“We examine around 350 patients per day for different bone-related problems. Of the total number, 50-60 patients complain of shoulder problems. It is one of the common muscle pains in the State, diabetes is one of the causes,” head of orthopedic surgery Dr Shivanand Bandekar said on Friday, conceding that shoulder-related problems have increased in Goa.
Dr Bandekar and his team performed the first total shoulder replacement surgery on a patient called ‘Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement’.The 42-year-old teacher, on whom the surgery was carried out on December 6, had suffered severe injury to the left shoulder a year ago. Dr Bandekar said that there was secondary arthritis in the left shoulder with loss of function of muscles except deltoid muscles.
“The patient was unable to sleep because of the severe pain. Due to this, the left shoulder joint was party dislocated and unstable. This did not allow the patient to perform daily activities,” he said. “It was then decided to treat him with this latest reverse total shoulder replacement surgery.
This innovation operation was discovered in Germany about four years back. This is the first of its kind in Goa,” he added. The surgery, conducted free of cost at GMC, costs around Rs 1.70 lakh for implant.
