Stephen Richeley, a British citizen resident in Uganda shows his rapid recovery after a Birmingham hip resurfacing surgery in India. His surgery was performed at a super speciality hospital by Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam. Visit http://www.hipsurgery.in

Birmingham Hip Resurfacing India- British patient testimonial

 

 

 

 

 

Medical Tourism for Avascular Necrosis

It’s becoming more common by the day – as medical treatments procedures become costlier in some nations and simultaneously improve in quality in others, more and more people are choosing to travel out of their homelands in search of inexpensive alternatives to the medical procedures they require. Their preferred destinations are countries where healthcare is affordable to those who have money and where the quality of care provided depends on the amount you’re willing to spend.

Medical tourism is popular in and thrives in countries like India where costs are affordable and the care provided is of superior quality. If you suffer from avascular necrosis and need a hip replacement, a hip resurfacing procedure or stem cell treatment, here are a few tips that will come in handy:

• Research your options before you decide to travel abroad for surgery – choose your destination based on a variety of factors, the most important of which should be quality. Cost is a consideration too, but if you’re not careful, you could end up becoming the result of a medical error.
• Ask a friend or family member to accompany you on the trip – you will need their help to move around in the initial days of the surgery, to help you with your physiotherapy, and to ensure your safe travel back home once you’ve been discharged. Most hospitals in India allow a companion to stay with you in your private hospital room during and after the surgery.
• Be prepared to spend between ten days and two weeks for the procedure.
• Understand your legal rights and options in the country you choose to visit for your procedure – it is harder to sue medical practitioners in countries like India than it is in the USA. To avoid legal issues and unpleasantness, choose a doctor who is reputable and experienced in the surgery, or a hospital whose name is synonymous with quality.
• Be prepared to undergo physical therapy soon after your surgery – it is necessary to restore mobility and improve your range of motion.
• Learn a little about the country and city you’re going to be staying in for your procedure so you don’t get cheated or find yourself like a fish out of water when you get there. Use the Internet to find out the best ways to get to the hospital from the airport and read up on the culture of the country.
• If you want to do a few touristy things before/after the surgery, check with your surgeon if it’s going to be possible before fixing your itinerary.
• And finally, be prepared for any eventuality – ensure that you have access to enough funds to cover your stay, ascertain that you don’t break any local laws and rules, and most important of all, establish a good relationship with your preferred doctor/hospital before you get there for the procedure.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Rachel Davis, she writes on the topic of Radiology programs . She welcomes your comments at her email id: racheldavis65[@]gmail[.]com.

Are you a candidate for Birmingham Hip Resurfacing?
If you suffer from painful hip arthritis in young or middle age and need pain relief, you will benefit by a Birmingham hip Resurfacing.
This surgical procedure is designed to conserve more bone than a total hip replacement. Rather the head is reshaped & resurfaced with  a metal cap. On the socket side, the acetabulum is scraped and fitted with a metal socket.
The Birmingham Hip Resufacing prosthesis got FDA approval in 2006. It has been used in India much earlier and has relieved many young patients of hip arthritis.
What is Birmingham Hip resurfacing?
This implant has two components. On the femoral side, there is a metal cup made of cobalt chrome with a central peg. On the socket side there is a metal socket made of the same material and coated on the outside with Hydoxy apatite. Hydroxy apatite resembles bone tissue. Fixation occurs by natural bony ingrowth into this coating.
Hip resurfacing relieves pain and restores normal function. Young and middle aged patients upto 65 years can benefit from hip resurfacing.

Indications for Hip resurfacing- If you have the following conditions you may be considered for Hip resurfacing.

1. Primary osteoarthritis
2. Early Avascular necrosis
3. Post traumatic arthritis

Advantages of Hip Resurfacing
1. Less bone loss on the femoral side
2. Less risk of dislocation
3. Better range of movements

Some risks of this procedure are
1. Femoral neck fracture
2. Metal wear particles can damage bone & soft tissues.
3. Metal ion elevation in blood and urine

Best candidates for BHR
1. Suffer from Osteoarthritis
2. Young than 60 years
3. Bone shape is normal
4. Bone density is normal
5. No cavities or cysts in bone
6. Limb lengths are equal

Men younger than 65 years with good bone stock are the best candidates. Women with favorable criteria like a big frame may be considered.

