Degenerative arthritis of the knee joint (osteoarthritis)

Degenerative arthritis of the knee joint (osteoarthritis)

Osteoarthritis 

Healthy joint and arthritic joints

What is osteoarthritis ?

Osteoarthritis, known as wear-and-tear arthritis, is a condition in which the natural cushioning between joints – cartilage – wears away. When it happens, the bones of the joints rub more closely against one another with less of the shock-absorbing benefits of cartilage. The rubbing results in pain, swelling, stiffness, decreased ability to move and, sometimes, the formation of bone spurs.

The most common cause of osteoarthritis of the knee is age. Almost everyone will eventually develop some degree of osteoarthritis. However, several factors increase the risk of developing significant arthritis at an earlier age.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis

·         pain that increases when you are active, but gets a little better with rest

·         swelling

·         feeling of warmth in the joint

·         stiffness in the knee, especially in the morning or when you have been sitting for a while

·         decrease in mobility of the knee, making it difficult to get in and out of chairs or cars, use the stairs, or walk

·         creaking, crackly sound that is heard when the knee moves

How is osteoarthritis of the knee diagnosed?

The diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis will begin with a physical exam by your doctor. Your doctor will also take your medical history and note any symptoms. Make sure to note what makes the pain worse or better to help your doctor determine if osteoarthritis, or something else, may be causing your pain. Also find out if anyone else in your family has arthritis. Your doctor may order additional testing, including:

·         X-rays, which can show bones

·         magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans

MRI scans may be ordered when X-rays do not give a clear reason for joint pain or when the X-rays suggest that other types of joint tissue could be damaged. Doctors may use blood tests to rule out other conditions that could be causing the pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis, a different type of arthritis caused by a disorder in the immune system.

Treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee joint

In early stage of osteoarthritis of the knee joint the conservative treatment such ad injection and drugs can only slow down the destruction of the knee joint but not cure it. When the joint is wears out again after several years the joint replacement of the knee joint is recommended.

Total knee replacement

The total replacement of the knee joint of Wellton hospital is very famous for minimal invasive surgery. Usually traditional hospital does 20cm and more incision for total knee replacement, but Wellton hospital’s incision is 9-10cm.

Joint replacement surgery, or arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure in which joints are replaced with artificial parts made from metals. Joint replacement surgery is usually reserved for people over age 65 with severe osteoarthritis. Guarantee of the prosthesis is more than 15 years.

Academic exchanges of Wellton Hospital with Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, and Beijing University International Hospital

Good day! It is Wellton Hospital

Wllton hospital is committed to accept the health system and professional medical knowledge of the latest trends through a variety of foreign exchange.

We also increase international awareness and international expansion through a network, such as academic, personnel exchanges

At June 3, the director of Wellton Hospital Ph.MD Sang Ho Song visited The 1^st Hospital of Peking University, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, and Peking University International Hospital for academic exchanges on theme “minimal invasive surgery of joint replacement”

The Chinese hospital were very interested in presentation of Wellton hospital “minimal invasive surgery of joint replacement”, because there are a lot of difficult cases in china for joint replacement.

Farewell Dr. Allan Brabante

On July 22, 2014, Dr. Allan Brabante, graduated from Philippine Orthopedic Center, Quezon City, Philippines finished his last day at Wellton Hospital, Korean Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Dr. Brabante was a Orthopedic fellow came to Wellton Hospital as a part of Wellton International Fellowship Program (WIFP) in Januray, 2014.  He spent last six months in Korea and participated in various meetings and conferences with other surgeons and observed Orthopedic cases, outpatient consultation, daily rounds and rehabilitation programs at Wellton Hospital.  He was impressed with the most advanced surgical techniques and rehabilitation program for hip replacement & knee replacement.

Dr. Brabante is also one of the co-authors of the paper regarding Early Dislocation Rate in Complete Short-External-Rotator tendon preservation posterolateral approach Total Hip Arthroplasty.   This paper is currently submitted to the Journal of Arthroplasty.

