Achondroplasia Dwarfism (or ACH) is the most common type of short-limbed dwarfism. Overall, ACH is a very rare medical condition. ACH occurs only 1 in 15,000 to 40,000 newborns and only 20,000 U.S. cases per year. To cope with such an unusual condition, an ACH patient will need a top-notch healthcare team’s help.
Unfortunately, one thing to keep in mind is that there is not much to do to increase the patient’s stature, but treatments can still be done to relieve or correct problems caused by the complications. One of these problems is the spine problem. Spine problems can include spine deformity, back pain from the stressed spine, and more.
There are only a few doctors who perform spinal surgeries for ACH patients. These doctors have undergone more rigorous education and specialty training. ACH doctors and spine surgeons need to have solid experience and stellar operation skills to be competent regarding performing complex ACH surgeries.
One excellent individual who meets all of the above criteria is the Denver spine surgeon, Dr. Anant Kumar. Dr. Kumar does a variety of spinal consultations and spinal surgeries at Colorado Spine & Scoliosis in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Kumar will examine your symptoms in detail, then give you a full discussion and develop a treatment plan that is customized to your needs. Not all ACH patients require immediate surgeries. Dr. Kumar will carefully evaluate each case, then he will determine the timing of the spinal surgery and how it needs to be performed.
A True Story of the Hope Given by Colorado Spine Surgeon, Dr. Kumar
Ralph Zerr is an Achondroplasia Dwarfism patient from Kansas, who was suffering from back pain. Due to the shrinking of his spinal cord as an ACH complication over time, his spinal nerve endings were abnormally restricted and caused him back pain. When Mr. Zerr decided to seek medical attention to alleviate his back pain, he chose Dr. Kumar. Mr. Zerr was a new patient with Dr. Kumar. The first thing Dr. Kumar said to Mr. Zerr was not to ask what kind of dwarfism Mr. Zerr had; instead, he assertively told Mr. Zerr that he has Achondroplasia Dwarfism complications that need to be treated. Amazed at Dr. Kumar’s expertise, Mr. Zerr decided to put all his trust with Dr. Kumar.
In order to alleviate Mr. Zerr’s back pain, a spinal surgery was necessary. Dr. Kumar cooperated with his highly-qualified spinal surgical team – which includes other doctors, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and nurses – proceeding to perform an exceptional corrective spinal surgery for Mr. Zerr. After the successful spine surgery, Mr. Zerr no longer experienced back pain, but also showed apparent improvements with his walking. Mr. Zerr was delighted with the surgery outcome, and Dr. Kumar was also glad that he had given Mr. Zerr newfound hope. As the story comes to a happy ending, Colorado Spine & Scoliosis welcomes every ACH individual who has spine concerns to meet and talk with Dr. Kumar.
Dr. Kumar has a gift and talent with respect to performing spinal surgeries. Dr. Kumar’s intense pediatric and adult spinal surgery training make him an ideal surgeon for Achondroplasia Dwarfism patients who are often described as “an adult living in a child’s body.” Using both his pediatric and adult surgical knowledge and skills, Dr. Kumar strives to maintain high procedure accuracy and will continually re-evaluate his patients throughout the surgery. Also, Dr. Kumar encourages post-surgical follow-ups to ensure his patients are healing well and are not encountering further issues.
We hope that Mr. Zerr’s story – as well as Dr. Kumar’s ACH surgery practice – will inspire ACH patients to be more aware of their conditions and will give them the courage to accept ACH spine surgery upon doctor’s recommendation.