Don’t let knee pain slow your dad down

Imagine your dad who has always been full of beans, someone you love being involved in physical activities such as sports, gardening, long walks, etc suddenly slows down. And if he complains of severe pain not letting him enjoy these activities, he may be suffering from osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is an age-related degenerative and progressive condition that affects joints, and makes them stiff and painful. According to Dr Amite Pankaj Aggarwal, head, joint replacement unit Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, “Normal wear and tear of joints leads to arthritis and it is commonly seen in adults over 65 years of age, but it can also develop in young adults due to factors like obesity, stress, lack of proper exercise and both sedentary or strenuous lifestyle.” Non-surgical treatment like medications, physiotherapy and walks supports are often not helpful. Hence, one may want to consider total knee replacement surgery.

Dr. Prof. Surya Bhan, director, orthopaedic and joint replacement of Primus Hospital, says, “Technological advancement in knee replacement surgery has come a long way. Gone are the days where patients are expected to slow down after a knee surgery or worry about undergoing a second surgery due to the prosthetic metal implant wearing out in 10-12 years. Improved surgical methods and newer knee prosthetic materials such as Oxidized Zirconium foster a return to an active lifestyle.” Oxidized Zirconium implants have little friction between its components and are highly abrasion–resistant.

In addition, these implants are also ideal for patients, who are sensitive to metal (especially nickel) might have a failure. “The traditional cobalt chrome implants have high quantities of nickel, but Oxidized Zirconium implants have almost no detectable nickel content.” says Dr. Hemant Sharma, director, Orthopaedic, W Pratiksha Hospital, Gurgaon. Disclaimer: The veracity of any health claim made in the above article is the responsibility of the concerned hospital/doctor.