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A yoga teacher's shoulder, restored without surgery
A shattering collarbone fracture left Yog Guru Jitendra Singh with a frozen shoulder he could barely lift. Facing the terrifying prospect of an expensive surgery or a ruined career, four weeks of dedicated physiotherapy gave him his life back.
For Jitendra Singh, 38, movement was not just a daily routine – it was his identity, his livelihood, and his passion as a yoga teacher. But a sudden, violent road traffic accident shattered that reality, leaving him with a fractured clavicle (collarbone).
Searching for help during the height of the strict lockdown, he found himself trapped in a medical maze. Government institutions like AIIMS were heavily restricted, while the prominent private hospitals he visited including Max and Moolchand, urged him immediately toward expensive surgeries that carried a massive financial burden.
Eventually, his fracture was treated conservatively without an operation, bound tight in a figure-of-eight splint. But a crucial piece of his healing was entirely forgotten: no one guided him through the rehabilitation that must follow.
Silently, agonizingly, his shoulder girdle locked up. By the time he found his way to St. Stephen’s Hospital, he had developed severe adhesive capsulitis – a frozen shoulder. His arm was trapped in a prison of pain, possessing a mere 15 degrees of flexion and abduction. For a yoga teacher whose life and work demand an effortless, full range of motion, the stakes could not have been higher.
"Someone referred me to St. Stephen's Hospital," Jitendra recalls. "And when I reached here, for the first time, I felt that anyone can actually be happy after coming to a hospital."
Recognizing the immense challenge, the care team, led by physiotherapist Mr. Jacob Kurien, stepped in with a reassuring promise. They looked at his frozen shoulder and gave him the comfort he had been searching for: he could fully recover, and he could do it without surgery.
Then, the true transformation began. Using specialized shoulder-mobilizing techniques, the team worked tirelessly to rebuild both the range and the power of his shoulder. The journey required patience, but the breakthrough was nothing short of amazing.
Within just 18 sessions spanning over four weeks, the rigid stiffness gave way to fluid life. His movement expanded beautifully from an agonizing standstill to a triumphant 120 degrees of flexion and abduction, with his vital internal and external rotations restoring completely.
"When I came to this hospital, my hand used to get up only this much, and that too after a lot of struggle," Jitendra says, demonstrating how far he has come. "But now my hand goes up a lot. I got such a good recovery, and I am very happy with it. My recovery rate is very good."
Today, the team at St. Stephen’s proudly believes that Jitendra is ready to return fully to his yoga training, reclaiming the life he thought he had lost. He was saved not by a scalpel, but by compassionate, precise rehabilitation.
With his spirit restored and his hands able to reach for the sky once more, Jitendra Singh now shares his story as a beacon of hope for others. Bringing his hands together, he smiles: “I want you to come to this hospital if you ever need anything.”
