Dr Manit Arora, The Architect Behind Indian Hockey Stars' Success, and the Consequences of Mismanagement on Vinesh Phogat and Mirabai Chanu

In the world of sports, athletes often grab the limelight, but behind their remarkable performances, there's often an unsung hero - the sports medicine doctor.

Dr. Manit Arora, a distinguished sports medicine specialist and one of the best ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) specialists in the country, has played a pivotal role in the recovery and success of some of India's top athletes.

His expertise and dedication have earned him the unofficial title of "Olympics Doctor" in India, particularly for his work with the nation's hockey stalwarts.

The Journey with Harmanpreet Singh and Gurjant Singh

Dr. Arora's association with Indian hockey stars Harmanpreet Singh and Gurjant Singh is a testament to his expertise and commitment. Both players, who have been instrumental in India's recent Olympic successes, owe much of their recovery and return to form to Dr Arora.

"It's very satisfying but I never watch the games," Dr. Arora admits. "I started watching them a long time back when I did their surgery, but since then, I'm just too scared to watch them. I can't enjoy it because every time I'm watching the match, I'm just watching Harman's knee. It's going this way, it's going that way, which way is it going."

This anxiety stems from his deep involvement in their recovery journey. Harmanpreet Singh, the captain of the Indian hockey team, came to Dr Arora about six months before the Tokyo Olympics with a severe ACL and meniscus injury.

Harmanpreet was distraught, fearing that missing the Olympics might end his career. Dr. Arora recalls, "He was very worried because he said that if he missed this Olympics, he didn't know if he would play the next one."

Given the typical recovery time of eight to nine months for ligament surgery, the six-month timeframe before the Olympics seemed impossible. But Harmanpreet was determined. "Don't worry, leave that to me," he told Dr. Arora. "I'll get ready, you just do the surgery and leave the rest to me."

Against his better judgment, Dr. Arora performed the surgery. Remarkably, four months later, Harmanpreet was back in the national camp, and soon after, he was on a flight to Tokyo, where he became the leading goal scorer for India, helping the team secure a bronze medal. This achievement was followed by several accolades, including India Player of the Year, World Player of the Year, and eventually, the captaincy of the Indian team.

The Role of a Sports Surgeon

For Dr. Arora, the ultimate goal as a sports surgeon is not just getting athletes back on the field but ensuring they return to their pre-injury level of performance. "The number one thing is getting our players back to sport, and not only getting them back to sport but getting them back to what we call sport at a pre-injury level," he explains.

This is a challenging task, and while 70 to 80 per cent of athletes achieve this, others may experience dips in performance, which is natural. The process of recovery starts even before the surgery. Dr. Arora emphasizes the importance of patient education.

Athletes often come to him with specific goals, such as an upcoming tournament, but it's crucial to set realistic expectations. "We really have to do a little patient education thing with them and tell them that in your current knee situation, if you play this tournament, you're going to end up destroying your knee further," he says.

Sometimes, the timeline for recovery doesn't align with the athlete's goals, leading to a delicate balancing act. "It's like establishing a power play," Dr. Arora notes. "They want to be the dominant force and guide the treatment, and you as the doctor want to be the dominant force and tell them that this is the treatment. Somewhere both of you need to meet in the middle towards my side."

The Science Behind the Recovery

Post-recovery, Dr. Arora uses a series of tests to determine if an athlete is ready to return to sport. "It's not just the time that's important," he explains. "Some people will hit milestones earlier, some will take longer."

These milestones are assessed through various tests, including hop tests and dynamic measurements of the hamstring and quadriceps. "The simple rule is that if you fail one of them, the chance of you re-rupturing is 30 per cent. If you clear all of them, the chance of re-rupturing is three per cent."

Despite the rigorous testing and careful planning, some athletes are eager to return to play before they are fully ready. Dr. Arora often has to persuade them to wait.

"We often have players coming in at eight months saying, 'You told me eight months.' And we have to explain that while the timeline is important, achieving the necessary milestones is crucial to avoid re-injury."

