Perils of a bumpy ride on potholed Mumbai roads

It’s always a bumpy ride on city’s potholed roads. And you never know when the occasional bump may lead to something worse; just ask Bandra resident Sanjay Pawar.

A few days back, the 55-year-old fractured his tail bone when his car landed in a pothole in a lane in Bandra. Dr Dilip Nadkarni, consulting orthopaedic surgeon at Lilavati hospital, says he will need more than a month to recuperate.

Orthopaedics and general physicians are seeing many people like Pawar with back problems and slipped discs caused or aggravated by city’s potholed roads.

“People travelling in car or on motorcycle should be careful. Another patient of mine has got acute neck spasm with small cervical slipped disc. She has a habit of dozing off in the car when her driver takes her to office. Incorrect posture of head and neck for a long time, and particularly when the car goes over potholes, has led to these problems,” says Nadkarni.

Dr Sachin Bhonsle, orthopaedic surgeon at Fortis hospital, says, “Bus, taxi and autorickshaw drivers don’t care about potholes and drive over them ruthlessly most of the time. Constant jerks while travelling in these modes of transport can aggravate existing back ache and neck pain or lead to mild pains.”

Doctors say, on an average, a person is spending Rs1,000-10,000 a month on medical expenses because of bad roads.

Dr Pradeep Bhosale, head of the department of orthopaedics, KEM hospital, says, “I get 20-30 people on an average having back ache, spine problem and neck pain. Besides this, there has been 100% increase in the number of accidents caused because of potholes. Motorcycles and autorickshaws lose balance due to potholes, leading to serious injuries and, at times, even death.”
While Mumbaikars don’t not have any alternative to travelling on such roads, doctors share some tips on how they can lessen the damage. “People need to exercise regularly to strengthen their back, they should also drink lots of water and sit upright,” says Bhonsle.

Nadkarni says, “I advise my patients to wear a horseshoe pillow to protect their neck while travelling on road. I also tell them to avoid sleeping in a moving vehicle.”

Doctors also say that pregnant women, especially those in their third trimester, must avoid long, bumpy rides altogether as too many jerks while travelling can cause complications.