Maha’s treatment in Bahrain

“Maha had above knee amputation in Iraq and multiple shell injuries all over the body.

She could not use her left hand as one of her tendons was ruptured and her bone was fractured due to which her fingers could not function properly,” said Dr Ali Al Ekri, consultant orthopedic surgeon specializing in reconstructive surgery at the Salmaniya Hospital. Dr Al Ekri along with his surgical team performed two surgeries on Maha’s hand, namely ‘Arthrolysis’ for the joints in her hand and ‘Tenolysis’ of the long tendons for the fingers.
They also removed shrapnel from her elbow, hand and upper body.
“We have had 80 per cent success with Maha’s hand surgeries. Her left hand is now functional and she can now grip with her left hand as initially her ring finger was blocking her fist. Maha moved as a bottom shuffler when she came to Bahrain. After evaluating her amputations we decided to fit her with hydraulic knee, leg and foot,” he comments and then hands over to the Prosthetic department at Salmaniya hospital where Maha underwent an intensive rehabilitation programme.
Dr Muhammad Jawad Rajab, senior prosthetist and orthotist introduced the Gait Cycle therapy to Maha. “Maha was an extremely co-operative patient. She did not have any suicidal tendencies that normally young people her age have when they have undergone such a trauma. “Her case is very difficult because she does not have the power of the knee to support her body weight. But we are doing intensive physiotherapy with her that will enable her to eventually stand up with an aide and walk a short distance with a frame.
“Maha is walking between two parallel bars now and is able to fit her prosthetic limbs herself,” adds Dr Rajab, satisfied with the result that the two-month physiotherapy has yielded.
According to Maha’s doctors her prosthetic limbs are durable and require little maintenance over time, a process that she can follow up in Iraq. Although the cost of each prosthetic limb for Maha is approximately 1,000 Bahraini dinars, they have given her the hope to function independently as she makes sense of her life in her country that has been caught up in war for the third time in 20 years.