While Hip resurfacing is an attractive option, it is not a panacea for everybody. Patients with the following criteria are not suitable candidates
1. Poor bone denisty
2. Large cysts in neck
3. Short or abnormal neck
4. Large cysts in head extending beyond 30% of the head
5. Infection
6. Impaired or anticipated deterioration of kidney function ( Renal failure, Sickle cell disease)
7. Bony fusion
8.Unequal limb lengths
Women in child bearing age are not good candidates. Post menopausal women with good bone density can be considered.

Hip Resurfacing Procedure
You can get an appointment for surgery at short notice. Just e mail us at drvenkat@kneeindia.com.
You will spend about 5 days in hospital. By six weeks you would have returned to normal walking and activities.
You can see the recovery of Mr.Chris Browne, one of our previous patients from Greece in this video. You will be amazed by the flexibility & mobility on the first anniversary of his right hip resurfacing.

Video shows recovery after Hip Resurfacing surgery at 1 year.

Dr.Venkatachalam is one of the few surgeons who perform Hip resurfacing. He received training in this procedure at the Zimmer institute. Please see our patient testimonials for Hip resurfacing here.
http://www.hipsurgery.in/patient-stories/
Visit our website, Hip Surgery India

Your health travel trip to India for a hip resurfacing will save you thousands and give you an opportunity to see the ancient culture and traditions of South India.

Ah, my favorite doctor ! Nice to hear from you. Summer is in full swing here, which means barbaque and boating. Thanks to your wonderful work I was able to try wake boarding this year. It was one of my goals to return to a more active lifestyle. Its really depressing to lose physical ability before your time. I was hoping to last till at least 99 before giving up skydiving and being shot out of a cannon ! Thanks again and good fortune.
signed Grandon Benson

Hip resurfacing surgery in India restores your mobility

People dread getting old. If you are Caucasian and approaching your forties, you may have already noticed that some of the things you did as a teenager aren’t that easy anymore. As a general rule, if you take care of yourself when you are young, getting old will be easier. Joint pains develop and progress to restrict your life style and stop you enjoying outdoor activities.
A lot of people will have to face as a part of the aging process one of those things is hip replacements for hip pain.

According to The National Institue of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases there are over 193000 hip replacements performed in the U.S. each year. In the UK, the numbers are about 5, 00000 per year.

Hip replacements have been the mainstay of treatment for hip arthritis. An alternative considered nowadays is a procedure called hip resurfacing. The main advantage that hip resurfacing has over a total hip replacement is the amount of bone removed. More bone is preserved in the top end of the thigh bone (femur) called the neck and head. During a resurfacing it is quite a bit less then the amount of bone that is removed during a total hip replacement. Is that a good thing or bad thing? It is a good thing because as a general rule a patient will recover quicker and go through less pain with a hip resurfacing then they would if they had a total hip replacement. Another advantage is that since the head size matches the natural size, there is little risk of dislocating your hip. This will give you a lot more freedom of activities.

When a young patient goes to an orthopedic surgeon because they are experiencing pain in their hip joints the doctor will more often than not try to put off surgery as long as possible. This is no longer necessary. Once the patient reports that the pain that they experience is beginning to limit their day to day activities surgery will be performed. However these young arthritic patients should understand that a hip replacement may have to be redone. This fact makes hip resurfacing a very viable option in younger patients.

The surgery itself can be performed in different ways. We use the approach from the side. Our incisions are quite small and measure about 7 inches. We prefer to keep the hip joint capsule in tact. Keeping the hip joint capsule intact is less damaging to the blood supply in the hip area and limits the risk of the patient dislocating their hip after surgery.

The surgery is performed by making a cut on the side of the hip.

The femoral bone is then dislocated from the hip. The head of the femoral bone is then shaped so that a new metal cap fits over the head snugly. This is then placed over the end of the bone and held in place by a pin & cement fixation. The hip socket itself may be left alone or a thin metal cup can be placed in the socket. To make room from that metal cup a reamer is used to remove the cartilage from the acetabulum and to shape the socket for the metal cup. The metal cup is pressed into the socket. Friction holds it in place until new bone grows and fills in the holes of the surface of the metal cup and attaches it to the bone.

