Al Wakra Hospital introduces new orthopaedic treatment methods
Al Wakra Hospital, part of Hamad Medical Corporation, has introduced several non-conservative, nonsurgical treatment methods at its Orthopaedic Department.
“We treat all types of orthopaedic problems at outpatient clinics and perform surgeries with modern and advanced methods,” said Dr Nebal Mohamed Shaath, senior consultant, Orthopaedic Surgery at Al Wakra Hospital.
The Orthopaedic Department at Al Wakra Hospital cared for over 20,000 people in 2019. According to the physician, the main causes of fractures are from domestic and work related accidents such as falls, traffic accidents or sport injuries. The number of orthopaedic problems at the hospital increased from 435 in 2017 to over 524 in 2019.
“Our department operates 11 clinics daily including nine orthopaedic and two fracture clinics, except on Tuesdays when we have three fracture and nine orthopaedic clinics. From January to November this year, the clinics have seen a total of 22,725 patients with 17, 453 for orthopaedic cases and 5272 for fractures,” explained Dr Shaath.
Individuals going to Al Wakra Hospital, have the chance of undergoing either a Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction or arthroscopy depending on their condition.
“These surgical procedures minimise the damage to the body tissues, reduce postoperative pain. It can help start rehabilitation exercises early to facilitate functional recovery and to improve the outcomes of the surgical treatment,” pointed out, Dr Shaath.
The physician noted that MIS is the new trend in modern surgery. Its research, application and popularisation in orthopaedic trauma are well demonstrated in the development of current osteosynthesis.
“When the ACL in the knee is torn or injured, surgery may be needed to replace it. There are many different ways to do this operation. One is to take a piece of the hamstring tendons from behind the knee and use it in place of the torn ligament. When arranged into three or four strips, the hamstring graft has nearly the same strength as other available grafts used to reconstruct the ACL,” described, Dr Shaath.
Another minimally invasive surgical procedure is arthroscopy on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage meniscus is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision.
He also said that three types of injections are available at Al Wakra Hospital to be given at any joint. Injections are an integral part of non-surgical treatment methods used by orthopaedic specialists to relieve pain and inflammation in the body.
“For some patients doctors use Synvisc - a viscosupplement injection that provides fluid in the knee to help lubricate and cushion the joint, and can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief. In other cases, doctors may use platelet-rich plasma on injuries or inflammation to tendons, ligaments, and joints that do not need surgical intervention,” he stated.
“It is available at Al Wakra Hospital for almost a year and about 400 patients have received it. The third type is steroid injection is given in the joints on selected patients but commonly used to treat inflammatory conditions of tendons,” added, Dr Shaath.