5th June 2011: Sports Injuries and Advanced Arthroscopy Awareness meet Trichy

Since 2009 January, We have done more than 150 thereupatic Arthroscopic Surgeries. These include Knee Meniscal Surgery, meniscal repairs, Anterior and Posterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery, Shoulder Decompressions, Rotator Cuff repair and Stabilisation, Ankle , elbow and wrist thereupatic arthroscopies. the indications even included rare conditions such as arthroscopic treatment of intra articular hemangioma and removal of bomb shrapnels arthroscopically.

When such work is being done in a hospital in a city like Trichy, you feel for the people who are not aware of the facilities being available and hence this year we took Arthroscopic Surgery , in other words the key hole surgery to joints for awareness program.

Sports being increasingly taken up by the younger generation and road traffic accidents constantly presenting with joint injuries, we decided that this would be the time for us to promote the awareness.

Please go through the picture attached with the details of the awareness program and i will post few pictures as well

Regards

Chockalingam

Part 2:Doing a job vs completing a job: concept of professionalism and sincerity and how money clouds both.

When I went to pay the Electricity Bill in Trichy, there were four queues. I joined the first outer queue without giving any thought. Then I noticed the queue on the inner two queues moved swiftly and the outer queues did not move as fast as one would expect. The obvious inference anyone would make is that the persons at the desk serving the public are efficient in some counters and may be we joined the wrong queue.

But why should only the outer queues move slowly whereas the inner queues were otherwise. Chances! May be and they were not in this instance. The outer queues had constant disturbances with people getting in front by pushing themselves in. And also many people would simply give their cards and money to someone in the queue already to pay for them. Hence the person at the counter was doing as fast as the other counters but had too many transactions per person to handle.

Why I am elaborating this story so much? This is part two of my previous blog and completing a job. You can complete this job of paying the EB bill in many ways.

1. By properly standing in the queue: Be Sincere

2. You can squeeze in and pay the bill and be efficient in comparison to the one who is following the option 1. : Be Efficient

3. You can find ways to avoid the queue altogether, for example pay someone to pay for you and stand for you or log on to your account online and pay without a sweat, Be Professional.

Be efficient sounds good in option 2 but it is not acceptable to someone who stands in the queue sincerely. But be Professional sounds the best option since you find better way to do a job and acceptable and sounds right as well.

This brings me to the concept of Professionalism and Sincerity.

Though Sincerity sounds right in any thing you do, it may not be the efficient approach in competing a job. That is why Professionalism is much needed to combine sincerity and efficiency. This is why professionals score more and earn more for a given job. But you have to find professionals who show professionalism as opposed to efficiency by short cuts just like our example.

It can be difficult for anyone to differentiate the people who can complete the job efficiently as opposed to completing professionally. The latter approach may sometimes appear to take longer and costlier. I see more people who can complete a job without professionalism but efficently. In fact lots of jobs completed are done efficiently.

The efficient methods of following shortcuts are good if the outcome is for one off use or has a definite end point. For example paying an EB bill as above. But where it really hurts if the outcome has long term use. For example a building or a bridge. Here Efficiency has to give way for Professionalism. Because if you do not follow professionalism, then the lack of quality would show in the long run.

But you have to remember that everyone of us is a professional in what we do if we show professionalism.


Regards Chockalingam

Our Trichy: Status of Sanitation and Hygeine, the Conundrum of Free Lunch and one that is paid for.

State Welfare Schemes and Government Welfare schemes are addressed to take off some of the inequalities in the population of the state or the nation. This to my understanding is that taking off some of the inequalities would give the underprivileged a head start in the race to achieving a reasonable or good standard of living.

If the population themselves are expected to achieve these comforts or essentials, it might take a very long time and that person may never see the benefit in his life time. This is why the State or the Government Free Benefits should continue.

Then the state or the Government has to decide which are the essentials and in what priority they should be given. Throughout the World , the countries have been doing this free benefits in different models. We will take Health Care for Example.

In UK, the Government vows to provide good health care for its population by beefing up the government hospitals with facilities, technical expertise and so on. Hence if you have an emergency then you feel safer in a Government Hospital even if you are the Prime Minister of that Country. You can walk in to any Government Hospital in UK expecting a good standard of health care for free funded by the Government.

Whereas in USA, the private providers take up the majority of health care provision just like our country. However the Government does not want the underprivileged to be left with a bad deal. They provide health insurance for those who cannot afford themselves. So you can walk in to any hospital who accepts Government health insurance to get your health care for free, funded by the government.

When the Government decides to give health Insurance for people who cannot afford themselves, or cannot buy health insurance for themselves and their loved ones, then it is commendable act. When it decides to give more free benefits like an item like a Television or a Fan or a Grinder which they can use in day to day life, one starts questioning them.

But I feel the issue is not the free item which is given at present. Because to me and you who is reading the blog, a fan may be a comfort which we can acquire easily but not to everyone. What is more important however is "what is not given which is more urgent to the needy".

I had the opportunity to see Trichy from a different point of view. Point of View is quite true in its meaning in that i observed Trichy by foot as opposed to going in a AC car.

