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

 

 

 

 

 

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.

http://www.hipresurfacingsite.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=493
Message from this article is that all Hip resurfacings are not equal.

Hip Resurfacing and Other Alternatives to Hip Replacement

More than 193,000 hip replacement surgeries are performed in the USA alone every year, according to data from the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, and although this surgery is safe and does not cause complications or require revisions 90 percent of the time, there is a possibility that the artificial surface will be subject to wear and tear over time. So if the patient is relatively young, they could need a revision in around 15 years’ time. There is also the risk of a dislocation if the artificial ball and socket are smaller than the normal natural ones and the hip is placed in certain positions. A viable and safer alternative to hip replacement surgery, especially if the patient is young, is hip resurfacing.

This surgical procedure is more advantageous because it involves less bone removal and therefore supports the preservation of bone. Also, the chances of a dislocation are minimized because the femoral head size is relatively larger. And even in case a revision is needed at a later date, it’s easier on both the patient and the surgeon because there is more bone to work with.

However, not everyone is a suitable candidate for hip resurfacing – the patient must be young enough and be clinically qualified by the surgeon, and he or she must not be obese, have non-inflammatory degenerative joint disease, have an infection, be allergic to the metals used in the implant, have severe bone loss in their femoral head, have femoral neck cysts, have rheumatoid arthritis, be very, tall, thin or small-boned, have poor blood supply to the femoral head, or have poor bone stock in the acetabulum. Hip resurfacing does have a few risks, the major of them being femoral neck fractures, aseptic loosening, and metal wear.

Besides hip resurfacing, there are other alternatives to total hip replacement the simplest of which is conservative management where the patient chooses not to undergo surgery and the pain is relieved and made manageable through other methods like physical therapy, cortisone injections and other anti-inflammatory medication, walking aids and joint supplements. The kind of care provided depends on the activity level of the patient.

Other options include:
. Short stem hip replacements with implants like the Proxima hip, Silent hip,

METHA hip sacrifice less bone on the femoral side and allow normal or near normal range of movements.

· Femoral Osteotomy: This procedure realigns the bones of the hip joint and is performed on the femur, the pelvis, or both. It is suited only for certain kinds of patients who suffer early arthritis of the hip joint because of conditions like hip dysplasia. The weight-bearing area of the patient’s hip should be able to be broadened for osteotomy to be a success. Recover is longer in this method than in a hip replacement.

· Arthrodesis: In this procedure, the head of the femur is fused to the acetabulam using a metal plate and screws. Although the fusion does not wear out like a hip replacement, the downside of this surgery is that mobility is lost at the hip and the patient may walk with a limp. Patients also have to use a cast during the recuperative period. A hip fusion or arthrodesis can be converted to a total hip replacement at a later date. This may be a suitable option for the very young patient in their teens as it will preserve their bone for a longer time.

· Resection Arthroplasty: This surgery removes the bone around the hip joint and allows the joint space to fill with scar tissue. It is usually done only on patients whose infection is extremely severe and whose arthritis is very advanced that they cannot even walk properly. Patients need to undergo therapy after surgery and be taught how to use an assistive device when walking.

By-line:

This article is contributed by Susan White, who regularly writes on the subject of Rad Tech Schools. She invites your questions, comments at her email address: susan.white33@gmail.com.

Metal on metal hip replacement problems
A recent study from Belgium found that metal on metal hip replacements that included resurfacing resulted in pseudo tumors in 8% of cases. This required a revision due to loosening of the implant. This paper was presented at the American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons conference in March 2010.
The failure rate of metal on metal rates was about 8 % or more according to this study.
Ceramics, cross linked polyethylene, metal on metal are different types of bearings used in total hip arthroplasty. Ceramics and metal are hard bearings thought to reduce wear. However metal on metal implants resulted in a high early failure rate. It is thought that this complication could result from metal hypersensitivity.

Photos of a Hip resurfacing performed by Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam for an American patient.

Presentation1

Web site- http://www.hipsurgery.inE mail- drvenkat@kneeindia.com

Recent reports in The New York Times, Journal of arthroplasty and others talk about the complications associated with metal on metal hip replacements including hip resurfacing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/health/04metalhip.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam gave two talks at the Arab health summit in Dubai. The topics were regenerative medicine in Orthopedics. He talked about Ossron therapy for Osteonecrosis. With the declining popularity of Hip resurfacing for Osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis, the biological options look appealing in the early stages. For a successful outcome, aggressive investigations with MRI scan and bone scan is essential. Patients will benefit only if they seek early treatment rather than procrastinate.

Watch hip resufacing patient story of Dr. Venkatachalam from MJRC, India. The patient Mr.Chris Browne had regained his full mobility & flexibility 1 year later.