HEALTHCARE RADIUS | AUGUST 2019 17
COVER STORY
Global medical guidelines recommend
a physiotherapist’s consent is required be-
fore a patient undergoes spine surgery. In
India, such protocols are yet to be laid out
and followed. A few patients try physio-
therapy but the pain keeps returning and
they discontinue it eventually.
The latest clinical guidelines set out by
European and American medical associa-
tions recommend spine rehabilitation as
an effective treatment method for chronic
back and neck problems. The concept of
diagnosing the root cause and making the
patient go through spine rehabilitation
programme is not prevalent in India.
What has been the contribution of QI
Spine Clinic in back and neck pain man-
agement?
We have collaborated with leading ortho-
paedic surgeons and institutions in India
and globally to validate that non-surgical
treatment through accurate diagnosis,
pain management, targeted mechanical
and medical treatment of the affected
area and functional recovery is the right
approach in 95% of spine-related illnesses.
Medicos have now accepted that the
cure to back and neck pain lies in muscu-
lar recovery and regeneration. Every spine
specialist at QI can access ring-fenced,
impersonal insights from over 1,00,000,
varied and challenging back pain cases
treated by the team.
The QI Spine programme is a propri-
etary, technology enabled spine rehabili-
tation programme that employs a data
driven approach combining custom built
software, predictive analytics, devices and
services to deliver superior patient out-
comes and patient efficiency.
Our medical team of spine specialists
undergo a one-year fellowship in ortho-
paedics and rehabilitation to recognise
and treat over 100 different types of back
pain. The course is devised by a senior
team of doctors including orthopaedic
surgeons. QI Spine Clinic today has a suc-
A STUDY ON BACK PAIN
The group invests Rs one crore per centre.
An Insight report by QI Spine Clinic, released on The World Spine Day
2017, analysed a sample of 20,000 patients from the internal registry of
QI Spine Clinic across four metropolitan cities. The report states the most
affected age-groups and common problems faced by people in these four
cities - New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune.
The report indicates that 20% of the young population in the bracket of
16-34 age group are treated for back and spine conditions. While Delhi’s
young population treated for back pain problems is the highest at 25%
followed by Bengaluru at 23%. However, the age-group that is most
affected by back and spine problems is 35-54. With 46% of Bengaluru’s
population in this age-group reporting of spinal issues makes it the highest
amongst the four cities. Bengaluru is followed by Delhi at 43%, Mumbai at
41% and Pune at 38%.
In India, 45% of the people in these four cities neglect their pain for
more than seven weeks which leads to delayed treatment and increases
the risk of surgery. Pune accounts for the highest number of negligence at
53% followed by New Delhi (49%), Bengaluru (46%) and Mumbai (40%)
respectively.
cess record of 91% in treating even the most
severe conditions. Our Net Promoter Score
is above 80%, and that is much higher than
the industry standards.
Where surgery is indicated, we collabo-
rate with leading surgeons for surgical treat-
ment and for post surgical rehabilitation.
Also, I would like to add that QI Spine
Clinic was the first chain of medical centres