Post major surgery, powerlifter all set to represent India

He underwent a surgery of his right shoulder in April last year

A serious injury to his right shoulder and a major surgery to heal it has not been able to deter national referee and coach of Maharashtra Powerlifting Federation, 53-year-old Sanjay Dabholkar, from following his passion. After months of training post his surgery at a city-based hospital last year, Dabholkar is all set to represent India at the World Power Lifting Championships at Nove Zamky, Slovakia, in November this year.

Dabholkar has gained national recognition through powerlifting competitions. While doing a 135-kg deadlift in January last year, he injured his right shoulder and was unable to move his arm for months.

But instead of approaching a doctor, he started taking painkillers. This further aggravated his condition. Dabholkar said, "I thought the pain was due to weightlifting but slowly it got worse. I couldn't even lift 3-5 kg weights. After three months I approached a doctor."

Last month Dabholkar won a national competition at Sonepath in Haryana

When he visited Jaslok Hospital, he was diagnosed with a massive tear in his right shoulder's rotator cuff muscle. An MRI scan confirmed the injury and revealed a severe tear. "Due to the delay in treatment, the gap between the injured muscles had widened. Hence we had carry out the surgery very carefully. We performed an arthroscopy on him on April 18 last year," said Dr Ameet Pispati, director of Orthopaedic department at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre.

After the surgery, he had to follow a specially designed programme for months. "Almost after three months of the operation, I started lifting wooden sticks. Then five to six months later I started lifting lighter weights. It took me almost a year to lift a 110 kg weight. Last month I won a national competition held at Sonepath in Haryana and in November I'll represent India," Dabholkar added.

When asked whether he ever felt that he would not be able to lift weights anymore, he said, "I am 53-years-old and it took me 10 years to be what I am today. I didn't want the injury to take everything away from me." Chetan Shikariya, a fitness trainer at S N Explode Gym in Borivali, said, "Even people with years of experience can suffer injuries due to the smallest of mistakes. It's important to be careful with the posture and formation. It is good to push yourself but one must know his/her skeleton strength."

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