60-year-old Fijian woman goes under knife, to stand after a year

New Delhi: Bedridden for over a year, Mayawati, a Fijian national, suffered from restricted mobility due to rheumatoid arthritis with severely osteoporotic and weak bones. Life turned arduous for the 60-year-old of Indian origin, when she sustained a fracture and a ligament injury around her knee after a fall.

Considering her weak and osteoporotic bones, doctors in Fiji did not operate the fracture, which, in addition to the ligament injury, rendered the elderly Fijian and caused her to develop severe osteoarthritis of knee. Flying across miles, the Indian origin patient returned to mother land and was admitted to a Delhi hospital for further treatment.

Owing to the fracture, growing pain and inability to walk, she was admitted to Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. While Mayawati needed knee replacement surgery, it was not a usual one –doctors identified that she will need special implants for her knee replacement surgery due to fracture and ligament incompetency. "We used special implants which are used for revision knee replacement surgeries for the process that catered to the requirements of osteoporotic and weak bones of an elderly person. Apart from her fracture, we also treated her for osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis using latest medication available for severe osteoporosis and involving rheumatologist. At the end of the surgery, we were relieved to have delivered satisfying results," said Dr Vivek Mahajan.

"We are very happy to see her walk again –this was unthinkable a few weeks ago. This is the best gift we have received this year and we are immensely thankful to the doctors at ISIC," said a patient's attendant. Mayawati was able to walk two days after the surgery later she was discharged. The patient was subsequently put under rehabilitation to increase her mobility in controlled manner.

"Surgery is definitely important, but it is rehabilitation which plays a crucial role in integrating a joint replacement patient in the mainstream life. Physiotherapy, gait and balance training, occupational training, and many more rehab services not only enable the patient to be independent in performing activities of daily living but also decrease the risks of further damages," said Dr Mahajan.