We sincerely hope Dr. Brabante can start Wellton's Minimally Invasive Total Hip Replacement with muscle & tendon sparing technique in his practice soon.

Wellton Hospital, Korean orthopedic specialty hospital, mainly focuses on treatments of hip, knee and shoulder.  Last year, Wellton Hospital was ranked as national top 3 hospitals for most hip replacement surgery done in 2013.  Wellton Hospital proves their clinical excellence through outstanding results and advanced technology. 

Welcoming new surgeons from Philippines and Nepal

On July 21, two international orthopedic surgeons joined Wellton Hospital, Korean Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Seoul, Korea.

Dr. Mark Besa

Dr. Suman Shrestha

Dr. Mark Besa graduated from Philippine Orthopedic Center, Quezon City, Philippines.

Dr. Besa will be with Wellton Hospital for the next six months as an international clinical fellow.  Philippine Orthopedic Center is a national orthopedic hospital in Philippines and has a good relationship with Wellton Hospital as clinical partners.

Dr. Besa will observe Orthopedic cases, outpatient consultations, daily rounds, and participate in weekly and monthly meetings and conferences to further enhance his knowledge.

Dr. Suman Shretha is an orthopedic surgeon from Nepal, and is now doing his fellowship program at Hallym University Sacred Heart Medical Center in Chun-cheon City.  He also attended at the first Wellton Live Surgery Workshop on minimally invasive Total Hip Arthroplasty held on July 3, 2014 at Wellton Hospital and witnessed the novel technique of Hip replacement with muscle & tendon sparing approach.  After attending the workshop, he decided to spend more time to learn about the technique.

Surgery in Summer

Surgery in summer 

* this article was originally published at www.koreatimes.co.kr

By Song Sang-ho

During the rainy season, which this year begins earlier than usual, those with arthritis suffer from particularly painful knees. When it rains, the atmospheric pressure decreases and humidity increases by around 30 to 80 percent. Because the knee joint is sensitive to temperature and humidity, it expands, which causes pain.

Around this time of the year, many patients ask me “Is it okay to get knee replacement surgery in summer?” Because of the knee joint’s sensitivity, they think the surgical site won’t heal well and will get infected. In truth, however, there is no correlation between the surgery and the season.

Nowadays, a good surgical prognosis can be expected regardless of the timing of the surgery thanks to advances in surgery and surgical systems. According to research by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, the rate of infection after surgery is highest in the winter (January) and lowest in the summer (July and August).

One of the most important advances in surgery is the mini-incision. For patients in late-stage degenerative arthritis, which is especially painful during the rainy season, the mini-incision enables fast recovery and reduces the risk of infection and complications. In this procedure, the incision is reduced from the usual 20 centimeters to between eight to 10 centimeters. The smaller incision size minimizes potential damage to the muscle and tendon around the joint and risk of bacterial infection.

Patients can walk four hours after the surgery; they can freely go to toilet or sit on a wheelchair or a chair. This reduces the risk of complications. In the past, patients who have undergone hip joint replacement surgery have limited mobility for more than six weeks in order to prevent dislocation. However, this lack of mobility increases the risk of infection such as bedsores.

The mini-incision for hip joint surgery to preserve the external rotator involves a high level of difficulty because the smaller incision minimizes visibility. Therefore, patients should check a specialist’s experience and proficiency fully rather than worry about seasonal factors when planning to have knee surgery. In addition, they should check the hospital’s environment, such as whether it has a sterile operating room, which minimizes the risk of infection by filtering out the dirt or germs in the air through an air purification system.

Finally, patients should also check information about antibiotic use evaluation. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service provides such information on its website. Antibiotic use evaluation is conducted among patients to prevent surgical site infection and monitor potential abuse of antibiotics, which increases bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.

Patients shouldn’t put off knee surgery because of incorrect information or lack of understanding. A painful joint isn’t healthy and affects one’s daily life. Some patients who have put off surgery become depressed because they are limited in what they can do. Patients should remember that when it comes to knee surgery, the season doesn’t matter and that improving one’s health is not something they should wait for.

