These days, injured runners are spoilt for choice on who to consult about their various maladies. There is the option of going to a wide variety of private practitioners and clinics, exchanging often considerable amounts of money for peace of mind - sometimes through a simple diagnosis of the problem, perhaps by getting an MRI, maybe through surgery, often through multiple sessions of physiotherapy. The explosion of recreational running among the middle and upper economic classes means that these avenues are now available to be accessed, at differing prices, seemingly without an outer limit.
There is also the other option of consulting those temples of vast medical knowledge - government hospitals. The doctors who work here are prolific - sometimes seeing over a hundred patients a day, briskly writing prescriptions upon quick but nuanced clinical examinations, and bringing hope and relief to many patients. These doctors largely work in anonymity. They don't have a fancy website or blog. They are not likely chat with you about lifestyle tips. You may have to stand in queue for ages to get a two minute consultation with one of them. But to me, they are the real superstars of the medical industry for their sharp observational approach and sheer volume of experience.
I have consulted my fair share of private practitioners and government hospitals for a multitude of injuries, and find myself leaning in favour of the latter. Among the government hospitals in Delhi, I have been to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, AIIMS and the most popular candidate among runners, Safdarjung Sports Injury Centre. I have never paid anything to get a consultation with some very skilled orthopaedic doctors in these hospitals, and recently, I have also been fortunate to avail of ultrasonic therapy sessions to treat some foot pain at Safdarjung SIC (again, at no cost).
I must admit, however, that going to government hospitals for my running injuries does make me feel quite embarrassed every time. I feel guilty for being there. I feel petty.
To a runner, an injury feels like a calamity of epic proportions. Injuries depress us, stress us out, make us whiny and unbearable. But if you ever want to put things into perspective, go visit a government hospital. While waiting to consult a doctor for your piffling inflamed tendon, you will see sights around you that will make your heart sink. Patients with severed limbs. Patients with deformed bones. The old lady who can't raise funds to treat her crippling arthritis with an operation. The little boy who should be playing in a school playground, but is bereft of the ability to even walk. The young and the old who can't proceed through the corridors of these hospitals without leaning on members of their family. And this is just the orthopaedic wing on an OPD day.
More often than not, these patients undertake an arduous journey in these varying states of immobility. They come from far flung parts of not just Delhi, but the entire country. They wait in queue just to try to get a two minute consultation with a doctor. That journey and that desperation to meet a competent doctor probably costs more than what many of them can afford.
The unsung heroes of these hospitals work tirelessly to advise and help heal the thousands of people who need them. They don't discriminate between those who need urgent assistance just to be able to put one foot in front of the other, and those anxious to run their next 5K as soon as possible.
Maybe that achy Achille's tendon will get in the way of setting a personal record at the race you were really looking forward to. Maybe your hurting patella will ensure that you don't even see the starting line. But take a moment to count your blessings, thank your good fortune for being able to do so much that so many others cannot, and thank those incredible doctors for treating you, regardless of the relative insignificance of your problem.
There is also the other option of consulting those temples of vast medical knowledge - government hospitals. The doctors who work here are prolific - sometimes seeing over a hundred patients a day, briskly writing prescriptions upon quick but nuanced clinical examinations, and bringing hope and relief to many patients. These doctors largely work in anonymity. They don't have a fancy website or blog. They are not likely chat with you about lifestyle tips. You may have to stand in queue for ages to get a two minute consultation with one of them. But to me, they are the real superstars of the medical industry for their sharp observational approach and sheer volume of experience.
I have consulted my fair share of private practitioners and government hospitals for a multitude of injuries, and find myself leaning in favour of the latter. Among the government hospitals in Delhi, I have been to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, AIIMS and the most popular candidate among runners, Safdarjung Sports Injury Centre. I have never paid anything to get a consultation with some very skilled orthopaedic doctors in these hospitals, and recently, I have also been fortunate to avail of ultrasonic therapy sessions to treat some foot pain at Safdarjung SIC (again, at no cost).
I must admit, however, that going to government hospitals for my running injuries does make me feel quite embarrassed every time. I feel guilty for being there. I feel petty.
To a runner, an injury feels like a calamity of epic proportions. Injuries depress us, stress us out, make us whiny and unbearable. But if you ever want to put things into perspective, go visit a government hospital. While waiting to consult a doctor for your piffling inflamed tendon, you will see sights around you that will make your heart sink. Patients with severed limbs. Patients with deformed bones. The old lady who can't raise funds to treat her crippling arthritis with an operation. The little boy who should be playing in a school playground, but is bereft of the ability to even walk. The young and the old who can't proceed through the corridors of these hospitals without leaning on members of their family. And this is just the orthopaedic wing on an OPD day.
More often than not, these patients undertake an arduous journey in these varying states of immobility. They come from far flung parts of not just Delhi, but the entire country. They wait in queue just to try to get a two minute consultation with a doctor. That journey and that desperation to meet a competent doctor probably costs more than what many of them can afford.
The unsung heroes of these hospitals work tirelessly to advise and help heal the thousands of people who need them. They don't discriminate between those who need urgent assistance just to be able to put one foot in front of the other, and those anxious to run their next 5K as soon as possible.
Maybe that achy Achille's tendon will get in the way of setting a personal record at the race you were really looking forward to. Maybe your hurting patella will ensure that you don't even see the starting line. But take a moment to count your blessings, thank your good fortune for being able to do so much that so many others cannot, and thank those incredible doctors for treating you, regardless of the relative insignificance of your problem.
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