A severe bilateral hip fracture necessitating hip replacement is quite uncommon at this age, but lack of timely treatment worsened the patient’s condition

A 47-year-old woman from Kashipur, bedridden for many months after a severe fall at home and under excruciating pain, has successfully undergone bilateral hip replacement surgery at Max Super Specialty Hospital in Dehradun, regaining her ability to walk.

A severe bilateral hip fracture necessitating hip replacement is quite uncommon at this age, but lack of timely treatment for the fracture in both hips worsened the patient’s condition, leaving no option but to replace the hip joints, according to Dr. Gaurav Gupta, Associate Director, Orthopaedics, at the hospital who conducted the surgery.

Nirdesh Kumari had slipped and fallen at her home during the festival of Holi, fracturing her right hip. She immediately experienced severe pain around her right hip joint, which gradually increased in intensity as days passed. She soon started facing difficulty in walking and even standing on her two feet.

Doctors in the neighbourhood prescribed medicines for managing the pain and some physical exercises, assuming the condition to be nothing more than a strained nerve. The patient continued walking and performing various household chores, albeit with a limp. Her condition worsened over the next few weeks and she started experiencing pain in her left hip joint too as that too got fractured. She got bed ridden.

Said Sachin Kumar, the patient’s son: “About a week after the general lockdown was imposed due to the pandemic, my mother began to suffer from unbearable pain in the hip area and could no longer walk or even stand. We all became very stressed. We consulted several orthopaedics doctors in the locality who advised us to make her walk with the help of her healthy left leg so that the stiffness in the hip joint will not increase. Due to this, all her body weight had to be borne by the left leg, which resulted in fracture of the left hip joint too.”

Doctors advised immediate surgery but due to the risk of Covid-19 infection, none was willing to operate on her. Routine surgeries were also on hold at many hospitals. After extensive research, Sachin Kumar came to know about Dr. Gaurav Gupta of Max Super Specialty Hospital, Dehradun. The family consulted him through a video call. After reviewing all the medical reports and investigations, Dr. Gupta recommended that the patient be brought to Dehradun for treatment without any delay. The family was assured of prompt surgery with all protective measures in place, keeping in mind the pandemic.

After a lot of efforts, the family managed to procure a travel pass from the district administration and reach the Max Super Specialty Hospital in Dehradun, where the patient’s bilateral hip transplant was performed successfully.

Said Dr. Gaurav Gupta: “The patient had a bilateral hip joint fracture – fractured neck of femur – which is quite uncommon at her age of 47 years. She had been completely disabled for more than a month and was starting to have other medical complications too due to lack of treatment and her being bed-ridden all the time. The surgery to replace both the hip joints was successfully conducted by us. A few days later, the patient, with help from physiotherapy team, was started on physical exercises. She was discharged in good condition thereafter and has been able to walk normally since then.”

Said Dr. Sandeep Singh Tanwar, Vice President and Unit Head, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Dehradun: “Our hospital gas been in the frontline to treat all emergencies and medical and clinical cases during the ongoing pandemic. Our medical teams are working hard to ensure that non-Covid treatments are not hampered due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Amidst a nationwide lockdown, Max Hospital, Dehradun, has been running its support, services and operations as usual without any break.”