 Hi friends, I am Dr. Amritlar Mascarinis, Consultant Spine Surgeon at Manipal Hospital, Millerswood. So today we are here to discuss with three of our guests about their spinal ailments. Our first guest today is Rupak. So he was seriously into cricket and he came with back egg. We found that he had a small crack in the spine because of repetitive stress and we planned his treatment and now he is back to his sport. He was 16, now he was 13 at that time and now he's able to get back into regular mainstream competitive cricket and Vijay is his dad. He must be nice enough to accompany him and to give his inputs on the same. So Rupak, what were you feeling at the time when two and a half years ago? What was it that you were suffering from? Actually, I had been selected for under 14 zonal cricket matches and due to vigorous training I had back pain. My back pain had started, but still I continued through my practice sessions. You were able to bowl and back? Yes, it was hurting, but I tried and I got selected also for my zonals. But then later after the selection, the pain had increased. So due to it, Ja, I came to you. So that's a young sports person who's trying to make his career as a cricketer. So they put in a lot of effort. There's a lot of time and a lot of resources that are used and support from the family which actually makes a player what he is today. So as a parent, what were your thoughts after with all these so much of time and hopes and aspirations and then when he came to me, I got an x-ray and a CT scan found out that there is a spondylolisis which is a break in the spine at the lowest level and l5 level. And that can be quite disabling and acute fracture because of repetitive stress. So you see that the bowlers, they arc themselves backwards and then bowl and that happens like many hundred times in a day and that can be quite injurious and it can really rattle anybody who's aspiring to be a great cricketer. So as a parent, what was your thought at that time? I was really taken back and I was really shocked. Actually, he's a fast bowler. Any fast bowler, the lifespan is very less. Okay, he was just 13 and a half years when he started and also he got selected luckily for KSA 114 zonal. So that is when we started as he got selected for KSA 114. So I started rigorous giving him a lot of practices like one-on-one sessions and things like that. So due to a lot of practice and over usage, I think he got hurt back. But poor guy didn't complain about that and he started continuing playing the zonal matches also. Then one final day he said, Papa, it is winning. So that is when we approached Doctor. Then it is Doctor who helped us in getting it early diagnosed and that is the reason today he's playing for under 9 minutes. So it's all pretty close to Doctor. Your thought at that time was were you concerned that his career is going to get derailed or anything? Yes, absolutely Doctor because see, back is the main right. So the moment I heard his L4 and L5 is fractured, I thought okay, I need to make him a batsman or look into some other alternative options for his career. Did you think that he would need a surgery or anything? Were you prepared even for a surgery? I thought so. Okay, but luckily. So what we do know that for acute injuries of that kind with repetitive stress of the spine in sports persons, they can get cured with just rest, racing, proper kind of exercise and rehabilitation. Rupak had pretty good rehabilitation exercises and he was back into sports in six months time. Actually Doctor, if you ask me frankly see a couple of people told me why don't you go for a physio and start the physio directly. Okay, but somehow I have a family friend here and she suggested okay, you need to approach the Doctor, check with the Doctor once. So that is when you suggested to give him a complete rest then followed by doing the rehabilitation. So that helped a lot. So one shouldn't worry that you lose four months in your professional career at a very young age. He had his sporting selections even at that time which he had to miss, but still he's made it and now he's back into the mainstream cricket for his age. I think he's appearing for other selections also now. Yes, he's playing for under 19 now. Yeah. So it's important to get a very early detection, follow the right advice and then it is possible to get back into competitive sports and surgery is not really the solution for every problem. That's also a very important point to remember. There are of course children who are as young as two and three years of age whom we operate upon and even sports, young sporting individuals whom we need to do a fusion surgery where we put screws and rectify or deform spine, but then that need not be the case with every problem. Like in Rupak's case, he was much better without a surgery and he's back into his, into mainstream competitive sport. So that's the message that they're giving. Any other message you want to pass on? I only think what I would like to suggest all the parents and any patients who are having these kind of problems is don't get shy away. Okay. Don't avoid. It's an early diagnosis is very good for your career. Okay. I would suggest in case of any small pain also, okay, wait for one day or two day and approach the doctor and get it early diagnosed. That is what I would like to. Absolutely. I think that's the key and we are always encouraging about sports. We do not want people to change their profession because of backache because that becomes a psychological problem and at a very young age it can have a long term psychologically damaging effect on individuals. Yeah. So that was our first guest Rupak and all the best to you Rupak in your sporting career.