Sunday, October 01, 2006

Watch Knee replacement video (Bilateral partial knee replacements)

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Video illustrates the advantages of a Partial knee replacement which is an ideal operation for Knee Osteoarthritis in middle aged patients and Octagenerians( people in their Eighties)
Surgery performed in October 2005 by Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam, Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon,Chennai, India.
For an inquiry about Total and partial knee replacements in Chennai, India please mail at akvenkat@gmail.com

Friday, September 22, 2006

Photo of Bankart's repair patient two months after shoulder surgery


Shoulder stabilization patient demonstrating good range of forward elevation movements two months after Bankart's repair open in Chennai. ( This is a self photo of the patient taken by himself from a mirror reflection and sent from the US) For Open Bankart's repair or Arthroscopic Bankart's repair with bio-absorbable suture anchors, visit www.shoulderindia.com or e mail at akvenkat@gmail.com

Monday, July 31, 2006

Mumford procedure for Shanghai businessman

Acromio clavicular arthritis or collar bone arthritis is a painful condition of the shoulder. It is commoner than arthritis of the shoulder joint. It occurs in weight lifters, or after trauma or after a neglected dislocation.
Treatment is conservative to begin with pain killers and a local steroid injection. If after six months pain persists than a Mumford procedure or excision of the outer end of the collar bone relieves pain. This can be done arthroscopically or by mini open method.
REcently a businessman from Shanghai underwent this procedure.
Visit www.shoulderindia.com

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Re-nowned American mountaineer undergoes Shoulder surgery


The re-nowned American mountaineer had successful arthroscopic surgery for a paritally damaged tendon in his shoulder in Chennai. He had injured his shoulder in a fall while moving over horizontal ice a month ago. Fearing that he had dislocated his shoulder he underwent first aid in his local hospital. Perturbed by the high cost of Orthopedic surgery in the US which he was in dire need of to preserve his physical condition, he located Dr.Venkatachalam in Chennai. He verified the surgeon's abilities from another American Mr.Dave Hurd who also had successful shoulder surgery at the same hospital in Chennai in December 2005. Dr.Venkatachalam. leading Orthopedic surgeon performed the surgery which lasted for an hour.
Three weeks earlier he underwent Knee surgery( ACL reconstruction)at the same hospital.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Controversies about Shoulder impingement


Shoulder impingment is a leading cause of pain in young and the middle aged. It results when the rotator cuff rubs against some bony or soft tissue structure overhead.Shoulder decompression is the surgery to treat impingment.
Bony spurs, thickened scar tissue,Abnormality in the shape of the acromion, excessive and abnormal moevements as in throwing sports results in impingment.

Shoulder instability


www.shoulderindia.com
Imagine a one day cricket match. The fielder at cover dives to catch the uppish shot. He misses and falls on his outstretched right hand. He experiences a sudden excruciating pain and is unable to move his arm. He is taken to the casualty of the nearest hospital where x rays reveal a dislocation of his right shoulder. It is put back into joint. Unfortunately he gets recurrent episodes of dislocation when taking his arm backwards at shoulder height.
SC, a scooterist applies brakes to avoid hitting a bull which suddenly decides to go for the garbage can on the other side of the road. He falls on his outstretched hand. Although he experiences a sudden momentary pain in his shoulder, he is able to move the arm. He brushes the dirt and drives off only to feel later episodes of pain when combing.
PV, an electrician gets a shock from a high voltage cable. He experiences sudden pain in the right shoulder and is unable to move the arm.
All these young men have some form of shoulder instability. The first is a frank case of recurrent dislocation, the second, a case of subtle instability, and the third a case of posterior dislocation which occurs after electrocution and in epileptics.
Anatomy
The Shoulder joint enjoys a very good range of movement at the price of stability. The shallow socket at the outer end of the shoulder blade receives the upper end of the arm bone. It is deepened by the attachment to its rim of the labrum, a band of connective tissue. After an injury, this labrum may be detached, thus leading to instability as it does not heal back in place.
Standard treatment
After confirmation of the direction of instability, the orthopedic surgeon may decide to stabilize the shoulder. More than one type of operation is available to treat this condition. However most of them do not address the anatomical abnormality. The golden standard of surgical treatment for anterior instability is a “Bankart repair”. This can be done by open methods or arthroscopically. The detached labrum is reattached back to its position.
The arthroscopic procedure is as effective as the open and has the advantage of being accomplished through minimally invasive key hole incisions.
The more subtle forms of instability as in the second case have to be differentiated from other causes of shoulder pain like impingement, rotator cuff tear, and calcium deposits and again be treated along the same line as a frank dislocation. After a very short period rehabilitation is commenced to regain the full range of movement. In anatomic repairs as above, full range of movement can be regained. However outdated and non anatomic repairs are used, some degree of movement is permanently lost.

Friday, January 20, 2006

First Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair for American in Chennai


The first Amercian citizen under went shoulder arthroscopy and a mini open rotator cuff repair for a full thickness rotator cuff tear at Chennai. A 47 year old civil engineering contractor from North Carolina put an end to his 20 year old shoulder problem at 1/ 20th of cost of treatment in the US. His friend had recently paid up 58000 US dollars for a similar surgery whereas his treatment cost him only 200 $ in Chennai.

www.shoulderindia.com

Reverse shoulder prosthesis- An useful option for large rotator cuff tears

Elderly people with large rotator cuff tears and unwilling to compromise on their activity levels now stand to benefit from a novel design of Shoulder replacement. This prosthesis substitutes the function of the damaged rotator cuff. The ball of the artifical joint is actually implanted into the original socket of the glenoid and the socket is recreated in the ball shaped end of the arm bone( Humerus)
Visit www.shoulderindia.com for more information on shoulder replacement