Sang Ho Song, MD, PhD

The writer is the president of the Wellton Bone and Joint Hospital

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2013/07/319_139137.html

Wellton Hospital is an orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Seoul, Korea.

Wellton Hospital is well-known for its clinical excellency in hip replacement and knee replacement surgery.  Dr. Sang Ho Song is an orthopedic surgeon / consultant who has developed Minimally Invasive Total Hip Arthroplsaty with muscle & tendon sparing technique.

His study on over 1,000 cases of Hip replacement surgery is planned to be published at the Journal of Arthroplasty this fall, 2014.  

Is your body ready for summer? [Korea Times]

Original Article can be found at http://koreatimes.kr/www/news/culture/2014/07/319_160417.html

IS YOUR BODY READY FOR SUMMER?

The French word "vacance" is directly from the Latin root "vacatio," meaning "freedom." As the definition of the word explains, it is the only time of the year that everyone can get away from busy daily life and enjoy their freedom. In Korea, what most people do before summer is body shaping. The biggest problem with this condensed and intense workout is that it can hurt us. An increasing number of men are interested in making their bodies fit in time for the summer. Losing weight, building up muscles and body contouring are the main focuses, but the importance of keeping the inner-body healthy is often neglected. Severe weight loss and diets can ruin your joints. The most common way to lose weight is through a diet meal plan. It sounds fantastic to boost up the effectiveness of a workout by limiting the amount of calories we consume every day. However, having unconditional fasting or pino-therapy is quite risky for your joints. What we get most often from sudden change of diet is osteoporosis due to lack of calcium in bones. Our body tries to forcibly utilize the calcium stored in the bones when the calcium level in the body is extremely low. This leads to a decrease in bone-mineral density, and eventually our bones will become porous and fragile. Bone-mineral density, directly related to osteoporosis, reaches its peak during our 20s and 30s, and gradually decreases afterwards. That is to say, it is important to keep the bone-mineral density as high as possible while we are young to prevent osteoporosis in the first place. Especially for women, it is highly advised since the bone-mineral density level will drop sharply. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to restore bone-mineral density after loss. Therefore, it is important to avoid any unwanted bone-mineral density loss due to intense weight loss.It is recommended to eat healthy and do cardio exercises instead of fasting or pino-therapy for weight loss. In the case of men, it is advised to avoid excessive heavy lifting or workouts to build up muscles. Intensive workouts in a short period of time will harm your shoulders and knees. Running for too long or too fast on a treadmill will have constant impact on the knees, and this may cause injuries like anterior cruciate ligament rupture or a meniscus tear. What's more, it can develop into osteoarthritis. Besides, most of upper-body exercises have to do with the shoulders; in this case, the shoulder joint can be hurt due to either an unstable position or excessive strain during exercise. Most common lifting injuries are rotator cuff tears and torn labrums. When the shoulder is injured, there is pain in the shoulder and arms. In addition to pain in the injured area, mobility is also limited. In a mild case, physical therapy or medication will help, but surgical treatment is recommended for severe cases. Obesity is also not good for your joints. Healthy diet and regular exercise are always great, but be careful not to rush. Rushing into weight loss can harm your joints and ruin your physical fitness, especially in summer. Growing old and staying healthy is as important as looking gorgeous while young. To stay good and healthy as we get older, we should try to keep ourselves healthy in our 20s and 30s. Don't be fooled by young and beautiful celebrities on TV. I would hope all of us keep in mind staying healthy for old age should start now. The writer is the president of the Wellton Bone & Joint Hospital. Wellton Hospital is an Orthopedic Specialty Hospital located in Seoul, Korea.   Wellton Hospital focus on patient-centered care, and major interests are Hip&Knee Replacement and Arthroscopic procedures. Wellton Hospital has been ranked as National Top 3 hospitals for the most Total Hip Arthroplasty done in the year 2013.

Patient Interview after Knee Replacement [Wellton Hospital, Russia]

Russian patient came to Wellton Hospital (Seoul, Korea), and had a knee replacement.  She talks about things she was not able to do before surgery and how she feels after the surgery.