Working in a hospital in India, I was alarmed in the number of Gram negative infections in my patients. These are not just wound infections after surgery for example, but in chest infections where these organisms are found.

Where do these bugs come from? From the community outside and the air we breathe in. If the sanitation is so bad outside and you are going to get infected with these bugs, then what is the benefit of all the comforts you acquire either by earning for it or by the State Benefits.

What is the point of having a toilet built for public use and charging for the same. If I am one of those underprivileged, I would rather go and do my duties outside for free and avoid paying to do so in a public toilet.

If you do not get my point by now, then this is it. There is an urgent need for addressing the Sanitation and the Hygeine for the environment as a whole to improve the quality of everyone's life. If the Government decides to build free and many public toilets for example, then it could be the best initiative ever.

Then I am told this had been done before and not used in the villages nor in the towns commonly. But having walked for nearly three hours in Trichy where the so called underprivileged live, i noticed only on public toilet.

What the Government should do is

1.to ensure that there are these facilities everywhere and make them free.

2. There should be clear directions in every part of the city and the villages.

3. These facilities should be brought under the vigilance of the Health Department. The contractors who are maintaining these can be independent, but their annual quota of money allocated can be linked to the health department vigilance report on their status.

4. The Government should then advertise the facilities so heavily that anyone not using such a free facility will be frowned upon.

If you then find a member of public not using these free facilities, available everywhere,maintained to high standard but funded by the government, then one can start fining the public to ensure that the sanitation standards do not fall.

You cannot blame the common man for passing urine outside in India yet until the above facilities are in place. Until then the India which we know lives as two halves.

One where people can afford and pay for it and maintain good standards and enjoy comforts they want. The second would be the one where people not only do not have the essentials and do not have a choice in spoiling the environment for the first half as well as themselves.

This is exactly the reason why the first half should worry about the second half and not just walk over them. The second half do not need the pity but essentials in life to be provided to them until they can move up in the social ladder.

The most essential of all is the Sanitation and Hygeine and the so called underprivileged people will find ways to earn the rest. So back to Health care Provision for free, I hope to go to any city or village and able to do our essential morning duties for free, funded by our Government.

or will it be a John Lennon Song Imagine Scenario! Time only can tell us, Oh No, We do not have time, Remember time gone is already time lost. Read my previous blog on time and money.

Regards

Chockalingam

Doing a job vs completing a job: concept of professionalism and sincerity and how money clouds both.

Doing a job is standard practice in almost all our life. Not doing a job is not uncommon in some employed areas. In other words, we do see some people who get paid but actually not doing the job they are meant to do. It can be upsetting to people who do work well and get paid the same money or salary.

But the above scenario is not as frustrating as when someone does not do the job to completeness. It is like trying to fix a broken hinge by a repair man. We do across some scenarios where someone comes to the job but finds that he does not have the necessary tools. he leaves the site without completing the job at hand saying that he would come another day to complete the job.

The above scenario happened at our house when we recently fitted a new air conditioner unit. When the unit was delivered and the installation team came to our house, the installation team asked me to get the electrical wiring sorted out and they will complete the job in one hour after the wiring is sorted. They had inspected the site of the fitting and marked where the holes had to be drilled.

We duly called our trusted electrician who finished the wiring straightaway and no sweats!. We called the AC team back again. They started making the hole, they realised that a more powerful drill is needed as the wall is too thick. We asked them to sort it out. Oops!! there is a problem. they do not know how to get a more powerful drill.

We asked them to contact their office. Oops they do not know either. Then we spent next two days making phone calls to our carpenter and other friends who have done AC installation in their house. At the end we called our electrician back again, he did the hole straightaway and no sweats!

But the AC installation team have wasted our time for good two days. Remember the time is our precious commodity if you have read my previous blog.

Now you begin to understand that doing a job is different to completing a job. But wait, not completing a job is not the worst thing and wastage of our time.

Because completing a job can be achieved with different methods.

Take the above domestic scenario for example. The electrician who helped us for the AC installation not only had to complete the hole which was started by the AC team, but also had to correct the errors the AC team had made when they attempted the job. Now we bring the concept of Professionalism and sincerity.

Please wait for my next blog when it all makes sense.

"Time is our best gift to someone", use it in your life or lose it!!! . "Money and Time the Conundrum"

You work and spend your time to get money. One gets money to get the essentials in life and the comforts one can get. We also need money to gift someone you love. This can be in the form of food, clothes, education, assets as the gift to the someone you love. this can be your parent, child, wife and so on. But you spend time to get the money to gift that someone in any form as i detailed.

Then the time of yours is the gift to them and not the actual gift. The time is then the most precious part of all. Just like the time you invest in health as i explained in my previous blogs, you also invest in time to get the money which in turn is used for your loved ones. Then what you are actually giving your loved ones as the gift is your time.

Now if time of yours is the gift to someone, then even if that time does not yield in material benefits (with money and the associated gifts), it is still the gift. for example, you spend time with your loved ones, then it is your gift to them. in fact the loved ones with which you are spending the time are also gifting their time to you

This is something you can use in your work life as well. If you are able to give time at work to someone or something important then you are gifting your time. This is something you have to remember in a job you love doing where you are happy to gift your time for that job.

