93-Year-Old Gets New Knees

At age 93, Shivalingappa G S, a native of Bhadravathi, India, did not suffer from diabetes or hypertension—his knees hurt. For 25 years he took pain medication. But when the pain in his knees became unbearable, his doctor put him to bed—for two years. Decades of wear and tear on his knees had crippled him for life and he grieved that he could not play with his great grandchildren. Then his grandson, a medical doctor, took him to consult with joint replacement surgeon Lingaraju A P at Rajshekhar Multi Specialty Hospital.

Dr. Ramesh Somayaji, medical director of the hospital, gave his approval for the surgery. “The most important factor for surgery is physical age and not the chronological age of a patient. After complete cardiac, pulmonary, renal and blood investigation we found Shivalingappa perfectly fit for the surgery, ” he said in a September 17 press release.

Shivalingappa underwent the surgery on his left knee three months ago and about two weeks ago he had surgery to replace his right knee. He has gone back to Bhadravathi and is now able to walk on his own.

Somayaji noted, “A total knee replacement surgery is not a very complicated procedure. It is called a ‘lifestyle surgery’ because it increases the quality of the life of a patient. It gives relief from pain and patients can walk without a support. There is no age bar for one to undergo this kind of surgery. If a patient is physically fit he or she can undergo such surgery at any given age. Queen Elizabeth of England (the Queen’s mother) underwent a Hip Replacement surgery at the age of 100.”