RAK Hospital surgery restores mobility of 59-year-old patient

Doctors at RAK Hospital successfully performed advanced surgery to replace the shoulder joint of a 59-year-old patient from South Africa, after suffering for nearly 30 years, which led to a gradual loss of movement, declining to only 10% of functional capacity.

The patient spent many years travelling between prominent medical centres around the world, searching for a cure for his condition, where he underwent a large number of physical therapy sessions, and his condition continued to deteriorate. At RAK Hospital, doctors successfully diagnosed the patient's condition after precise examinations using advanced techniques, including MRI and CT scans, which revealed severe deterioration of the shoulder joint, with complete loss of cartilage, leading to bone-on-bone friction, causing severe restriction of daily movement, and impairing the ability to perform the simplest life tasks.

The hospital performed a complete shoulder joint replacement on both sides, and the damaged joint was replaced with an artificial implant.

Dr Bharath Patel, orthopedic surgeon at the hospital, said: "Advanced stages of degenerative shoulder arthritis lead to complete cartilage erosion, a stage that non-surgical solutions cannot effectively treat. The surgical procedure is a significant medical achievement at the regional level, and reflects the distinguished level of medical progress in the UAE, as it is the first of its kind locally."

Recently, RAK signed a deal with Ras Al Khaimah Department of Knowledge to deliver premium healthcare services to students and educators.

This initiative is designed to offer private school students and educational staff, including teachers, administrators, and their families, access to premium medical services under a specially tailored healthcare program offering exclusive benefits to eligible individuals.