More importantly you should not be wasting your time in jobs you do not like or enjoy. When the people who do not do their job properly for example, are wasting their precious time in a job where they do not enjoy or like.

You also have to remember if someone is incompetent, or complascent in what they should be doing, then they are not only wasting their precious time of life but also your precious time of life if you are involved in the outcome of their job.

Which brings me to the concept of finite gift concept in everyone's life. Finite means that there is definite end point and it is measurable. Our life has a finite end point though we ourselves cannot measure it.

In other words, our life and the time you spend has a finite end point and that is all the gift we can give to anyone and ourselves. Hence one should choose how we would like to gift that precious time we have and not waste it.

Remember our time is finite and hence the gift of time we can give is precious. Remember the person who is receiving that gift should also be able to appreciate this and make them understand so.

I hope that you have got what i wanted to convey as Time is My Best Gift to you and not the actual gift. Now if someone moans that they did not get what they wanted from someone they love, make them understand this point. The time that individual spent to get that particular item is the gift
.

This is especially important if one is not well off to give an expensive gift but labours his time to get that gift

Back to the second part of title of the blog, "Use it or lose it". This is written for the good use of the time we have got and if we do not use it well, sorry it is too late, we have already lost it.

Now go on and use your time well and i shall try to do as well

Regards

Chockalingam

Invest your health For the sake of your loved ones!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spoke of health, money and the importance of time in our life in the earlier blogs. I also wrote on investing Health for your loved ones. If you invest on your health, it would be not only for yourselves but also for your loved ones.

I spoke mainly of exercises in the context of investing in health for your loved ones. This means that you exercise and the amount of exercise can be quantified and counted as your investment for your loved ones. Just like saving account you do for your child for example.

You can also extrapolate the same on your diet for example. If you make sure you eat healthy diet with vegetables and fruits, then you can count towards the same. If you did not eat healthily today, then you have not saved for health on diet.

Now imagine if you are the main person who cooks for the household or someone who serves food, you have then the responsibility of getting the right food on the table. If you do not, then you are not investing on your loved ones health.

In India, often you are asked to eat more than you can chew in the name of love or Virunthombal. This would then negatively affect your health and the person who insists on eating may be then drawing on your health savings account. You just have to make sure they understand that!


Happiness and rest and sleep or also important for your health. Hence if you take adequate rests, sleep well, then you are investing on your health. If you acaquire happiness by being with your friends and families, you would like to be with or go on holidays you wanted, then indirectly you do invest in your health and for your loved ones.

Now the calculation of how much investment you have for your health becomes interesting. if you have regular exercise, eat good food, be happy and take adequate rest and sleep well, your investment account of health is going to be looking good.

But what if you start off now with obesity or overweight. Then you have to start your health savings account now. Think of your body weight as an account and this is your credit card account.

I say this to my patients. Your body weight is opposite to that of a savings account. In a savings account you want to save more by putting in more money and taking less out. But in your body weight credit card account, you put less in and take more out if you want ot lose weight.

How to put this all into a measurable method. We thought of one method of really putting money when you exercise ,and you can do so if you have healthy food and sleep well and take adequate rest and so on.

I will let you know of a formula in my next blog.

My patient is ready they say and i have to go now

Regards

Chockalingam

How Sports Should Develop in India. learn from Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Association. Sports Medicine in Trichy including arthroscopy.

I had a discussion on sports with Sports Officer. It is true that identifying talent, nurturing them to appropriate sports, getting them appropriate gears and facilities, supporting them through injuries and getting them back on track are all issues which need lots of effort and money.

A country which is cricket mad, gets lots of money on advertising and TV rigths alone with an appropriate sports body, should be able to streamline money and resources to cities. these should not only be first tier cities like chennai, but also cities like Trichy.

Wimbledon as far as i understand does this very well supporting so many Lawn Tennis Association across UK by not only giving tickets but also supporting them as i mentioned in my first Paragraph of this blog.

What happens to the millions and crores of money which come through sports and affilitiations and advertisements and tv rights. Is the information available through Freedom of Information one wonders!

More and More people are taking up fitness routines at slighly later age and i see lot of ladies take up gym and yoga and get injured which probably will not come under sports injuries. but as an orthopaedic surgeon practising in Trichy, i see more of these over use and sudden stretching and strengthening exercise programs in older people.

I detect more and more meniscal injuries and Anterior Cruciate Ligament ACL injuries in sports and Road Traffic Accidents in particular in India. These knee injuries need surgery and extensive rehabilitation and we are proud to have one of the best facitlities in physiotherapy in Trichy and we are able to provide arthroscopic treatment methods to the international standards.

I am also proud to have conceputalised the design and i thank the KMC Specialtiy managment for implementing the design.

Back to the title of this blog however, lots of money and efforts should be channeled from the central sports bodies of the country to places like trichy to prevent injuries in the first place by providing the expertise and facilities. Then we at KMC speciality are ready to give them the best sports medicine and surgery facilities for any ortho problems they can come up with.
Regards

Chockalingam