Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Oct 23: Ilizarov, a Russian technique established at bone and joint hospital by Dr Altaf Ahmad Kawoosa Head of Department, is proving to be a boon for orthopaedic patients as this technique has been transforming lives of people having no hopes of successful treatment.
Several patients who spoke to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that they came raw and hopeless from Delhi, Chandigarh and other areas but at B&J hospital Srinagar, they were treated successfully.
Feroz Ahmad (name changed) one of such patients from Pampore area of Pulwama told KNO that he had fractured his leg in his childhood but after years long treatment locally and even outside J&K for treatment worsened condition and remained disabled for nearly 25 years.
“I was hopeless as I wasn’t able to walk for a long time and after that one of our relatives told me to visit B&J hospital Srinagar,” he said, adding, Dr Altaf at first sight advised me to be patient and that I would be fine very soon.
Feroz said he was unable to even walk or stand well but with Dr Altaf’s treatment, he is 95 percent fit and has been doing all the work now like normal people do.
Dr Altaf treated me for around 17 consecutive months at the hospital and finally my treatment was successful.
Mashooq Ahmad (name changed) another patient from DH Pora Kulgam told KNO that he had fractured his leg during childhood and due to infection, one bone was removed from the leg.
“Due to removing one bone, my affected leg was at least 9 inch shorter than the other and I even went to Delhi for treatment for around two years but there was no improvement,” he said.
“I wasn’t able to walk without support and then suddenly there was pain in my other leg and I went to B&J hospital for treatment,” he said.
“Dr Altaf’s sight fell on me and he came to me and enquired all about my leg that was around 1 feet shorter than other leg but I tried to neglect him as I was hopeless as even I didn’t see any improvement when I was treated at AIIMS,” he said.
“Dr Altaf at first sight told me that he will lengthen my short leg and treat other associated deformities. I hadn’t even thought in my dream that I could walk without support,” he said.
“He treated me for around two years and my leg is now only one inch shorter now and I have been doing all the work without any support and all credit goes to Dr Altaf,” he said.
Parents of other patients from the Pahalgam area said their child had feet backwards and were successfully treated at B&J hospital at Srinagar by Dr Altaf Kawoosa.
They said that one of his feet is 100 percent fit while the other has already recovered 80 percent and it is expected that his feet will also become fit in the coming months.
Other patients also said that they came raw from other states after year long treatments but were treated successfully through Ilizarov technique at Bone and Joint hospital by Dr Altaf. More than 1300 patients with such severe deformities due to fractures, non unions. Congenital anomalies like difficult club feet and neglected congenital dislocations, cerebral palsy and poliomyelitis have been successfully dealt with at bone and Joint surgery Hospital.
Notably, Ilizarov technique is a surgery involving an orthopedic external fixator applied to the limb to reconstruct, reshape or lengthen bones (usually of the limb).
External fixation is a surgical treatment where wires are passed through an incision into the affected bone and attached to a stabilizing frame encircling the affected limb.
Ilizarov surgery involves the use of a special device called an ‘Ilizarov apparatus or Ilizarov fixator’. It is recommended in difficult cases that are not amenable to conventional reconstruction techniques—(KNO)
