Lucknow, Jan 17 (IANS): Noted wrestler Sumit Kumar underwent a complicated surgery at the Apex Trauma Centre of Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), for severe ligament injury.

Sumit Kumar is a state level 60-kg category wrestling champion.

He sustained the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in the left knee during a tournament in October 2022.

Often described as a sportsperson's torment, the condition involves injury to either of the two cruciate ligaments in the knee area.

Dr Pulak Sharma, orthopaedic surgeon at SGPGI Apex Trauma Centre, said, "Injury to the ACL is commonly seen in fast paced and high impact activities, particularly sports. Therefore, sports-persons form the biggest chunk of its sufferers. However, among sportspersons too, those in contact sports like wrestling are the bigger sufferers as they face a higher degree of fatalities."

After trying different doctors in Varanasi and other districts over the past two months, Kumar reached SGPGI in the New Year. Here, doctors planned a surgery to relieve him of the trouble which had brought his activity in life and profession to a standstill.

Dr Pulak said, "The procedure which began with testing involved undertaking micro incisions to navigate to the affected area and removal of the injured ligament. Thereafter, we extracted a spare ligament and fixed it to the target area. The procedure went as planned and helped the patient.

"The target here was not to make the patient walk again. It was to ensure that he regains the state in which he is able to brave insults over his body including the affected part in his sports like before. Therefore, the right kind of physiotherapy sessions were provided to achieve the goal."

The patient was sent home on Monday.