Knee surgery gives dancer a new lease of life

Chennai, July 29 (UNI) Ms Franca Smith, a 60-year-old dance instructor in contemporary American dance, is contemplating a return to the dance floor after years of agony from an arthritic knee pain, thanks to the bilateral gender specific knee replacements done at the, Bharathiraja Hospital in the city recently.

Dr A K Venkatachalam who performed the surgery said she was regaining her flexibility and poise fast. She is also a nutritional counsellor in the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance from Colorado, USA Years of rigorous dancing had taken a toll on her back and knees.

A back injury suffered during a dance session had altered the alignment of her right leg. Removal of cartilage from both her knees four decades ago had set the process of degenerative arthritis in motion.

Despite enduring years of pain, she managed to maintain her flexibility and zeal for the art to remain fit as an instructor and nutrional counsellor, he added.

However, when the arthritis started to cramp her over the last year, she wanted pain relief and to regain flexibility, she wanted flexible knee joint replacements and a surgeon who could offer this in India.

The recent availability of the gender specific high flexion knee replacement in India came as a huge boon for her as she could get the most modern innovation in knee replacement at a very affordable cost.

The gender specific knee is an implant designed specifically to the shape of the female anatomy and confers full flexibility after a total knee replacement unlike a general unisex prosthesis which could stuff the knee and cause pain from pressure on the tendons.

UNI