Surgery gets Afghan man's bomb blast-hit shoulder moving

Doctors at a private hospital here performed a reverse shoulder replacement on a 27-year-old Afgan man who had broken his shoulder joint in a bomb blast in that country, providing fresh movement in the foreigner's arm.
"The shoulder of the patient (Gulam Taraq) was badly injured and the cup and the ball was also damaged when he visited the hospital in February. The doctors in Afghanistan were unable to treat him and as referred by a friend he travelled to India," said Orthopedic Surgeon Dr Kaushal Kant Mishra of Primus Super-Specialty Hospital.
Tests and investigations indicated that normal surgery would not be beneficial as the case was severe. The doctors decided to attempt the procedure for a reverse shoulder replacement, surgery for which took place on February 19.

"Reverse Shoulder Replacement is designed specifically for use in shoulders that have a deficient rotator cuff and arthritis or complex fractures as well as other difficult shoulder reconstructions," said Mishra.
Such operation, he said, is meant for people in older age when the rotator cuff gets damaged naturally but in such accident cases the one at a very young age went through this surgery so that they can lead a normal life.
"Now, after the surgery, the patient is able to move his arm normally and in the span of three months he will be fit to do all his routine work," said Dr Kant.