A 67-year-old Nigerian national, who had lost all hope of walking again, is back on her feet after undergoing an advanced procedure at a city hospital. 


She underwent a 'half knee replacement' which involved replacing a part of the damaged area of the knee, instead of total knee replacement, claimed doctors. The patient was experiencing terrible pain in her knee joints and left foot for many years. This, coupled with a big toe deformity, made it near to impossible for her to walk without support of a walker for the last four years. 

On February 21, the doctors claimed to have performed a relatively new and advanced procedure, 'half knee replacement' which involved replacing a part of the damaged area of the knee, instead of total knee replacement. Elaborating on the patient's condition, Dr Yash Gulati, senior consultant, joint replacement and spine, at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said she was in a very bad shape when she approached them. 

She had a severe problem in her right knee and a deformed big toe in the left foot. "After some time under observation, and some necessary tests, we decided to perform a half-knee replacement surgery, also called oxford knee surgery. The procedure requires a small incision. "Only the part of the knee affected by arthritis is operated on and a small implant is placed. To keep the natural movement intact, the outer part of the knee is not touched," Gulati said.

The instrument through which the procedure is done is known as microplasty instrumentation. Along with this, the toe deformity was corrected through the Keller procedure. "The patient started recovering just a day after her surgery. She was fit to go back to her country ten days after the surgery and now she is able to walk on her own, without any help," Gulati said.

The woman said that she tried all possible treatments, but didn't get any relief. "I was in terrible pain and could not walk without a walker or even do my daily chores. I had to depend on others for even the smallest job. Today, it is because of the continuous efforts of doctors, I am walking on my own," she said. 

Gulati said the half-knee replacement surgery it is a relatively new procedure where, instead of a total knee replacement, only the part that is damaged is replaced depending on requirement. Since it is a smaller operation without cutting any muscles, recovery is fast and the patient is back to normal activities very soon. It is also possible to sit cross-legged and there is no need for blood transfusion. 

"There is a lack of awareness about partial knee replacement and the benefits associated with it, and the public needs to be informed about it. About 30 per cent of patients undergoing total knee replacement would do well with only half-knee replacement," he said. Usually it takes less than an hour to perform a partial knee replacement surgery, Gulati added.