Dubai worker regains mobility after over 12 years of pain

The 52-year-old had been suffering from excruciating pain in the knee for the last 12 years.

A blue collar worker who had been suffering from excruciating pain in the knee for the last 12 years which'd made his daily chores and office work difficult, was recently operated upon and saved from losing his mobility forever.
Trying to recall what led to the ever persisting pain in his knee, 52 year old Philip told Khaleej Times: " I used to play a lot of football when I was a young boy. Once I dislocated my knee bone when I fell during a game but in those days technology was not so advanced and a local doctor from my town put my leg in a plaster without realsiing that the bone was dislocated. That was the beginning I guess but since I was a kid I never realised the gradual pain that persisted."
The pain increased gradually as Philip grew up and it worsened due to the nature of his job as he works at a dairy products company and has to stand for long hours. Over a period of years, Philip's knee had become deformed and eroded. When his pain became unbearable, Philip finally approached the orthopedic experts at Zulekha Hospital Dubai for a permanent solution. He was found to be suffering with extreme Unilateral Primary Osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative osteoarthritis and is a very painful condition that can reduce mobility and make daily tasks difficult to manage for any individual.
Fearing the surgical repercussions, Philip avoided it for long, however, he agreed after the specialists told him that his condition can be treated and needed immediate attention to remobilise him and save him from losing his mobility permanently.
Specialist orthopaedicians Dr. Rahul Shivadey and Dr. Chetan Prakash conducted a four-hour procedure on Philip, where they removed the eroded portion of the knee and re-aligned it with a cemented total knee. Speaking of the team effort in managing the difficult procedure, Dr. Shivadey said they used a higher grade comprehensive prosthesis for the knee replacement to get 100 per cent results.
Dr. Shivadey added, "There had been complete loss of cartilage between the thigh bone and the leg bone, resulting in continuous friction of the bone that could wear away the bone, and even lead to severe infections."
Dr. Prakash on his part said "Philip had lost hope after consulting multiple hospitals and was not being able to gain confidence that he could be treated. While surgeons take up knee replacements, the complexity in this case due to the deformity required expertise to prepare for the unknown due to the high risks involved. Our goal was to enable a full-correction of his deformity, which we managed."
Philip expressed his gratefulness to the treating doctors saying, "I am very happy the pain is gone down and I am able to walk and move again without this mental stress of never-ending pain."
Philip is advised to be cautious for the next four to six months, avoid any jerks and eventually resume his normal life.
saman@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai