The Work of Joint Specialists in Pretoria Is Attracting Overseas Referrals
The incidence of problems affecting the hip, knee, shoulder, and other joints has been growing recently, and this is a trend that appears to be escalating. Empirical evidence suggests that this trend may be the result of lifestyle changes that have seen the average citizen becoming increasingly sedentary over the course of the past few decades. In many cases, the consequence of this reduced activity, combined with a diet that favours convenience over nutrition, is obesity – and the burden of that extra weight must be borne by the hips and knees, in particular. The accelerated damage that results is currently creating a great deal of extra work for joint specialists in Pretoria and in most of the large cities throughout the developed world.
While accidents on the playing fields and in motor vehicles are as prevalent as ever and continue to keep the general orthopaedic wards supplied with trauma patients, the number of elective patients now in need of a partial or total hip or knee replacement seems destined to overtake them. As a result, many orthopaedic surgeons are now choosing to focus primarily on those patients who are in need of arthroplasty. One such surgeon is Dr Jan de Vos. As one of South Africa’s leading joint specialists, he is based at the Life Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria.
Under the hands-on leadership of Dr de Vos, the arthroplasty team at Life Wilgers Hospital has gained the exceptional skills and experience that have enabled it to build an impressive record of success. It should, therefore, come as no great surprise that this record has also served to gain both national and international recognition for the hospital and for its achievements in this increasingly important branch of orthopaedic surgery.
With its state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical facilities, and a team with the ability to develop and embrace new ideas, the joint specialists in this Pretoria hospital now attract referrals not just from doctors all over South Africa, but also from a growing number of overseas countries. One of the explanations for this trend is likely to be the team’s success in perfecting the more non-invasive approach to joint surgery made possible through the use of the arthroscope.
Arthroscopic procedures may be performed with just two or three tiny incisions. This type of keyhole surgery avoids the more radical approach that requires a surgeon to expose an entire joint. As a result, patients who undergo these arthroscopic procedures at the hands of the joint specialists in Pretoria will benefit from a significantly reduced risk of infection and blood loss during their surgery, as well as requiring a much shorter post-operative recovery period.
If you have been experiencing painful swelling in a hip, knee, or shoulder, and are finding that this is restricting your ability to move, the first step should be to consult your general practitioner who, after examining the joint, may begin by prescribing a suitable painkiller. While it does provide relief, it is not a cure and the next step might be to prolong the relief with steroid injections. In time, however, the need for surgical intervention is almost inevitable, at which point you would do well to ask your GP tor a referral to the renowned team of joint specialists at the Life Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria.