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Tuberculosis (TB) is usually perceived as a disease affecting the lungs primarily. However, this disease also affects other body parts (extra-pulmonary tuberculosis) and can hit people of every stratum, whether rich or poor. According to medical research, around ten per cent of tuberculosis patients in India suffer from extrapulmonary tuberculosis, mainly in bones and the spine. Sr. Consultant Spine Surgeon Vamsi Krishna Varma Penumatsa, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, says these numbers constantly rise, primarily because of ignorance, lack of awareness and information, helping the disease spread silently. It mainly spreads to the other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Usually, the ends of long bones and the vertebrae are common sites for extra-pulmonary tuberculosis because of their rich blood supply. The type of pain also depends on tuberculosis's exact location. For instance, in the case of spinal tuberculosis, the pain in the lower back is so severe that the patient end...