Uncategorised Archives - Midland Hip and Knee Clinic

Knee injuries in rugby are very common due to nature of the sport which can be gradual wear and tear or damage from impact and trauma.

Here we discuss two common knee injuries rugby player may experience:

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury

The ACL connects the thighbone to the shinbone, stabilising the knee joint, and is a common injury in rugby players due to quick twists and turns of the body.

Symptoms include:

Difficulty bearing weight on the knee
Swelling of the knee
Pain and ‘popping’ in the knee

Treatment consists of ACL reconstruction surgery which can be carried out via a minimally invasive approach, and consists of taking tissue from somewhere else in your body, or from a donor, to replace the damaged ligament.

Meniscus tear

The meniscus is cartilage between the shinbone and thighbone that absorbs shock. It can be injured through sudden changes in direction.

Symptoms include:

Sudden knee pain
Swelling of the knee
Difficulty bending or extending the knee

Treatment can involve surgery to repair the damaged tissue, or surgery to replace the whole meniscus.

How do I book a consultation?

You can book either a face to face or virtual consultation with Mr Makrides by contacting his secretary. You can find her details here.

Appointments are available via private medical insurance or paying for yourself. Click here for the most up to date self funding fees, and here for private medical insurance information.

Joint pain is commonly caused by degeneration as we age, overuse and injury. However, it is possible that stress and anxiety can cause or worsen existing painful joints.

The ways stress can affect your joints:

Long term stress may cause a build up of inflammation in the body that may lead to painful hip and knee joints.
Anxiety can cause you to tense your muscles which in turn can make them stiff, inflamed and painful.
Stress can weaken your immune system which may lead to joint infections and pain.

However, it is difficult to conclude that anxiety and stress directly leads to joint pain and it is advise to get any hip and knee pain looked at by a professional to rule out any other underlying condition.

How do I book a consultation?

You can book either a face to face or virtual consultation with Mr Makrides by contacting his secretary. You can find her details here.

Appointments are available via private medical insurance or paying for yourself. Click here for the most up to date self funding fees, and here for private medical insurance information.

There are many ways your knees and hips can become damaged, from ageing, overuse injury or trauma.

Common conditions that can affect your hips and knee:

Arthritis of the hip and knee. The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis are joint pain, mobility issues and stiffness in the joint
Knee ACL tear. If you are struggling to bare weight, have swelling, severe pain and ‘popping’ in the knee, then you may have a ruptured ACL.
Fractures of the hip and knee. You might have pain and swelling along with difficulty moving the hip or knee.
Knee meniscus tear. Symptoms of a damaged or torn meniscus are knee pain, swelling, and difficulty extending or bending the knee.

To protect your joints it is ideal to maintain a healthy weight to reduce pressure, as well as eating anti-inflammatory foods such as whole grains, nuts, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

If you are struggling with knee pain or hip pain which is preventing you from going on walks, gardening and generally affecting your daily life, get in touch with us to see how we can help you.

How do I book a consultation?

You can book either a face to face or virtual consultation with Mr Makrides by contacting his secretary. You can find her details here.

Appointments are available via private medical insurance or paying for yourself. Click here for the most up to date self funding fees, and here for private medical insurance information.

Due to the sudden twists and turns when playing football, as well as the repetitive nature of running it is common for footballers to experience hip and knee pain.

4 common injuries to the hip and knee are:

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury

The ACL connects the thighbone to the shinbone, stabilising the knee joint, and is a common injury in footballers due to quick twists and turns of the body.

Symptoms include difficulty bearing weight on the knee, swelling of the knee and pain and ‘popping’ in the knee.

ACL reconstruction surgery can be carried out via a minimally invasive approach, and consists of taking tissue from somewhere else in your body, or from a donor, to replace the damaged ligament.

Meniscus tear

The meniscus is cartilage between the shinbone and thighbone that absorbs shock. It can be injured through sudden twisting and turning of the knee.

Symptoms include sudden knee pain, swelling and difficulty bending or extending the knee.

Treatment can involve surgery to repair the damaged tissue, or surgery to replace the whole meniscus.

Hip labral tear

Hip labral tear is a tear to the cartilage holding the ball and socket of the hip together. This can be caused by repetitive fast changes in direction when running.

Symptoms involve pain and instability in the hip.

Surgery is usually performed via a hip arthroscopy and consists of stitching the torn tissue back together or reconfiguring the damaged tissue with tissue from elsewhere in your body, or from a donor.

Hip osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is when the cartilage that protects the hip joint wears over time as you age or if you are particularly active. It is not unusual for football players to develop hip osteoarthritis due to repetitive vigorous hip movement.

Symptoms include joint pain, difficulty walking and stiffness in the hip.

Hip replacement surgery can repair or replace the damaged hip joint with a prosthetic joint.

How do I book a consultation?

You can book either a face to face or virtual consultation with Mr Makrides by contacting his secretary. You can find her details here.

Appointments are available via private medical insurance or paying for yourself. Click here for the most up to date self funding fees, and here for private medical insurance information.

Mr Makrides has proudly celebrated being part of the team at Spire Little Aston Hospital, who have achieved 500 Mako Robotic Assisted Joint Replacements!

Mako allows your surgeon to create a 3D virtual model of your hip or knee’s unique anatomy so he can follow your unique personalised plan during surgery.During surgery, the robotic arm guides the surgeon within a pre-defined area using real-time tracking feedback which can adjust for very small movements. This makes it extremely precise and accurate when putting the implant in.

