Spire Parkway surgeons say age is no barrier for hip operations
05 April 2018
As Prince Philip recovers from his hip operation at the ripe old age of 96, some of Spire Parkway’s orthopaedic surgeons talk about joint replacement surgery for the elderly.
Mr Ved Goswami said that his eldest hip replacement patient was 99, and added that he would be happy carrying out the surgery on people of any age providing they were fit enough.
“The patient needs to be physically and mentally fit in order to withstand the surgery. Just because a person is old doesn’t mean they can’t be fit enough to recover well from a hip operation.
“I am sure Prince Philip will be back on his feet in no time. Things have changed greatly over the past ten years. The length of stay in hospital is much shorter as is the average recovery time,” he explained.
Eighty-year-old Eveline, who lives in Solihull, had her hip replaced at Spire Parkway Hospital, Solihull, Birmingham West Midlands by Mr Trevor Lawrence. This was on top of having new joints in both her shoulders and one of her knees over the past few years.
Up and about within weeks, Eveline said the physiotherapy she received at Spire Parkway really did help in her recovery.
“I found the physio easy and very beneficial,” she said. “I was back on my feet in no time at all and I am now able to walk into Solihull and do my shopping etc. To be honest the only thing holding me back now is that I need my other knee replaced.
“I know it is all part of growing old but I am determined to keep having the operations if it means I can keep my independence,” she said.
Mr Lawrence said: “Obviously people do get frail as they get older but, providing there are no other medical issues such as heart or lung problems, then age should not be a barrier to joint replacement surgery.”
It is the individual and not the age that should be the deciding factor, and those decisions can only be made after a thorough medical assessment of the potential patient, according to orthopaedic surgeon Mr Madhur Shrivistava.
“Older patients may take longer to rehabilitate but as long as they stick to their physiotherapy programme, there is no reason at all why they shouldn’t make a full recovery”.
Q: How quickly could I have a consultation, and how much would it cost?
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