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It’s back to karate for LI teen after life-altering spine surgery
PIX11's Mr. G interviews inspirational teen and scoliosis patient Armaan Mohammed, 13, along with his mother, Parvin Uddin, and surgeon, Vishal Sarwahi, MD, at Cohen Children's Medical Center.
Scoliosis and other serious spinal issues, including myelomalacia, left Armaan Mohammed barely able to walk. A Cohen Children’s Medical Center surgeon got him back on his feet
For Armaan Mohammed, there was no question about undergoing a complex eight-hour surgery at Cohen Children’s Medical Center if it meant being able to return to his beloved practice of karate.
In 2020, Armaan Mohmmed was a healthy 10-year-old boy who was already passionately involved with his karate classes. His active life changed months later when he began to experience back pain, unsteadiness while walking, and tremors and numbness in his feet. Instead of intense karate practice, Armaan had to hold on to the wall just to steady himself while walking.
“When it first started, I truly believed he was just a normal boy trying to get out of sitting still and doing his homework,” said Parvin Uddin, Armaan’s proud mother. “Then, we realized that he was really in pain.”
Ms. Udin brought Armaan to the pediatric orthopedics department at Cohen Children’s, where tests revealed that Armaan’s condition was quite serious.
It became apparent that Armaan was not only suffering from severe 90-degree kyphosis, an excessive outward curvature of the spine, but also severe myelomalacia - a compressed, debilitated spinal cord - that often leads to paralysis if surgery is not performed, said Vishal Sarwahi, MD, chief of pediatric orthopedics at Cohen Children’s.
“The spinal cord compression was so severe that even with surgery there existed a high risk of permanent paralysis,” said Dr. Sarwahi. “I knew I had to communicate this to Armaan and his mother. He needed to understand that there’s always a risk involved in manipulating such a damaged spine, but without the surgery, Armaan was certainly facing paralysis.”
But Armaan was determined to go ahead with the surgery. “There is hardship in every life,” he said, “but you have to realize that when you are trapped in a room, there will be cracks in the wall that can be your way out.”
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Spine surgery proves successful
On January 26, 2022, Dr. Sarwahi completed the surgery that involved shortening the spine by removing a segment, thereby increasing Armaan’s height (posterior spinal fusion with vertebral column resectioning); partial laminectomy in which the lamina (part of the spine) was removed to take pressure off the spinal cord; and rib-sectioning.
One year later, Armaan, who now holds a green belt, is back to his beloved karate classes. He says that his journey back from surgery, and the discipline of karate, have taught him that there is always a path to success.
After watching Armaan complete a series of karate moves, his proud surgeon said, “Armaan, when you go on to compete in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), please make sure to invite me.”
For his efforts, Armaan was delighted with surprise gifts signed by Ralph Macchio, the original “Karate Kid,” including a photo that encouraged Armaan to “find his balance.”
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