At Wellton Hospital, we combine the minimally invasive Total Knee Replacement (TKR) with their signature rehabilitation program that enables an early ambulation only four hours after surgery.



Patient is highly satisfied with the result.



For more information, please email global@wellton.co.kr or call +82-2-6925-6688.

Patient Experience (Knee Surgery)

A patient from Sakhalin has shared her experience at Wellton Hospital.

She had an arthroscopic surgery in May, 2014 and is now fully recovered.

(language: Russian, English subtitles will be added later)

She volunteered to join us at the information session to give her speech.
We were so glad to have her at the event.

Arthroscopic procedure & joint diseases

Arthroscopic Surgery / Wellton Hospital Korea

Arthroscopy is

(1)Achieves a high level of accuracy in diagnosis through high definition digital endoscope.

(2)A perfect alternative to conventional open surgical techniques, and causes considerably less tissue damage.

Arthroscopy

The arthroscope is a fiber-optic telescope, which is inserted into the joints (knee, shoulder or ankle) to evaluate and treat the conditions.  Most arthroscopic surgery is performed as day surgery with epidural  anesthesia.  The Arthroscopy is commonly performed for many sports injuries. 

Arthroscopy is useful for

 (1) torn floating cartilage (meniscus)

 (2) Torn surface (articular) cartilage

 (3) Removal of loose bodies and cysts.

 (4) Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

 (5) Patello-femoral (knee cap) disorders

 (6) Washout of infected knees

 (7) General diagnostic purposes

Diagnosis

Standing weight-bearing view X-ray of the knee is usually required.

MRI scan is needed if the diagnosis is unclear.

Meniscal Cartilage Tears:

Following a twisting type of injury the medial (or lateral) meniscus can tear. This results either from a sporting injury or may occur from a simple twisting injury when getting out of a chair or standing from a squatting position. Our cartilages become a little brittle as we get older and therefore can tear a little easier. The symptoms of a torn cartilage include

•Pain over the torn area i.e. inner or outer side of the knee

•Knee swelling

•Reduced motion

•Locking if the cartilage gets caught between the femur a tibia

CARTILAGE TEARS

Once a meniscal cartilage has torn it will not heal unless it is a very small tear that is near the capsule of the joint. Once the cartilage has torn it predisposes the knee to develop osteoarthritis (wear and tear) in 15 to 20 years. It is better to remove torn pieces from the knee if the knee is symptomatic.

Torn cartilages in general continue to cause symptoms of discomfort, pain and swelling until the loose, ragged pieces are removed. Only the torn section is removed and the knee should recover and become symptom free. If the entire meniscus is removed, the knee will develop osteoarthritis in 15 to 20 years. It is standard to remove only the torn section of cartilage in the hope that this will delay the onset of long-term wear and tear osteoarthritis.

Occasionally, provided the knee is stable and the tear is a certain type of tear in a young patient (peripheral bucket handle tear), the meniscus may be suitable for repair. If repaired, one has to avoid sports for a minimum of three months.

Articular Cartilage (Surface) Injury:

If the surface cartilage is torn, this is most significant as a major shock-absorbing function is compromised. Large pieces of articular cartilage can float in the knee (sometimes with bone attached) and this causes locking of the joint and can cause further deterioration due to the loose bodies floating around the knee causing further wear and tear. Most surface cartilage wear will ultimately lead to osteoarthritis. Mechanical symptoms of pain and swelling due to cartilage peeling off can be helped with arthroscopic surgery. The surgery smoothes the edges of the surface cartilage and removes loose bodies.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries:

Rupture of the Anterior (rarely the posterior) Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is a common sporting injury. Once ruptured the ACL does not heal and usually causes knee instability and the inability to return to normal sporting activities. An ACL reconstruction is required and a new ligament is fashioned to replace the ruptured ligament. This procedure is performed using the arthroscope.

Bakers Cysts:

Bakers cysts or popliteal cysts are often found on clinical examination and ultrasound / MRI scan. The cyst is a fluid filled cavity behind the knee and in adults arises from a torn meniscus or worn articular cartilage in the knee. These cysts usually do not require removal as treating the cause (torn knee cartilage) will in most cases reduce the size of the cyst. Occasionally the cysts rupture and can cause calf pain. The cysts are not dangerous and do not require treatment if the knee is asymptomatic.

