ORTHOPAEDICS
INTRODUCTION
Welcare Hospital is one of the Best Orthopaedic hospital platforms in Gujarat and India. Dr Bharat Mody is the Chief Orthopaedic surgeon and one of the Best Orthopaedic Surgeons of India. He has to his credit, an experience of having performed more than 40,000 Orthopaedic surgeries and procedures. He has a team of highly experienced and some of the best orthopaedic doctors in India who are capable of handling all fields of Orthopaedics.
Tremendous advances have been made in orthopaedic surgery since its inception over 250 years ago. Subspecialties such as Joint Replacement surgery, Arthroscopy, Spinal surgery, hand surgery and other such areas have made significant technological and biological advances in the past 40 years. These have developed into full fledged expertise areas in their own right, and deserve separate departments.
Welcare hospital in Vadodara, Gujarat, has the most advanced Operation theatres in India. Dr. Bharat Mody has established the following departments in Orthopaedics:
ARTHROSCOPY (Keyhole surgery of joints)
Perhaps one of the most significant advances to occur in orthopaedic surgery has been the addition of arthroscopic surgery, a minimally invasive technique. Prior to the introduction of endoscopic techniques, large incisions had to be made in order to obtain the surgical exposure needed to treat problems. With the introduction of endoscopic techniques came the ability to diagnose problems and even treat them without the subsequent morbidity that had accompanied many prior procedures. Recuperative time was greatly reduced. Because problems were frequently addressed at an earlier stage before the pathology had a chance to advance, results of operations were more likely to be successful.
Arthroscopic surgery has revolutionized the approach to and treatment of joint disorders. Today, arthroscopy is performed on virtually all major joints of the body, and, because of its applications, the world has gained a greater understanding of joint mechanics, anatomy, and function. Its use continues to serve a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal ailments because of its high degree of clinical accuracy, low morbidity, infrequent complications, and quick recovery time. Additionally, the development and increased use of arthroscopic techniques have played major roles in the ability to perform surgical procedures on an outpatient basis, thereby saving money and resources.
Dr. Bharat Mody is recognised as one of the best Arthroscopy surgeons of India.
JOINT REPLACEMENT
Before the advent of total joint arthroplasty, patients with significant arthritis of the hip or knee were often forced to endure their pain, with only minimal relief obtained by analgesic medications and other conservative treatments.
Total joint arthroplasty (replacement) of the hip and the knee have been received with much enthusiasm by the orthopaedic community because of their ability to relieve pain and restore function. The ideas and techniques initiated by the pioneers of joint replacement have given orthopaedic surgeons the power to improve patients’ lives irrevocably and have forever changed the surgical treatment of arthritic joints.
Today, total joint replacement of the hip and the knee are among the most successful surgical procedures performed by any specialty, with marked relief of pain and improved joint function in the majority of patients treated. Total joint replacement is a cost-effective procedure that significantly improves a patient’s quality of life and mobility. Dr. Bharat Mody is one of the best Knee and Hip Joint Replacement Surgeons of India.
SPINE SURGERY
Spinal surgery has also seen great improvements recently. Minimally invasive disc surgery and enhanced spinal fusions for degenerative disorders are significant advances. Spinal instrumentation, i.e., implantable devices used in the surgical treatment of spinal disorders, has been developed and can significantly correct spinal deformities that were previously untreatable. Likewise, rigid spinal fixation by the pedicle screw and other devices and advances in the techniques of vertebrectomy have improved the treatment of cancer patients with spinal metastases or patients with infection. Often, these treatments can result in significant pain relief and neurological recovery.
Improved fracture management: open reduction and internal fixation During the past few decades, there have been significant advances in the way orthopaedists treat fractures. Consequently, fractures are now healing more dependably and with less residual deformity than ever before. Patients treated for orthopaedic trauma are more likely to subsequently lead normal lives without significant disability.
One of the initial accomplishments of the AO/ASIF was the conception of 4 treatment principles that are still valid today. The first principle stresses the importance of obtaining an anatomical reduction of the fracture fragments, especially when the fracture extends into the joint. If closed methods of reduction prove inadequate, open reduction of the fragments by surgical means is carried out. Anatomic reduction is desired to prevent the development of posttraumatic arthrosis and to improve the chances of having a long-lasting and fully functional joint.
