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After 6 years of multiple shoulder dislocations, specialised surgery, rehab help state kabaddi player return to competitive sport

Her injuries were a combination of repetitive stress from intense training, sudden trauma during matches and lack of rest — risk factors common to contact sports like kabaddi, said Dr Abhay Kulkarni, specialist shoulder and sports injury surgeon at Sahyadri Hospitals.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Dec 19, 2025 09:07 AM IST

Nagindra Kura's injuries were a combination of repetitive stress from intense training, sudden trauma during matches. (Express photo)

Nagindra Kura, a 25-year-old Maharashtra state-level kabaddi player who endured repeated shoulder dislocations over six years, has returned to competitive sport after undergoing a specialised procedure that uses a small bone and muscle graft to stabilise the shoulder and prevent further injury. Post-surgery, she successfully participated in selection trials for district and state-level kabaddi associations.

Kura said she often ignored her injuries during training. “However things came to such a point that I suffered multiple dislocations and that affected my daily routine, sleep and even ability to perform on the court,” she said.

Her injuries were a combination of repetitive stress from intense training, sudden trauma during matches and lack of rest — risk factors common to contact sports like kabaddi, said Dr Abhay Kulkarni, specialist shoulder and sports injury surgeon at Sahyadri Hospitals.

In March 2024, after a detailed evaluation including a CT scan and MRI, doctors identified significant bone loss (20%) in Kura’s shoulder socket, making standard ligament repair unsuitable. She underwent a Mini-Open Latarjet procedure — a surgery that uses a small bone and muscle graft to stabilise the shoulder and prevent further dislocations. Following structured rehabilitation under physiotherapists, she resumed full-scale practice and matches within six months.

Dr Abhay Kulkarni, specialist shoulder and sports injury surgeon at Sahyadri Hospitals.

“In January this year in the competition organised by the Pune Kabaddi Association I was able to participate and my club Raja Shiv Chhatrapati Sanstha bagged first place,” Kura said. Since then, “there is no looking back,” she added, saying she has already appeared for two state-level selection trials for 2026.

Shoulder dislocations are more common in young adults because they are more involved in sports and strenuous physical activity, Dr Kulkarni said. “These dislocations occur as sports injuries in athletes, especially in contact sports. Two-wheeler accidents and high-energy car accidents are other major causes of shoulder dislocation.”

Whether it is a fall on the shoulder while playing cricket or football, lifting heavy weights in the gym without proper guidance, or participating in contact sports such as wrestling and kabaddi, athletes remain prone to shoulder injuries because these activities place significant stress on the joint, he said.

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The shoulder joint, he noted, has “mobility at the cost of stability”. Ligaments around the shoulder socket provide additional stability, but when the shoulder dislocates, “these ligaments tear away from the socket bone. They cannot heal on their own in most of the cases and hence recurrent/frequent shoulder dislocations occur”. With repeated dislocations, the ligaments weaken and joint bones begin to erode, further destabilising the shoulder.
According to Dr Kulkarni, shoulder dislocations can be prevented in athletes with supervised strengthening and balancing exercises during training. “The importance of warm-up before the game/training sessions and cooling down after is also important. Post-surgery too, following a disciplined rehabilitation plan can restore athletes to peak performance while preventing recurrence,” he added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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