Lucknow: From struggling to get up and walk within the confines of one’s home to the confidence of walking down the ramp, the gamechanger in between this transformation was celebrated as scores of total knee replacement patients celebrated their reclaimed freedom at a special programme on Sunday.Sharing their journeys at this event called Ruk Jana Nahi — organised by Apollomedics Hospitals to mark completion of 500 robotic knee replacement surgeries at their centre — the patients spoke their heart and how one decision changed their lives for the better.Take the example of housewife Madhu Gupta, a housewife from Aashiana. For years, she dismissed her pain as a side effect of ageing. Managing her plight with painkillers, she didn’t realise how her approach was pulling her towards a partially disabled life. “As I recovered from the surgery, I realised I had reduced my physical and mental age… I also regretted not taking this decision earlier,” she said.Retired Indian Revenue Services officer Ajay Dixit recalled how pain in his knee turned his passion for golf into an agony. “I can’t imagine my life without golf… but the pain was distancing me from it. Post-replacement surgery, life is as normal and agile,” he said. He also advised people to take their post-operation exercise and physiotherapy regime very seriously.In all, 400 patients attended the event and most of them described their decision as a second chance to life and ‘mantra for independent living’. The highlight was a live Kathak performance by a patient who resumed classical dance after being forced to give it up due to severe knee pain.“Robotic procedures are increasingly becoming the preferred option due to greater precision, reduced blood loss, faster recovery and longer-lasting implant,” said chairman, orthopaedics, Dr Sanjai Srivastava, who led all the 500 surgeries. He also informed that their centre added the MISSO robotic system recently.MD and CEO Dr Mayank Somani said that the demand for robotic knee replacement has expanded beyond urban centres, with patients from smaller towns and rural areas now actively seeking the technology. “This milestone celebration was not just about technology, but about restoring patients’ freedom to walk, dance and live actively again.”
