Chandigarh, September 2
A new advanced technique called unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UNI) has offered a new hope to patients of arthritis.

"Arthritis is not a symptom of just getting old, it is an inflammatory or degenerative disease of the joints that is not necessarily a part of the ageing process", points out Dr Manuj Wadhwa, a leading joint replacement of the surgeon, in a talk with TNS today.

"Arthritis can prevent a person from leading a normal life by curbing down daily activities like climbing stairs, walking and even getting in and out of the bed. It is due to the painfully restrictive capacities that arthritis makes people "feel old", even if they may still be in the prime of their life.

"Arthritis brings along with it not only restriction of movement, but as a side effect of this incapacitating nature of the ailment, few people enter into mental depression. So far there have been no satisfactory options for people suffering from arthritis other than physiotherapy, painkillers, and activity restriction, some even have to undergo total knee replacement operation for relief of pain.

But now there is hope -- an option: a high precision, minimally invasive surgery, which provides immediate pain relief, fast recovery and hastens the return to an active life style.

Dr Wadhwa who is a surgeon at Fortis Hospital, Amritsar, has become the only Indian surgeon in this part of the country to be selected by the University of Dundee to undergo a nine-month superspeciality training programme in Scotland. Dr Wadhwa left for Scotland on Thursday.

He points out that "UNI is a highly advanced technique of bone preservation. As the operation is technically demanding, it is done only by a limited number of surgeons worldwide. In western countries, it has gained overnight popularity among surgeons and patients due to the fact that it allows quick recovery and excellent function of the knee.

"Mostly commonly osteoarthritis starts with wear and tear of the inner compartment of the knee. If the pain of arthritis cannot be relived by conventional treatment i.e. pain killers, exercises or lifestyle modification, then using this new method of surgery, one needs only to replace the worn cushion in the inner knee compartment. Thin layers of special polyethylene and metal are used to resurface the bone-ends of only one half of the joint.

These prevent the bone ends from rubbing against each other and providing instantaneous pain relief. The rest of the joint, including all ligaments, is preserved unlike in the total knee replacement. UNI is beneficial for younger age group unlike total knee replacement, which is best suited for those over the age group of 65 years.

This surgery is minimally invasive and is performed by making a very small cut ( only 5-6 cm long) in front of the knee through which the surgery takes place, due to the incision being minimal all the ligaments are preserved, the rest of the joint retains its normalcy and blood loss is minimised.

These are the factors that lead to a faster recovery time and a more comfortable post operative period. In the most cases patients can start walking the same day and can go home within 24 hours, unlike in total knee replacement where the recovery time was eight to 10 days.

Most importantly, it is completely suitable for normal Indian lifestyle, which requires sitting cross-legged and squatting on the floor.

SPORTS

IHF Secy-Gen visits Sec 42 stadium
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, September 2
The Secretary-General of the Indian Hockey Federation, Mr K. Jyothikumaran, today paid a visit to the Sector 42 astro turf hockey stadium where the Indian hockey probables are attending the coaching camp in preparation for the forthcoming India-Pakistan hockey test series.

Tomorrow, Mr Jyothikumaran will hold a meeting with UT Administration officials in view of the proposed Test series tie to be held in Chandigarh on October 4.

Earlier, Mr Jyothikumaran said the IHF had asked its coaches not to speak to the media, as it was against the rules of the game. He said in future also, none of its coaches would be allowed to go to the Press. On the last minute goal jinx in the Indian hockey team, which bogged the hockey team in Athens, he said it was not so. They would like to lay more stress on defence in the last few minutes of the game in their future matches. He said, however, Indians played better game in Athens than last Olympics and now their eyes were set on the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Meanwhile, the IHF might extend the ongoing hockey camp till the departure of the team for Pakistan to play first Test on September 22. In this series, a total of eight matches will be played with both sides hosting four matches each in their respective territory.