Foot problem has roots in the back

bangalore: ever heard of a foot problem caused by the back? well, even ramaswamy (name changed) had not till he approached the doctors at the trinity hospital here. an agriculturist from kanakapura, 42-year-old ramaswamy had a nagging ache in the lower back for over eight months. he continued to work assuming it was an innocuous backache. soon, ramaswamy developed a wound on his right heel which simply refused to heal despite regular visits to doctors.a few months later, he was unable to walk properly because of the gaping and ever expanding wound. at first sight, orthopaedic surgeon dr h.s. chandrasekhar knew that something major was amiss. a few tests and the diagnosis was out. the farmer from kanakapura had a non-healing ulcer on his foot caused by a chronic lumbar disc problem. ``the disc problem had caused undue pressure on the nerve, causing loss of sensation over the heel area. this resulted in the ulcer making an appearance. without the root of the problem being tackled, the ulcer continued to fester,'' dr chandrasekhar says. following an mri scan of his spine, ramaswamy underwent surgery in which the disc causing compression over the nerve was removed by dr chandrasekhar and his team. at the same time, plastic surgeon dr anand performed a neuro- vascular flap to cover the wound over the heel. following this, ramaswamy realised what it was to feel sensation in his heel again. he was relieved of the pain as well. says dr chandrasekhar, ``the message is simple. do not neglect a seemingly simple problem of long-standing backache. delay in initiation of treatment can even result in the loss of a limb. for us the catchline is -- a stitch in time saves a limb.'' (trinity hospital in basavanagudi can be contacted on 6563994/ 6563995).