Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi [Images], who underwent a minimal invasive surgery for back pain on February 11, was shifted on Friday from the ICU to a special room in Sri Ramachandra Medical College hospital in Chennai.

All his health parameters were normal and he had resumed his normal diet this morning, Dr S S K Marthandam, Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon of SRMC, said in a statement.

Eighty-four-year-old Karunanidhi was admitted to the SRMC on January 26 for treatment of muscle strain, causing pain in his spinal cord.

Dr A Jaiswal, from AIIMS, New Delhi [Images], who led the team of doctors that performed the surgery, checked Karunanidhi and left for New Delhi this morning. He would be back on February 21 to assess the health of the chief minister, after which the date of discharge would be decided, Marthandam said. Though the doctors had advised rest, Karunanidhi was keen on resuming his duty at the earliest, he said.