No. In most cases, there is no need for an urgent operation except in cases of severe destruction of the hip joint. Arthritis is not a malignant (life threatening) condition. Joint replacement is an operation to improve quality of life. You should always start by using non-operative management of the condition as outlined on this website. But in the majority of cases, by the time you come to see me you would have exhausted all non-operative treatments.
The youngest patient I have operated on so far is 28 years old for a hip replacement. Yes, it does increase your risk of re-do surgery in the future. The general figure is about 29% risk of revision in your lifetime. It all depends on your quality of life during the most active years of life. I will be able to offer all pros and cons of surgery and other treatments available based on my assessment of your condition.
No. The oldest person on my books is 96 years of age for hip replacement and 94 years of age for revision operation. It depends on your anaesthetic fitness and of course disability caused by the underlying problems.
It depends on various factors identified in the detailed assessment before surgery. Unfortunately, morbid obesity does increase your potential risks of complication around the surgery period but overall outcome in obese people is similar to non-obese patients provided that they do not develop complications. I always advise my patients to make a sincere effort to lose weight as it will improve your symptoms and also reduce the chance of complications after the operation should you need it in future. Patients do find it very difficult to do it on their own and professional help should be sought from a reliable weight reduction expert.
No. I am ‘fee assured’ with all insurers for both consultation and surgical fees which is in line with all insurers’ fee schedule. You will not have to pay anything extra. If you have an excess on your policy, your insurer will advise you in advance.
Yes. You can self-fund your treatment in the private sector. Our customer care team will provide you a very clear written ‘Fixed Quote’ depending on the procedure required. They also have a finance options available should you wish to consider that.
A ‘Fixed Quote’ will be provided detailing the package based on each procedure and likely implants required.
I understand that, not everyone can afford private care. In these cases I will take over your care if you wish on an NHS basis. If you need an operation then the Betsi Health board allows us to put patients directly onto the NHS waiting list.
Your safety is our prime concern. Depending upon your health condition, I may recommend you to have the procedure through the NHS because of potential back-up required from other medical teams. I will undertake the necessary formalities to put you on an NHS waiting list.
Fortunately, untoward complications are very uncommon nowadays. It depends on lot of factors such as the complexity of the procedure and any underlying health conditions. In my experience, the less than satisfactory outcome is related to the inability of a surgeon to meet patient’s expectations. I will take extreme care in my assessment of your condition and will give you an honest opinion of likely chances of improvement and what to expect after the operation. I am delighted to let you know that, I haven’t had an unsatisfied patient so far after an operation under my care.
This depends on lot of variables like your gender, age and physical activity. Just like any mechanical parts, the implants will wear out at some point, albeit at a very slow rate. There is still a misconception that a hip or knee replacement will last for only 10 years! The latest evidences suggest that majority of these implants will last for 20-25 years! In addition, the technology of implants has become extremely refined and we are very confident in their durability for many years to come. Hence, we are able to perform these operations in very young patients.
No. Based upon significant issues with metal-on-metal articulation identified a few years ago and improvement in technology of other bearing materials like ceramic and highly durable polyethylene, I don’t think it is worth taking a risk.
Yes. Based on my extensive national and international training, I can perform hip replacement operations leaving a scar of only 8-10 cm in most cases. Similarly, my knee replacement incisions are also less than six inches. I do feel that it does makes your recovery quicker.
No. I was fully trained to do hip replacement with this approach but my own award winning research suggested no difference in outcome between direct anterior and posterior approaches. The direct anterior approach also has a significant higher rate of devastating complications. I feel my MIS posterior approach provides similar quicker recovery without potential higher risks of fractures and nerve injury.
Anaethesia has advanced significantly over the past few decades. The potential risks and complications are very rare. I only work with extremely experienced and highly skilled anaesthetists who are great at their job so there is no need to worry at all.
Our consultant anaesthetist will recommend the best anaesthesia for your circumstances. I do prefer epidural/spinal anaesthesia especially for knee replacement as it also gives you a very good pain relief immediately after the operation.
Any joint replacement will be painful initially but we utilise ‘Enhanced Recovery After Surgery’ protocol which includes state of the art pain management techniques including local anaesthesia infiltration and nerve block modalities. This does give you an excellent pain relief initially. After that, it is important to stay ahead of pain and take regular pain killers at least for the initial two weeks after surgery.
Short haul flights less than 2.5 hours: 6 weeks.
Long haul flight more than 2.5 hours: 3 months.
Make sure you drink plenty of liquid (not alcohol!) during your flight, take frequent breaks from sitting and do foot and calf exercise to minimise risk of potential vein thrombosis.
Most of my patients after hip replacement report excellent recovery by six weeks and it continues to get better up to 6-12 months.
Knee replacement patients can expect up to 80% of their recovery by three months and the rest will happen slowly over 12-18 months.