Medical Tourism Information Session in Sakhalin, Russia

On June 20, 2014, At Mega Palace Hotel, Sakhalin, Russia, Wellton Hospital joined the Medical Tourism Information Session in Sakhalin, Russia  held by Gangseo-gu.  Wellton Hospital and six other hospitals gave presentations on their unique strength and experience in serving international patients.  

Hospitals at Medical Tourism Information Session In Sakhalin, Russia

Wellton Hospital focuses mostly on Joint diseases.
And Wellton Hospital is well-known for hip replacement and knee replacement surgery.

Patient from Sakhalin

Wellton Hospital in Sakhalin

Wellton hospital will go to Sakhalin to meet old & new patients in Russia from June 20~22, 2014.

On June 20, we will give a short presentation at Mega Palace Hotel with six other hospitals from Gang-seo gu area.

Old patients from Wellton Hospital will join us for follow-up check-up session on Saturday, June 21 2014 in Sakhalin, Russia.  They all had treatment done for all different parts of your body namely, hip, shoulder, knee, foot and ankle, etc.

Some of the patients will also bring their friends or family, who have knee or hip pain.

We want to see how well all of you are doing after surgery.

See you all there in Sakhalin!!

Have you seen our Wellton Hospital infographic?

Sharing a Wellton Hospital infographic in 2014.

Diseases & Conditions - Knee Pain

ABOUT YOUR KNEE PAIN

(1) Osteoarthritis (OA)

Description -  Osteoarthritis (OA) also known as degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis is one of the most common form of joint diseases (arthritis) that affects millions of people around the world.  Osteoarthritis is caused by cartilage loss in a joint, and involves with symptoms like joint pain, stiffness, locking or tenderness.  Non-surgical treatment only slows the progression of disease and relieves the pain while Osteoarthritis develops gradually over the time.  Otherwise, surgical treatment such as artificial joint replacement surgery is the only option after all.

CAUSES - (1) congenital disorder of joints, (2) diabetes, (3) inflammatory diseases, (4) joint (or ligament) injury, (5) obesity, (6) septic arthritis


To learn more about Osteoarthritis on Wikipedia





(2) Rheumatoid Arthritis 

Description - Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a disease wherein the immune system attacks the body.  With Rheumatoid Arthritis, white blood cells attack the synovium (lining of the joints) causing joint inflammation and pain.  This inflammation causes destruction of the joint cartilage, and it causes pain while the joint is in motion.  This is a chronic disease where in the patient occasionally feels pain on his (or her) joints, but may progress gradually in terms of its intensity.  Joint Replacement is still superior treatment option in terms of pain relief and range of motion improvement.

CAUSES -

To learn more about Rheumatoid Arthritis on Wikipedia






(3) Meniscus Tear (Tear of Meniscus)

Description -

CAUSES -

To learn more about Meniscus Tear on Wikipedia

TREATMENT AT WELLTON HOSPITAL

Total Knee Arthroplasty (Total Knee Replacement) and Total Hip Arthroplasty (Total Hip Replacement) at WELLTON HOSPITAL offers advantages including fast recovery, minimized blood loss, small scar and affordable cost.

Total Knee Arthroplasty (or Total Knee Replacement)
with Minimally Invasive Approach at Wellton Hospital

Total Hip Arthroplasty (or Total Hip Replacement)
with Minimally Invasive Approach at Wellton Hospital

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DISEASES AND ITS TREATMENT OPTION AT WELLTON HOSPITAL, PLEASE CONTACT US AT global@wellton.co.kr

WELLTON HOSPITAL

318 Gangseo-ro

Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korea 137-280

Email. global@wellton.co.kr

Skype. welltonkorea

Location

Wellton Hospital is located in the western part of Seoul, and has an easy access to Gimpo / Incheon International Airport.  

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Wellton Hospital
318 Gangseo-ro
Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korea 157-280

global@wellton.co.kr