The patient is generally released from the hospital 2-4 days after their surgery. Physical therapy starts almost immediately with a therapist helping the patient get out of bed on the very first day. Therapy progresses quickly with the patient walking around with crutches the second day after the surgery. The patient can expect to have physical therapy between 1-3 times a day while they are still in the hospital. Generally, the patient will be released when he or she is able to get out of bed, walk 75 feet with the aid of crutches or a walker, and is able to climb stairs.

If you are looking at having to have hip surgery, ask us at the Madras Joint Replacement center in India, whether or not you may be a candidate for hip resurfacing. If you are able to have your hip resurfaced over having to have it totally replaced, you will enjoy several advantages to a hip replacement.

Video testimonial of Grandon Benson from Seattle, Washington, USA. He underwent right Birmingham hip resurfacing by Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam of www.hipsurgery.in

Grandon Benson from Portland Washington had his Birmingham hip resurfacing surgery in India. After enduring 12 years of pain, he is relieved and able to walk normally.

Grandon had damaged his right hip in a car accident 12 years ago. Although it was fixed in the US, he developed arthritis. Like many baby boomers, Grandon didn’t want to lead a life of misery and pain. When he couldn’t get surgery back home in the US, he preferred Indian Orthopedic surgeon Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam to perform his right hip resurfacing.

Grandon underwent the Birmingham hip resurfacing procedure which is of recent vintage in the US.

He is recovering in hospital and will soon go to a resort for recuperation.

American patient talks about his high value medical treatment in India. He received a Birmingham hip by Dr.Venkatachalam for a very affordable cost in Chennai, India.

People dread getting old. If you are Caucasian and approaching your forties, you may have already noticed that some of the things you did as a teenager aren’t that easy anymore. As a general rule, if you take care of yourself when you are young, getting old will be easier. Joint pains develop and progress to restrict your life style and stop you enjoying outdoor activities.

A lot of people will have to face as a part of the aging process one of those things is hip replacements for hip pain.

According to The National Institue of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases there are over 193000 hip replacements performed in the U.S. each year. In the UK, the numbers are about 5, 00000 per year.

Avascular necrosis or Osteonecrosis is a fairly common hip condition.

Young patients are affected. Some of the causes leading to osteonecrosis are steroid intake, alcoholism, connective tissue disorders like SLE, Sickle cell disease, hypertension, decompression sickness, thrombosis, In a large number of individuals the cause is unknown or Idiopathic. Young and middle aged patients are affected. Involvement of both hips is fairly common.

Hip AVN

Diagnosis- It takes a long time for the bony changes to be visible on plain x rays.

MRI scans and nuclear bone scans reveal the diagnosis early on when the condition is suspected. Both hips need to be imaged simultaneously. CT scans help to identify the extent of the bony involvement.

Treatment

The treatment depends on the stage of the disease. Most often conservative or non operative measures fail. Surgical treatment ranges from core drilling to total hip replacements. In the early stages core drilling can lead to a positive result in a good proportion of cases.

When this has failed, or the stage is more advanced, hip resurfacing is advised. However the surgeon should do so after a diligent assessment of the extent of disease. Hip resurfacing can be done when the extent of the femoral head involvement is less than 30 percent. In early cases partial hip resurfacing can be done in a few selected centers

The presence of cysts makes hip resurfacing more difficult to perform with confidence. In these cases there are two options.

One is the Proxima hip replacement

where the bone is amputated at the base of the head similar to the BMHR. Then a short stem is impacted into the top portion or Proximal part of the neck and metaphysis of the femur. This has a large ball of the same diameter as the natural femoral head. The socket is also lined with a metal cup. Thus a trunnion of large diameter metal on metal results. The advantages are stability and less bone loss. The Proxima hip has a ten year follow up in the hands of its designer surgeon.

The other option is the Mid head resection Birmingham hip or BMHR.

This operation involves amputating almost the entire head of the femur containing the cysts, impacting a conical stem into the neck portion of the femur and attaching a Birmingham hip like prosthesis. The cup also gets a metal liner.

All the options mentioned are bone sparing options.

There is not much difference in the extent of the bony resection in the Proxima hip replacement and the Birmingham Mid head resection prosthesis. The former has a longer follow up.