Beyond Medicine: A Passion for Sports and National Pride

Dr. Arora's passion for sports and his desire to see India excel on the global stage extends beyond his medical practice. Reflecting on India's performance at the Olympics, he observes, "Since the last Olympics, the amount of enthusiasm for sports has increased a lot. There's a lot more professional leagues, including televised leagues, so there's a huge interest in sports."

However, he also voices a common sentiment among Indians: "As a citizen, I'm a taxpayer, and I want medals. I want a truckload of medals because I'm patriotic, and I want India to shine on the global stage. For the biggest country in the world to bring home six medals, I think we can do so much better."

Understanding ACL Injuries

To better understand the nature of the injuries Dr. Arora treats, it's essential to know about the types of ACL injuries. "The most simplistic classification is we just divide it into three types or three grades," he explains. A grade one injury is a stretch, a grade two is a partial tear, and a grade three is a complete tear.

For grade one injuries, minimal intervention is needed, usually just physiotherapy. Grade two injuries are further divided into low-grade and high-grade tears. "Low-grade partial tears, 99% of the time, don't require any intervention. They do well with conservative treatment or non-operative treatment in the form of sometimes bracing, but the majority of the time, just rehab, physiotherapy, and getting the athlete back." High-grade tears, especially in athletes, often require surgical intervention.

Vinesh Phogat: A Case of Mismanagement

Dr Arora describes Vinesh Phogat's missed weight issue as a stark example of "complete mismanagement." He elaborates, "Vinesh, a very, very different story. I think hers is a story of just complete mismanagement."

He highlights that the 2024 Paris Olympics introduced double weigh-ins, a new requirement for athletes. Despite this, he points out, "So how many other athletes throughout the Paris Olympics were disqualified due to it? Not one."

Dr Arora emphasizes that the issue was not Vinesh's fault but a failure on the part of the support staff. He asserts, "If 200, 300 wrestlers across various disciplines can manage their weight, how come you are not able to manage your weight?" He clarifies, "Her job is to perform. She's an athlete, she's there to give it her all, and she's there to perform at the highest level possible."

He is particularly critical of the support staff's management of her weight. "They're the ones who should be on top of her weight. They're the ones who need to monitor it. And they're the ones who need to make sure that we're keeping a good eye on this and whatever they're putting into her body in terms of nutrition is also balanced by output so that they can control her weight during the day," he explains.

Dr Arora recalls an absurd attempt by the support staff to help Vinesh meet the weight limit: "I heard an interview from one of the support staff who was saying that we even tried cutting her hair and reducing her grams that way. That's ridiculous, according to this, then at the end of the tournament, every athlete will be bald."

He underscores the accountability of the support staff and taxpayers: "Again, we think this is support staff-related issues. And this comes down to my point about how we as taxpayers are paying for the support staff. We're the ones who are actually funding them going to the Olympics, staying at these fancy villages."

He insists, "As taxpayers, we also demand better answers from them. And we should never be missing out on a medal just because the support staff wasn't good enough to manage weight."

Mirabai Chanu: Addressing Performance and Menstrual Cycle

Dr. Arora also addresses Mirabai Chanu's comments on her menstrual cycle and its impact on her performance. He acknowledges the challenge but criticizes the use of it as an excuse for poor performance.

"And we respect, what they have to endure every month, but at the same time, I've never seen a female athlete blame a period for lack of performance," Dr. Arora states. "So I think that is the point I'm trying to make."

He draws a comparison with other elite athletes to underscore his point: "I've never heard Serena Williams say that. And I think that's what distinguishes the great players from the good players."

Dr. Arora reiterates the necessity for an improved support system: "The support staff system needs to just be so much better. I think it wasn't that good in this Olympics. I think the one thing that we all learned was we need better support staff."

He emphasizes, "If we're spending so much money and so much taxpayers' money, we demand better support staff. We demand, you know, to give them the best. If they're going and they're representing India in front of a world stage for an event which happens once every four years, provide them the best of the best."