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Singapore ’ s pioneer of joint replacement
Dr Lo Ngai Nung has spent a career advancing the boundaries of joint replacement
Dr Lo Ngai Nung is an orthopaedic specialist at Gleneagles Hospital , Singapore . His areas of expertise include the management of complex degenerative conditions of the hip and knee joints . His interests include minimally invasive joint replacements and partial knee replacements , and accelerated recovery programmes after joint replacement surgery for early return to function .
Three decades ago , when orthopaedics became one of the most innovative surgical disciplines , Dr Lo Ngai Nung seized the opportunity to be trained as an orthopaedic surgeon . In 1991 , he was selected for a year ’ s sub-speciality training with one of the pioneers of joint replacement , Professor Ramon Gustilo , in the US state of Minnesota .
“ Back then , joint replacement was not as advanced in my native Singapore as it is today . The patients tended to be older folks , and they were horrified at the idea of surgery .
“ They accepted the disability as an inevitable part of ageing , whereas nowadays , patients are more informed ; they want to enjoy their retirement years and are not willing to live with disability and pain . They live longer , want quality of life , and retain independent mobility in old age ,” said Dr Lo , who is now an orthopaedic and bone surgeon at Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore .
Surgery is also more accepted today due to improvements in techniques and technology . Better hip implants , improved pain control methods , and accelerated rehabilitation programmes make for a comfortable and faster recovery .
Dr Lo was one of the first orthopaedic surgeons from
Singapore sent for formal training in joint replacement , and he has since participated in the training of younger orthopaedic surgeons .
In 2004 , he participated in the design and evaluation of a minimally invasive modular mini keel knee implant .
“ The idea was to design a knee implant that facilitates minimally invasive surgery . The implant could be inserted through a 2cm space and then extended by adding on modular parts . We also designed special instruments to accurately insert the implant . These are still in use , and the implant itself was used worldwide until recent years , until it was replaced by a newer design ,” he said .
Joint replacement surgery today is common and one of the most cost-effective treatments for degenerative arthritis in the elderly .
Demand for knee replacements has been seeing exponential growth in Singapore , while a recent trend has also seen a rise in hip replacements , which are increasingly being performed for hip fractures .
The two most common diagnoses for hip replacement surgery are hip osteoarthritis and hip osteonecrosis . Osteoarthritis arises from age-related degeneration , mostly affecting patients over 70 . Osteonecrosis , which results from the death of bone cells caused by a damaged blood supply to the hip joint , arises from a variety of reasons , the most common being excessive alcohol consumption and use of steroids to treat other conditions .
A good candidate would be a patient who has a stiff , painful hip with significant deterioration of function resulting in poor quality of life , yet is still healthy enough to be an active community ambulator . Hip replacement surgery restores pain free hip function very quickly and predictably .
With the latest surgical techniques , patients are able to walk the next day and return home two or three days after an operation . Full recovery is often achieved by three months .
Thirty years after he began his training , Dr Lo continues to push the boundaries with the development of novel hip implants in Singapore .
“ Together with a brilliant younger colleague and a bioengineer , we hold the patent for a new hip replacement implant that has enhanced stability ,” said Dr Lo .
“ This reduces the risk of hip dislocation after surgery . The implant also has a damper that reduces wear of the bearings . We are planning for clinical trials .”
Make an appointment to consult an Orthopaedic Specialist at Gleneagles Hospital Singapore
Phone Appointment : + 65 6575 7575 Whatsapp Appointment : + 65 8111 9777 Online Appointment : www . gleneagles . com . sg
14 OCTOBER 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com