A Gratitude from a Burmese Patient who had a Total Knee Replacement

        A Burmese patient, KHIN NIN KYI, expressed her gratitude to Dr. Jen-Hui Zhang, chief of the Orthopedics Department at Cardinal Tien Hospital who performed a total knee replacement and relieved her long-standing left knee pain. According to her, Burmese people usually seek medical treatment or surgery in Thailand due to geographical proximity. Because her daughter was a patient of Dr. Zhang and she received an excellent medical care and treatment; therefore, the whole family trusted Dr. Zhang and the medical team of Cardinal Tien Hospital. KHIN NIN KYI specifically came from Myanmar to Taiwan to have a total knee replacement surgery at Cardinal Tien Hospital by Dr. Zhang. After the surgery, KHIN NIN KYI recovered without any complication and was able to walk normally. During the follow-up visit, she happily mentioned to Dr. Zhang that she cannot wait to go to the beach for a vacation. She expressed her great appreciation to Dr. Zhang's excellent medical skills and all the medical team at Cardinal Tien Hospital.

(Left picture: postoperative follow-up after 3 days)  (Right picture: the follow-up after 2 weeks)

Should you get an artificial joint replacement for knee pain? Q&A about Osteoarthritis

• What is osteoarthritis? Who is more likely to develop it?
          Osteoarthritis is caused by cartilage wear and tear, making the knee joint cavity narrow. In more severe cases, the joint cartilage can completely wear away, causing direct bone-to-bone friction, leading to severe pain, deformity, and difficulty in movement.
          The prevalence of osteoarthritis of the knee is about 15%, mainly occurring in elderly people aged 65 and above, with a higher incidence in women. Risk factors include being overweight, older age, heavy work, muscle weakness, a history of arthritis, congenital hip joint malformation, genetics, etc.

• How to prevent and treat degenerative joint disease? Is it necessary to replace the artificial joint?
          To prevent degenerative joint disease, besides aging which is an irreversible factor, it is necessary to adjust correct sitting and standing postures, avoid crossing legs, prolonged standing or sitting. Additionally, maintaining a healthy body weight and muscle strengthening can improve joint stability and delay the occurrence of degeneration.
          For early-stage joint degeneration, physical therapy and oral joint health supplements, including glucosamine or non-denatured collagen, could be considered. For patients with mild to moderate joint degeneration, hyaluronic acid, PRP injection therapy, or arthroscopic debridement and cartilage regeneration surgery can be performed. For patients with moderate to severe joint degeneration, high tibial osteotomy or knee joint replacement surgery should be considered.

• How to choose an artificial joint for degenerative knee joint disease?
          Currently, most artificial knee joint replacement is good for 10 to 15 years at least. But if the patient is financially well off and she wants a self-funded artificial knee joint replacement, the usage can be extended for a longer period of time. However, the cost of a self-funded artificial knee joint replacement is more expensive than that is covered under national health insurance. Patients can freely choose based on their own age and their financial situation.
          During artificial joint replacement surgery, a drainage tube is place at the operative side for a few days, which will be removed after another two to three days depending on patients’ clinical condition. When the patient feel better he/she can use crutches or walkers to practice walking, and the doctor will teach the patient how to do rehabilitation exercises.

            Under the leadership of Dr. Jen-Hui Zhang, Chief of Orthopedics Department at the Cardinal Tien Hospital upholds the purpose of "Love God and Love People, Respect Life, Medical Service for Love, and Promote Holistic Care”. The surgical procedures advances in many aspects, including artificial joint replacement, trauma, sports medicine, spinal surgery, pediatric surgery, and has established a good reputation, being recognized by the public. Currently, we are actively establishing Regenerative Medicine and the latest treatment methods, such as: 1. Stem cell therapy, 2. Mosaic chondroplasty, 3. Biphasic Cartilage Repair Implant, 4. Robotic arm-assisted joint replacement surgery, etc. In the future, in addition to the improvement of technology and treatment methods, a knee joint rehabilitation center will also be established to help patients return to work as soon as possible after surgeries and improve their postoperative quality of life. Patients who have any queries with orthopedic-related problems are welcome to seek medical treatment and consultation at Cardinal Tien Hospital.