Transforming the Surgical Option for Hip Pain
Walking is a simple task many of us take for granted. But what happens when this natural movement becomes unbearable? For one Beijing United Family Hospital patient, the act of walking to and from the subway was even too much to handle. Osteoarthritis, inflammation of the joints, and in this case specifically, the hip joint, led this patient to our Emergency Room. What was going on and what pain management options were available? Read on to find out!
Department of Orthopedics
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Mr. T spent the last few days of 2020 at Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) because he never thought walking could be so painful
As an American who moved to China for his job, he spent the majority of the day on his feet. He works as a system engineer for a significant architect project in Beijing and his daily routine required a lot of walking and taking public transport. Mr. T had previously been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, or inflammation of the joints, which often led to pain in his knees and back. In the recent two months however, he started to have frequent groin pain on his right side. The pain worsened at night, waking him up and eventually even stopping him from doing daily activities. Mr. T said that “on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst pain, it could reach a ten.” He finally reached a breaking point and came to the Emergency Room (ER) at BJU. "It was not a quality of life that I could bear. The pain was too much, and I couldn't do much because of the pain," Mr. T described.
Following comprehensive assessments by the ER physicians, Mr. T was referred to the Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Jike Lu, for further evaluation. The patient was in a lot of pain, walking with a limp. Further medical imaging confirmed Mr. T’s osteoarthritis, but more so, he had developed a lesion on the head of his femur and also hip dysplasia, due to a lack of cartilage in the joint. Surgery was the best course of treatment to reduce Mr. T’s pain and get him back on the mend, specifically a hip replacement. As going back to work as soon as possible was the patient’s goal, Dr. Lu recommended the innovative robotic surgical treatment, Mako Robotic-Assisted Hip Replacement.
The Mako Robotic System is an innovative option, with higher accuracy and less soft tissue injury compared to other traditional surgical methods
This would allow the patient to walk sooner after surgery. After informed consent and discussions with Dr. Lu, the patient decided to proceed with the Mako Robotic-Assisted Total Hip Replacement the following week. With a Mako Robotic-Assisted Hip Replacement, a 3-D model of the hip, pelvis, and femur are made before the surgery. This allows the surgeon to plan the surgery based on the patient's unique anatomy and results in a more individualized treatment plan. During surgery, the Mako software provides real-time information to optimize the surgical procedures, while the robotic arm of the device is used to guide the placement of the artificial hip prosthesis. An additional advantage of using the Mako Robotic System for assisted hip replacement is that the patient’s legs will likely be the same length after surgery. As Dr. Lu explains, “most traditional surgeries lead to a few millimeters to a couple of centimeters difference in leg length, even with the most advanced orthopedic experts.” More so, with an experienced Orthopedic Surgeon, the Mako surgery increases the likelihood of the prosthesis being placed in the correct anatomical location, as Mako Robotic-Assisted Surgery has a lower rate of the prosthesis dislocating compared to traditional hip surgery. There is also less chance of damage to the surrounding soft tissues, leading to shorter post-operative recovery time after surgery.
Soon after the surgery, Mr. T was surprised to find that his legs were equal in length whereas prior to surgery, one leg was a few millimeters shorter than the other
With physiotherapy, he was able to stand the day after surgery. After 5 days in the Hospital, he was discharged with no pain and was walking without any support.
Mr. T is just one of the Mako-Assisted surgeries that have been carried out since it became available at BJU in 2019. Interested in knowing if Mako Assisted Surgery is right for you? The Department of Orthopedics offers a comprehensive approach to diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating injuries and diseases related to the musculoskeletal system. We embrace a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to patient care. In addition to specialized orthopedic physicians, our team includes physiotherapists and pain management professionals who provide an optimal standard of care from the operating room to recovery. A preoperative assessment by an experienced Orthopedic Surgeon is necessary before considering any surgical treatment.
Our services include but are not limited to:
Orthopedic Trauma Surgery
Sports Medicine
Joint Surgery
Spine Surgery
Hand Surgery
Foot & Ankle Surgery and Podiatry Clinic
Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery
Orthopedic Rehabilitation Clinic
Orthopedic Osteoporosis Clinic
Orthopedic Sports Pain Management Clinic
Dr. Jike Lu completed his doctorate at the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia) and served in numerous hospitals and institutions in Melbourne and Sydney, developing extensive experience in orthopedic trauma, tumors, joint replacement, and spinal surgeries. Dr. Lu’s primary clinical interest is orthopedic surgery for adults and children. He has more than 30 years of clinical experience working in Orthopedic Surgery. He is skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as spinal degenerative disease, spinal trauma and tumors, limb and soft-tissue injuries in adults and children, as well as osteoarthritis of the elderly, including surgical treatment with total knee and hip replacements. He also has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of soft-tissue tumors of the torso and extremities, including the classification of systemic and local tumors as well as biopsy and radical surgery of tumors. He is skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of sports medicine pathology, including minimally invasive surgery for shoulder rotator cuff and anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus of the knee. To make an appointment with Dr. Lu or another one of our Orthopedic Surgeons, please call 4008-919191 or book through our WeChat Patient Portal.