B'luru hospital to get affordable sports medicine unit

Fit for the field

The gym will act as a rehabilitation centre for injured sportsmen.

The state-run Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics here is set to open a dedicated sports medicine unit, promising affordable healthcare to sportspersons.

This is the second hospital in the country to have such facility with the first being the Safdarjang Hospital in New Delhi.

For aspiring sportsmen, particularly those from rural areas, the facility is a ray of hope as they can get access to sports medicine with new-end technology.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had allocated Rs 30 crore in the previous budget for the centre and a robotic surgery facility at the institute.

Madan Ballal, Assistant Professor, Orthopaedics, SGITO, said: “This is primarily to offer a helping hand to students in rural areas who can be the best players for the country.”

Affordability, he said, is the key. “An overall assessment of the ortho health of a player could cost about Rs 20,000 in private setups. Here, we will offer the same facility for about Rs 1,000,” Dr Ballal said.

Preventing an injury is possible, he believes. “We do not have to wait until the player suffers serious damage. Pre-assessments, early detection can bring down the hospital stay considerably,” he said.

Sports lab

A sports lab, along with a multi-facility gym, is part of the plan. “If a patient comes here, we will have him perform. About 14 cameras will be installed to watch him. Later, on studying the player, we can tell them about the changes to incorporate to avoid injuries,” said Dr Ballal.

A dedicated team of physiotherapists will also offer counselling to coaches and gym trainers of the sportsmen to advise about the exercises need to be done, permissible weights and endurance-boosting measures.

Sports injuries

“In sports injury cases, especially for persons from rural areas, we see their coach accompany them. They tell us how promising their future looks and seek advice on what is best for the sportsperson. Offering the right kind of rehabilitation is a must. Longer hospital stay will demoralise a few of them,” said Dr Ballal.

Full-fledged gym

The full-fledged gym will also act as a rehabilitation centre for the sportsmen on their path of recovery.

“Just like any other gyms, they can use the facility during morning hours under supervision from our experts. Those with experience in sports medicine will be recruited as trainers here,” he said.