Consultant Q&A with Mr Fares Haddad- leading knee and hip surgeon

Consultant Q&A with Mr Fares Haddad- leading knee and hip surgeon

At BOOST PHYSIO we’ve enjoyed rehabilitating many of Fares’ patients over the years following hip and knee operations and I’ve also had the benefit of watching Fares perform various knee operations-hence we highly recommend him to our patients. If you want to read Fares’ impressive biography and CV follow this link to his website, but in brief Fares Haddad is a Hip and Knee Reconstructive Surgeon at University College Hospitals, The Princess Grace Hospital and the Wellington Hospital.  He is Divisional Clinical Director of Surgical Specialties at UCH, and Director of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health at University College London.  Clearly an expert in his field!

Q: Fares, you are well known for being one of a few surgeons to perform key hole surgery for hip problems. Which patients do you find benefit the most from this procedure?
A:  Hip arthroscopy is a procedure that has expanded dramatically over the last ten years. The indications have become much clearer. The most successful interventions are in cases where there are isolated labral tears or when patients present in the early phases of femorocetabular impingement (FAI) before the joint is irrevocably damaged. FAI is a condition where the bones of the hip joint develop in such a way that the patient can function relatively normally, and often very athletically, but where abnormal contact between the femur and pelvis damages the hip. These are typically in sporting individuals who either suffer an acute injury, the labral tear, or get the insidious onset of symptoms through activity such as running, cycling or football. Plain x-ray imaging and MRI scan gives us most of the information we need although CT scanning is occasionally necessary to look at the bony anatomy. By dealing with the primary bony impingement as well as the problems within joint we decrease symptoms and hopefully also prevent recurrence and further progression of the problem in future.

Q:  What does the future hold for technological developments in treatments for arthritic hip and knee joints?
A:  The management of early arthritis of the hip and knee is progressing at an impressive rate. Technical developments will focus in the first instance on prevention thus by replacing the damaged menisci and the damaged joint surface and injured ligaments. The new work on partial resurfacing of joints with novel materials such as Oxinium is very exciting. New work also on customising joint replacement will change the face of the management of arthritis giving us joint replacements that are much more functional and geared to high end activity such as sports.

Q:  Which sports do you believe are suitable for patients following total hip replacement surgery?
A:  Following a hip replacement operation, we encourage our patients to get back to normal day to day activity within 6 weeks. All non impact sports such as long distance walking, gym exercises, swimming, doubles tennis and golf are encouraged. It is perfectly feasible for patients to play singles tennis or indeed in certain circumstances squash and many of our patients do get back to running but it is important for the patients to realise that there is a tension between the amount of impact activity that they do and the wear that they will cause to their new joint.

Q:  How effective do you find “lubricating” injections are for arthritic knees?

A:  Our experience of the Hyaluronic acid lubricating injections for knee and hip arthritis has been mixed. There are some patients who have an extremely good response that lasts up to six months. There are others who do not respond at all. It is very difficult to predict. My personal experience is that those patients have dry knees without effusions tend to respond better to Hyaluronic acid therapy whereas those with effusions can respond to aspiration and injection but do so for a shorter period of time.  These are nevertheless interesting therapies which we must continue to pursue both in our athletic population when we often use them after surgery and also in the arthritic population.

I hope that you have found this Consultant Q&A interesting, if you wish to discuss any issues regarding your hip or knee condition with myself or one of my physios, please do not hesitate to contact us, you can call the clinic in Hendon, NW London on 020 82017788 or email us at info@boostphysio.com

The BOOST Blogger- Steven Berkman

Regards… The Boost Blogger, Steven Berkman