DR. RAJKANNA

We should realize that cost for knee replacement varies widely from country to country.

While knee replacement surgery is very expensive in countries like the USA & Australia, it is quite affordable and inexpensive in India because of the following reasons.

Firstly the India Government has put a capping on the price of the knee Implants and so the cost for the knee implants has been slashed down to 30 to 50 % of their original price. The price capping also applies to imported implants including those approved by the United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration)

Secondly, the Hospitals expenses are very reasonable when compared to the quality of service they provide & Doctors charges are significantly less compared to that in other countries.

Thirdly, a very few like us use high end technology (Computer Assisted Knee Replacement) for managing knee arthritis.  Yet we charge very reasonably so that it does not burden the patients in the end.

Lastly, the cost for supportive therapy such as Physiotherapy and the cost of medicines and consumables are significantly low in India without compromise in the product standards and the quality of service.

Because of the above reasons India has become the most desired destination for medical tourism especially for patients who don’t have health insurance support for various reasons.

Why girls are at more risk for ACL injury compared to boys?

Girls are five to eight times more likely than boys to tear their ACLs for
several possible reasons:

1. Girls tend to use their ligaments more than their muscles when playing
   sports.
2. At puberty, boys grow in height and develop their lower leg muscles at the
   same time. When girls grow, they don’t tend to develop leg strength unless they
   train for it

3) Girls tend to land in a more straight-legged way than boys, thus reducing
the effectiveness of their thigh muscles as shock absorbers.

4) Girls knees tend to bend inward during jumping, which distributes their
weight more unevenly than boys.

5) Girls have wider hips (in relation to their knees), which puts more stress
on the ACL.

6) Boys tend to use their hamstrings when jumping, while girls tend to use their quads, which put more stress on the ACL.

7) The female knee has a narrow notch compared to a male knee, which puts the ACL at higher risk for injury.

How can young athletes reduce the risk of ACL tear?

1. Maintaining general health & fitness: sport-specific conditioning, diet, exercise, and sleep.
2. Using proper sport-specific movements and techniques.
3. Wearing proper sport-specific gear learning which moves cause risks
   (risk awareness).
4. Hamstring strengthening (especially for girls).
5. Neuromuscular training (learning how to land properly from jumps)
   particularly in females.

Mrs. Tasneem (age 57) is from Nairobi, the capital & the largest city of Kenya. She was suffering from very bad arthritis of both knees. She traveled all the way from Nairobi to Chennai & consulted us regarding the various treatment options for her knee problem. As the arthritis was very severe we decided to perform Both Knees Replacement with Computer Assistance. For the first time in South India we performed the “Attune Rotating Platform Knee Arthroplasty with computer Assistance” for both her knees on the same day. She recovered smoothly and is back on her feet enjoying the beaches of Kenya

Joint replacement surgery is the last step in treatment for severe arthritis and is most commonly performed in the hip and knee. When a joint replacement surgery is performed, it is crucial that the components of the implanted prosthesis are properly positioned. Computer- Assisted Surgery (CAS) helps the surgeon in accurately positioning these components. Similar to an autopilot which assists the pilots or a GPRS that aids the sailors to reach their destination easily and safely, CAS helps the surgeon to achieve the desired accuracy during TKR.