How is The Spine Foundation Bringing Spine Care to Everyone?
The Real Picture: Spine Health in Rural India
Spine health is something we never consider—until it begins to affect every move we take. And in India, that moment arrives all too soon for too many individuals. In the fields of Maharashtra, the hills of Uttarakhand, and in many such isolated regions, there are individuals suffering from untreated spinal injuries, slipped discs, and deformities which could have been treated.. if only assistance had reached them soon enough.
While urban India is progressing with sophisticated surgeries and high-tech hospitals, rural India is fighting for the bare essentials—often not even having a doctor in the vicinity, much less a specialist. The majority of rural families are unable to afford traveling long distances or taking time off work to see a spine surgeon. And even if they manage to do so, the expense of surgery is something that they cant afford.
This is the space that The Spine Foundation (TSF) has worked hard to fill. Not with giant hospitals or hoardings, but with human-centric solutions that penetrate to the heart of India’s villages.
Understanding the Problem: Why Rural Areas Suffer Most
Spinal conditions are among the global top 10 causes of disability, and India is not an exception. The issue is particularly severe in rural and tribal areas because of:
- Early exposure to physical labor
- Poor nutrition and healthcare
- Lack of knowledge regarding spine health
- No access to spine experts or diagnostic equipment
- Misinformation and stigma regarding spinal deformities
Most of the villagers are living with chronic pain, crawling at times, unable to walk by themselves, and entirely unaware that their condition can be treated. Worse, they are usually misdiagnosed or neglected.
This is where TSF chose to act—with compassion, medical knowledge, and vision for the long term.
The Spine Foundation: Walking With the Forgotten
Established by Dr. Shekhar Bhojraj, one of India’s leading spine surgeons, The Spine Foundation started with a revolutionary thought: “If the patients can’t come to the doctor, the doctor must go to the patients.”
And that’s precisely what TSF has been doing—reaching out to villages where even ambulances don’t venture and healing people who had no clue spine care existed.
1. Spine Camps: Where Hope Meets Action
One of the strongest pillars of outreach by TSF is its Spine Health Camps. These are mass-scale, free camps held in tribal and inaccessible regions, often in partnership with local NGOs, village panchayats, or hospitals.
These are not mere routine check-ups. They are:
- Comprehensive diagnosis sessions conducted by experts in spines
- Deformity, nerve compression, infection, and injury screening
- Conducted in places where even primary care is a luxury
What is wonderful about these camps is the number and variety of patients—children who have scoliosis, lower back pain sufferers who are farmers, elderly women who cannot stand, accident victims who have never been treated.
Each individual is screened by experienced doctors, orthopaedic experts, physiotherapists, and wherever necessary, schedule is given for surgery or follow-up.
Through these spine camps, thousands of lives have been transformed—with individuals getting their ability to walk back, ability to work, and the ability to live with dignity.
2. Mobile Physiotherapy Units (MPUs): Where Spine Care Really Begins
Many isolated pockets of India, people live with years of nagging backache not knowing even what’s ailing them—nor how to go about treating them. There are no local hospital, no specialist to help direct them. That’s when The Spine Foundation’s Mobile Physiotherapy Units (MPUs) enter the picture—in their own gentle yet powerful way in making an impact.
These MPUs are rolling clinics with a mission. They are equipped with trained physiotherapists, they travel far into tribal lands and villages where medical care never gets. What they provide is simple yet very meaningful: on-the-spot free physiotherapy, a sympathetic listening ear, and in many instances, the first opportunity ever someone has had to know what is going on with their spine.
The individuals who enter an MPU usually come with pain they’ve endured for years—some hunched over, some unable to walk, some children with noticeable deformities. The physiotherapists don’t simply treat them; they watch closely, carefully examine their movements, and attempt to discern if there’s something more at play.
For most patients, the MPU visit is a turning point.
Some are relieved with guided exercises. Others are flagged for additional diagnosis, imaging, or even surgery—and they’re then sent to local Regional Spine Care Centres (RSCCs) for further treatment. The Foundation makes sure that they aren’t left in hanging; follow-up is planned accordingly.
In a sense, MPUs are where the healing process starts. They’re not showy. There’s no grand setup. But they go where others won’t, and they meet people where they are—literally and emotionally. For a person who’s been quietly suffering, this mobile unit may be the first time they feel seen, heard, and assisted.
3. Regional Spine Care Centres (RSCCs): Enabling Rural Areas to Become Independent
TSF does not only stop by at villages and depart. It establishes its roots.
The RSCCs are temporary clinics established in rural strategic areas. They are fitted with:
- Diagnostic equipment (such as X-rays)
- Trained local doctors and support staff
- Patient referral systems
- Teleconsultation access with spine specialists
In this manner, local communities have access to qualified assistance and patients don’t have to travel hours for simple consultations.
These centres become spinal healthcare hubs, being the first point of diagnosis and even providing treatments locally.
4. Training Rural Doctors: Building a Stronger Health Workforce
Instead of trusting only city physicians or short-term volunteers, TSF has instead invested in educating local doctors and health workers. This makes the whole project sustainable and community-focused.
They learn to:
- Identify early signs of spine ailments
- Refer complex cases to RSCCs or hospitals
- Offer physiotherapy
- Follow up after surgery
This model empowers rural healthcare, creates jobs locally, and makes sure that care does not end when the visiting team departs.
5. Affordable and Free Surgeries: Because Everyone Deserves to Heal
Spine surgeries cost a lot—often too much for underprivileged families.
That’s why TSF performs free surgeries on those who need it most. Thanks to partner hospitals and donors, they provide:
- Minimally invasive methods that reduced the recovery time
- Zero-cost procedures for the poorest
- Subsidised care for others on the basis of need
What’s even more unique is the individual care provided—patients aren’t treated as numbers. They are addressed by name, communicated with in their language, and followed up regularly.
6. Spine Health Awareness: Preventing the Pain Before It Begins
In most tribal areas, individuals believe back pain is “just part of life.” They don’t know how to lift safely, or when to ask for help.
TSF organizes Spine Awareness Drives through:
- Local schools
- Women’s self-help groups
- Community events
- Interactive demonstrations in native languages
They educate people on everything from safe posture and stretches to the risks of neglecting back pain.
This basic education is reducing the long-term burden by detecting problems early.
Real People, Real Lives: Impact Stories from the Ground
Maya Bai – A grandmother from Nandurbar
She couldn’t walk without tears. Her sons had given up on her. TSF spine camp transformed her life. She got diagnosed, operated, and monitored through MPU follow-ups. Today, she walks to her farm every morning on her own.
Raghav, a 22-year-old farmer
He carried sacks of 590 kgs from the time he was 12. His chronic back pain bedridden him. A nearby spine camp at his village spotted his case in time. Following physio and treatment, he’s on his feet—and making money once again.
Chotu, age 9
Caught with scoliosis at school awareness check-up. Operated under TSF’s free surgery initiative. He walks upright and attends school today with pride.
Why It All Matters: Creating a Spine-Strong India
TSF’s mission is not merely spine care. It’s about access, dignity, and human rights. It teaches us that healthcare doesn’t have to be high-rise hospitals—it has to be heart-first care that touches the people who need it most.
The Spine Foundation’s work is a template for rural healthcare in India:
- Mobile
- Community-based
- Affordable
- Long-term
- Based on empathy
In a world where so many are left behind, TSF stands with them—and walks with them—until they can walk on their own.
If we desire a stronger India, we need to begin with the spine—literally and metaphorically. The Spine Foundation isn’t merely healing people. They are changing lives.