A 21-year-old boxer recently underwent a procedure for a rare injury he sustained while playing the sport.
Balaji, the son of a taxi driver from Neyveli, is a student in a college in the city. He is a gold medalist in various university level boxing competitions. He suffered a shoulder dislocation while attending a competitive event in December.
The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint, where a cartilage runs 360 degrees into the socket. When the shoulder moves, the cartilage is torn. This is called the Bankart injury. For Balaji, not only did the tissue burst, but the socket fractured. It is called Bonnie Bankart (named after the Frenchman Bancart).
Despite repeated disturbances, Shri Balaji won a bronze medal in one of the events. At an inter-university event in Jalandhar in December 2021, although he won the first set, he could not continue due to repeated joint dislocations. When conventional treatment methods did not help, he was referred to the Tamil Nadu government’s Multi Super Specialty Hospital, where he was treated by G Leonard Ponraj, Head of Arthroscopy and Sports Injury Department.
“In MRI and CT scan, we found that he had a fracture in his bone. This is a unique case. In my private practice of 20 years, I have done only six Bonnie Banckart procedures, and this is the first to be fixed in one of the state government hospitals,” said Dr Leonard. “Because he played with Bonnie Bankert over and over again, he suffered multiple injuries. It was a very rare injury, and the surgery was equally complex and challenging,” he said.
With adequate rehabilitation, Mr Balaji will be able to participate in the next tournament in December, Dr Leonard said.