28-year-old graphic designer, had her life upended by a car accident three years ago. The traumatic brain injury she sustained left her with severe spasticity in her right arm and hand. Her once-dexterous fingers were now clenched into a tight, painful fist, making her profession impossible and simple tasks like dressing a daily struggle. Despite years of intensive physical therapy, oral medications, and Botox injections, the stiffness and painful muscle spasms only worsened, causing her shoulder to dislocate frequently. Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Chen, recommended Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), a procedure to carefully cut the overactive nerve rootlets in her spine that were causing the spasticity. Terrified of another major surgery but desperate for change, Emma agreed. The surgery was long and precise. The initial days of recovery in the hospital were challenging, with significant pain and weakness in her limb. However, within weeks, the relentless tightness was gone. With dedicated post-op rehabilitation, she slowly regained voluntary movement. A year later, while her hand isn't what it was, she can hold a stylus, create digital art again, and hug her niece without pain. Emotionally, she moved from a place of grief and frustration over her lost abilities to one of cautious hope and immense gratitude for the chance to reclaim parts of her identity and independence.