Rare Knee Surgery Helps Wheelchair Bound Gym Trainer Walk After 3 Years

Dr Raghu Nagaraj, Director of Orthopaedics at Fortis Hospital Cunningham Road in Bengaluru, conducted a 2.5-hour complex and challenging surgery recently and enabled the wheel-chair bound Ramesh (name changed) to walk again after 3 long years.

Ramesh had badly injured his knee, ankle and leg bones in an accident three years ago. He underwent a series of unsuccessful surgeries in North Karnataka and as a result his condition had worsened. Ramesh developed a rare condition known as bony ankylosis (popularly called bony fusion) due to which the knee joint fused at an angle of 90 degree making it impossible for him to walk.

Ramesh, who led an active life as a body builder and gym trainer, was shattered when he learnt that he may not be able to walk ever again. His search for a doctor who can give him a ray of hope went in vain for three long years until he came in touch with Dr Raghu Nagaraj at Fortis Hospital in Bengaluru.

After a detailed evaluation of the patient's condition, Dr Raghu faced a daunting task. The bony fusion is a very rare knee condition and there are very few Orthopedics in the country who can handle a surgery of such complexity.

"There were several challenges. The patient had very poor skin condition due to multiple surgeries and extremely weak bones as he had not walked for three years. The most difficult of the challenges was the fused thigh and leg bones with zero movement in the knee. To add to these complications, the patient also had arthrodesis (popularly known as ankle fusion). It wasn't a surgery for the weak hearted but I took up the challenge," said Dr Raghu.

It took two-and-a-half-hour surgery at the Cunningham Road Fortis Hospital to replace the fused knee and fix the ankle fusion. After a few weeks of rest, Ramesh was able to walk with the help of a walker. Dr Raghu is one of the few Orthopaedics in the country who can perform complex arthroscopic surgeries such as multi-ligamentous injuries of knee, cartilage restoration, key hole surgeries for hip and shoulder. He has performed over 5,000 hip and shoulder surgeries till now.

With a few weeks of physiotherapy and walking practice on the walker, Ramesh is able to walk with a single crutch now. "We were particularly happy to see the result. It can be traumatic for someone who had been leading an active life of a body builder and a gym trainer to be wheelchair bound for so long," recalled Dr Raghu.

About Dr Raghu Nagaraj

Dr Raghu Nagaraj is a leading orthopaedic surgeon specializing in arthroscopy, sports medicine, shoulder surgery and joint replacement. He is one of few surgeons in the country who perform complex arthroscopic surgeries such as multi-ligamentous injuries of knee, cartilage restoration, shoulder and hip arthroscopic surgeries including key hole surgeries. He has performed more than 5,000 knee and shoulder surgeries till now. As a specialist sports medicine practitioner, he has treated several national and international sports personalities.