Orthopedic Surgery – Hip & Knee Arthritis
One of the truly great advances in the treatment of arthritis has been in Orthopedic surgery. In the past, osteo-arthritis sufferers were doomed to bed, or experience knee pain daily, when climbing stairs or after squatting on the floor. Now with the advent of advances in imaging, medications, appropriate surgery, these previously symptomatic and infirm or fit people, can now lead a life of comfort. The results are not exaggerated but are real. People have a wide variety of choices. However the exact procedure has to be tailored to the activity level, age, pain thresholds and pattern of involvement of the arthritis.
It is important to caution people about prolonged medication at first. Pain killers are prescribed as demanded and as a first line of treatment. Consumption of drugs on a long term can lead to adverse affects. The recent withdrawal of a drug called Rofecoxib by MERCK in the US was forced by its possible association with hypertension and heart attacks after prolonged consumption for two years. Nutraceuticals like Glucosamine are also tried but are expensive in the long run.
Orthopedic Surgery in people with arthritis should not be viewed as a last resort, but it actually serves two purposes.
Joint replacement in a joint destroyed by arthritis serves to correct something that is drastically wrong and restore function to the joint. Senior citizens with arthritis need joint replacement. A second major purpose of surgery is to prevent further injury from happening. Middle aged people with bony deformities like bow legs, obese individuals, are bound to get arthritis and will need a major surgical intervention within the next ten years. In these set of people alternatives to joint replacement, are applicable and available locally. These alternatives are less expensive and safer to do. They have a very good success rate.
In deciding whether you need to go through an operation for a particular problem, it is important to consider the basic disease as well as the injury itself to the articular cartilage. Articular cartilage is the rubbery tissue that lines the ends of bones forming a joint. It is a precious tissue capable of only very limited regeneration after injury unlike the other tissues of the body. Loss of cartilage leads to bone grinding on bone and is pointed out on X-rays by your Orthopaedic surgeon as loss of joint space.
Major surgeries such as hip resurfacing, hip replacement or knee replacement are quite common these days, and expected to increase as the older population becomes larger. What’s more, you don’t need health insurance coverage to get these surgeries performed today, and while there exists the need for pre-surgery testing and post-surgery physical therapy, most people are very glad they opted not to wait.
Living with chronic pain can be a major, life-altering issue. Chronic knee pain or hip pain at night can prohibit you from enjoying many of the finer things that you enjoy in life, like playing golf, playing with the grandkids, taking a leisurely walk, etc.
In addition to the pain that a failing knee or hip brings it can also be quite costly. I’m not talking about the cost of the knee or hip replacement surgery – this cost is manageable. I’m referring to the long term costs of NOT having the orthopedic surgery. Changing the way you walk due to the hip or knee pain can cause problems with other parts of your body which could end up requiring additional treatments. Also, the effect of losing sleep due to hip or knee pain at night can lead to mental and physical issues that can affect your mood, job and relationships.
Health tourism today is a very real option. What might cost $50,000 to $60,000 in the U.S. can cost as little as $25,000 in a safe (and beautiful) destination such as New Zealand. Health tourism costs there also include all travel related expenses and there’s often financial assistance available. With state-of-the-art facilities and English-speaking, U.S.-trained specialists, a destination like New Zealand can have you on the road to recovery and peace of mind in no time.
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