Dr. Sanjay Agarwala
Chief of Surgery, Head – Orthopaedics and Traumatology, P.D. Hinduja National Hospital & Medical Research Centre (Hinduja Hospital Mumbai)
” Hip replacement procedure gives greater mobility “
The new “hip replacement procedure gives greater mobility ” and also allows patients to undertake high impact functions like playing squash, squat cross legged or use the Indian WCs. The metal-on-metal prosthesis has a longer life span and very useful for youngsters, who generally outlive the life of a prosthesis. A larger dia is used to prevent dislocation of the ball, says Dr. Sanjay Agarwala, Chief of Surgery, Head Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hinduja Hospital Mumbai.
Hip pain from arthritis is one of the common conditions seen not just among elderly population but with certain lifestyle choices such as, lack of physical exercise, long and stressful working hours the disease is affecting the younger generation of the country as well. Arthritis occurs when the joint space of your hip is narrowed and the soft tissues surrounding it start to shrink and tighten.
Though joint related ailments have always been an issue related to aging, but for a variety of reasons including poor eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, consumption of body building supplements and steroids in excessive quantities, more and younger patients have been diagnosed with joint related ailments.
“DUROM” is much superior to the conventional hip replacement operation. In this there is minimal bone removal surgery with metal-on-metal replacement components, and allows faster recovery of patients and provides greater mobility. Only the surfaces that are affected by the disease are resurfaced which results in bone stock preservation making it an ideal option for younger patients who outlive their first arthroplasty operation and often require a second surgery.
The metal-on-metal total hip prostheses have been introduced as an alternative bearing system to metal on polyethylene. The metal-on-metal total hip joints have bearing surfaces and usually have ball components with larger diameter. The advantage of such large diameter construction is that such total hip joint has lower risk of dislocation. This suits Indian conditions, like sitting cross legged, squatting, or even using the Indian W.C. Also, it is safe for patients to indulge in full sporting activities such as Judo and Squash without risking dislocation.
With an overall 99% success rate, the surgery has a longer implant life time, more than 10 years. This is especially due to the proprietary metal components used that have low wear rates.