Advantages of the Mako robotic arm are:

Can be used for partial or total hip and knee replacements
Helps create a personalised surgical plan
2-3 times more accurate joint replacement than manual replacement
Produces minimal blood loss and a smaller scar
Helps preserve healthy bone and soft tissue
Results in less post-operative pain than manual techniques
Provides a quicker recovery and shorter hospital stay

What is recovery like?

Recovery is much quicker than traditional hip and knee replacements. You will have a personalised physiotherapy plan and may be able to walk just hours after your surgery, and return to your everyday activities in 1-4 weeks.

How do I book a consultation?

You can book either a face to face or virtual consultation with Mr Makrides by contacting his secretary. You can find her details here.Appointments are available via private medical insurance or paying for yourself. Click here for the most up to date self funding fees, and here for private medical insurance information.

A hip fracture is a break in the femur (top of the thigh bone). Fractures are often caused by falls and are more common in the elderly. Some conditions such as Osteoporosis can weaken the bones and cause hip fractures.

Symptoms of a hip fracture

Hip pain
Difficulty bearing weight on your leg
Trouble moving and lifting your leg

Treating a hip fracture

Usually surgery is required for a hip fracture. Sometimes the hip can be supported with plates and screws, however most cases may need a hip replacement. The type of surgery you will be offered will depend on your age, your health, how bad the fracture is and the condition of your bones.

Can I prevent a hip fracture?

As most hip fractures occur in the elderly or those with osteoporosis, you could use a walking aid for support and perform exercises to help strengthen the muscles around your joints.

How do I book a consultation?

You can book either a face to face or virtual consultation with Mr Makrides by contacting his secretary. You can find her details here.

Appointments are available via private medical insurance or paying for yourself. Click here for the most up to date self funding fees, and here for private medical insurance information.

Both hip resurfacing and hip replacements are operations to help relieve hip pain. Hip pain is often caused by the cartilage that cushions the bones wearing down over time and causing pain and inflammation.

Hip resurfacing?

Hip resurfacing is where the damaged surface of the femur (ball of the thighbone), and the socket are removed and reshaped. This retains most of the bone and is usually offered to younger, more active patients. Hip resurfacing is more commonly performed on men as women won’t benefit from the procedure for as long due to levels of oestrogen changing after the menopause.

During hip resurfacing surgery, your consultant orthopaedic surgeon will:

Make a small incision in the thigh to access the hip joint
Shave the damaged bone and cartilage from the femur (ball of the thighbone)
Attach a smooth metal cap to the ball
Remove the damaged bone and cartilage from the hip socket
Attach a metal shell into the hip socket
Move the femur (ball of the thighbone) into the hip socket
Close the incision with stitches

Hip resurfacing can be quicker to recover from than a traditional hip replacement and can be effective long term relief from hip pain for younger more active patients.

Hip replacement?

A hip replacement is where the whole joint is removed and replaced with an artificial one. It is a common procedure and offered to older patients with significant joint damage and severe symptoms.

During hip replacement surgery, your hip surgeon will:

Make a small incision in the thigh to access the hip joint
Remove the damaged femur (ball of the thighbone) and socket
Implant the replacement socket
Insert a short metal stem with a ball on it into the ball of the thighbone
Close the incision with stitches.

A hip replacement can hugely reduce pain, with almost all patients getting complete, or near complete relief from arthritic hip pain, and thus increased mobility.

Minimally invasive hip surgery

Mr Makrides offers minimally invasive hip surgery using the Direct Superior Approach. This avoids damage to surrounding muscles and tissue which results in a shorter hospital stay and a faster recovery time.

Robotic assisted hip surgery

Mr Makrides can also perform hip replacement surgery using the Mako robotic arm assisted surgery. This is carried out at Spire Little Aston Hospital and allows your surgeon to use the robotic arm to guide him along pre-defined areas using real time tracking which adjusts to the smallest of movements. This results in extremely precise surgery with minimal blood loss, scarring and post operative pain.

How do I book a consultation?

You can book either a face to face or virtual consultation with Mr Makrides by contacting his secretary. You can find her details here.

Appointments are available via private medical insurance or paying for yourself. Click here for the most up to date self funding fees, and here for private medical insurance information.

Keeping your bones and joints healthy can help to prevent serious damage if you are injured or especially from wear and tear as we age due to our bodies loosing bone density over time. Women are more at risk of bone and joint conditions such as osteoarthritis once they have gone through the menopause.

Foods for bone and joint health

It is beneficial to consume calcium rich foods as the only way our bodies get it, is by our diet. Calcium rich foods include:

Dairy such as milk, cheese and yoghurt
Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale
Fortified foods such as bread and soy
Nuts

Alcohol and carbonated drinks can prevent your body from absorbing calcium.

Supplements for bone and joint health

Vitamin D is important for your bone health as it helps the body absorb calcium. Most people in the UK do not get enough vitamin D, especially in the winter months so it might be worth taking a supplement.

Exercises for bone and joint health

Exercise can help reduce the load on your joints by helping you loose any excess weight, as well as build the muscles around the joint.

Low impact activities such as swimming are good as they don’t put stress son the joints as running does.

How do I book a consultation?

You can book either a face to face or virtual consultation with Mr Makrides by contacting his secretary. You can find her details here.

Appointments are available via private medical insurance or paying for yourself. Click here for the most up to date self funding fees, and here for private medical insurance information.

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