The second principle is an extension of the first. After obtaining a good reduction of the fracture fragments, it is necessary to achieve stable fixation of the fragments to maintain the proper anatomic shape. This can be accomplished by a variety of methods ranging from external splints, such as plaster fixation, to internal fixation by plates, screws, wires, and intramedullary nails. Also included are transcutaneous splints—the so-called external fixators. Success of the modern fixation techniques over the past several decades has spawned substantial interest by equipment and instrument manufacturers to develop fracture stabilization equipment.
The third principle is an important concept that has been increasingly recognized as a critical element for proper fracture healing. The preservation of the blood supply to the bone fragments and the soft tissue by means of atraumatic surgical techniques is vital in maintaining adequate nutrition to the fragments and preventing bone necrosis. Understanding of this simple concept is due in large part to the greater efforts of basic science researchers directed at the study of osteosynthesis.
The fourth principle, early and pain-free mobilization, emphasizes the desire for early postoperative motion of the muscles and joints adjacent to the fracture. This concept was contrary to the opinion of the time—that prolonged immobilization was necessary for proper fracture healing to occur. The primary reason for advocating early, protected mobilization is that early motion prevents many of the undesirable sequelae that had, at that time, been accepted as unavoidable with the treatment of fractures. Problems, such as stiff joints, marked muscle atrophy, and osteoporosis, were common following immobilization, and more troublesome complications, such as pneumonia, decubitus ulceration, and deep vein thrombosis, were due in large part to prolonged recumbency. The move from an era in which prolonged immobilization was the mainstay of treatment to today’s emphasis on early motion and rehabilitation has improved, without compromise, fracture healing and posttraumatic musculoskeletal function.
OTHER ADVANCES
The major advances discussed above, i.e., arthroscopic surgery, joint replacement, and open reduction and internal fixation of fractures, have revolutionized the practice of orthopaedic surgery as a whole, but by no means do we intend to imply that the list is comprehensive or that it represents the extent of improvement and development that has occurred in recent times. Indeed, great advances have been made within all the subspecialty areas of orthopaedics.
SPORTS MEDICINE
Sports medicine has recently made great strides in the treatment of shoulder and knee pathology. An improved understanding of shoulder and knee mechanics has led to treatment strategies that are more likely to result in return of the athlete to sports.Procedures such as capsular shrinkage to stabilize the shoulder and arthroscopic reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament and partial meniscectomy in the knee are achieving this goal and hopefully resulting in long-term preservation of joint function.
HAND SURGERY
The subspecialty of hand surgery has acquired a valuable tool with the development of microsurgical techniques to perform technically challenging procedures such as nerve and small-vessel repair. Truly remarkable is the ability of surgeons, with the aid of an operating microscope, to re-implant a patient’s severed hand or arm with good recovery of limb function.
PAEDIATRIC ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY
In paediatric orthopaedics, one of the major areas of progress has been the greatly improved treatments now available for patients diagnosed with malignant bone tumours. These treatments have resulted in the increased survival of many patients whose diagnoses previously carried grave prognoses. Defects created by tumour resection are treated more effectively as well. Techniques such as distraction osteogenesis and bone transport now are used in the reconstruction of these bone defects and in cases in which significant trauma or infection has resulted in deformity. These relatively new technologies, originally used to correct limb length discrepancies in children, can dramatically correct limb deformity and restore function (10).
Today, orthopaedic researchers strive to improve orthopaedic treatment modalities through better understanding of the composition, structure, and function of musculoskeletal tissues (2). Much knowledge has been gained in the past few decades regarding disease processes, such as rheumatoid and degenerative arthritis, and the body’s response to injury. Additionally, the areas of biomechanics and biomaterials have helped create the implants and prostheses that are now an integral part of orthopaedic surgery. Research will continue at a never-before-seen pace and will certainly improve the understanding and treatment of musculoskeletal problems.
Finally, it would be wrong for medical specialists today, especially orthopaedists, not to mention the contribution of diagnostic radiology in regard to diagnostic decision making. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging have found a niche in orthopaedics and are likely to remain as useful diagnostic tools.