Man walks five years after rare knee surgery

JAIPUR: When Jaipur resident Mahadev Singh was finally able to get up after five years, his joy knew no bounds. At the Fortis Escorts Hospital on JLN Marg, the 60-year-old underwent a rare’ knee replacement surgery two weeks ago. Singh spoke with the media on Monday after being kept under surveillance for a while. A team of orthopaedic surgeons rebuilt his knees in a “complex surgery” employing the most up-to-date tools, including a computer navigation system. Both knees were deformed and had bent by 90 degrees, which made it a complex operation to remove the old implants and fix a new one, according to Dr. Anoop Jhurani, who oversaw the surgery. After a series of discussions, the team decided on how to unlock the curved knee joints without affecting the patient’s age or blood circulation. The toughest obstacle, according to Jhurani, was finishing the procedure without harming the tissues that run through the knee. Doctors employed a computer navigation system during the procedure to arrange the transplant correctly. Even though Singh is now using a walker, Jhurani is confident that after three months of medication and consistent exercise, he would be able to walk unassisted. The hospital asserted that the procedure, which corrects the abnormality and relieves the patient’s knee pain for at least 10 to 15 years, is one of the rarest. Singh, who has a new lease on life, recalled his dark times when he frequently thought about taking his own life to escape the excruciating pain. He claimed, “I could hardly do any work. I could not even stretch my legs.” Dr. Rajeev Bhargava, a joint replacement surgeon, said that for arthritis patients, early diagnosis, a healthy diet, the right medications, and regular exercise help slow bone loss.