{
  "id": 311909,
  "title": "Guntur surgeon wins ‘Best Paper Award’ at Singapore Spine Conference",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/guntur-surgeon-wins-best-paper-award-at-singapore-spine-conference",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-08T15:11:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/guntur-surgeon-wins-best-paper-award-at-singapore-spine-conference/article71300713.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Guntur-based surgeon Dr. J. Naresh Babu, Chief Spine Surgeon at the Mallika Spine Centre, has been honored with the Best Paper Award at the Singapore Spine Conference, held from July 16 to 19, 2026. The award ceremony took place during a press conference in Guntur on August 3, 2026.\n\nHis groundbreaking research, titled \"Ligamentous Instability in Structurally Stable Cervical Myelopathy – A New Paradigm Shift in Understanding Disease Worsening,\" proposes a fresh perspective on the worsening of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. The study reveals that everyday activities like sitting and normal neck movements could alter the ligamentum flavum and bring about spinal cord compression, even in patients whose cervical spine appears stable on traditional scans.\n\nUtilizing weight-bearing Sitting MRI, Dr. Babu's research identified \"ligamentous instability\" as a potential cause for disease progression. He believes these findings can enable doctors to diagnose patients earlier, gauge risks more accurately, and prevent permanent spinal cord damage through timely treatment. The study also emphasizes the significance of Sitting MRI in evaluating cervical spine disorders in normal physiological conditions.\n\nDr. Naresh Babu expressed immense pride in receiving the award, recalling his previous recognition as the Young Orthopaedic Investigator Award recipient from the Singapore Orthopaedic Association in 2007. He emphasized that this latest award underscores the Mallika Spine Centre's ongoing commitment to spine surgery, innovation, and clinical research on an international scale.",
  "summary": "Dr. J. Naresh Babu, Chief Spine Surgeon at Mallika Spine Centre in Guntur, has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the Combined Meeting of SMISS-A.P., ASEAN-MIST, and the Singapore Spine Society held in Singapore from July 16 to 19, 2026. His winning research, titled \"Ligamentous Instability in Structurally Stable Cervical Myelopathy – A New Paradigm Shift in Understanding Disease Worsening,\" suggests that routine activities such as sitting and normal neck movements can cause ligamentum flavum changes and spinal cord compression, even in patients with stable cervical spines on conventional scans. The study proposes that Sitting MRI could be a valuable tool for diagnosing cervical spine disorders under normal physiological conditions, potentially aiding in earlier diagnosis, risk assessment, and timely treatment to prevent permanent spinal cord damage.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}