For an 88-year-old woman, even simple movement had become difficult. For more than 25 years, she had lived with severe pain in both knees due to advanced osteoarthritis. Over the last three years, her mobility had deteriorated to the point that she became dependent on a wheelchair and needed her family’s assistance as she has to be lifted up for everyday activities.
Living in Jaigaon, near the Bhutan border in West Bengal, her family began looking for options that could help her regain mobility. After learning through a joint-replacement awareness podcast of Dr Sanjeev Jain that advanced age alone does not necessarily rule out knee replacement, the family sought a video consultation with Dr Jain a joint replacement surgeon. They later travelled nearly 2,500 kilometres to Thane for a detailed evaluation.
At the time of assessment, the elderly woman had advanced osteoarthritis affecting both knees, along with hypertension, diabetes and hypothyroidism. Considering her age and medical conditions, Dr Jain first focused on evaluating and optimising her overall health before deciding whether surgery would be appropriate.
After a comprehensive assessment and counselling, Dr Jain and the medical team found her suitable for bilateral total knee replacement. She underwent simultaneous replacement of both knee joints on September 28.
Her treatment involved coordination between orthopaedics, anaesthesia, cardiology, internal medicine and endocrinology, along with nursing and physiotherapy teams. Her existing medical conditions were managed and monitored around the surgery, with rehabilitation planned as an important part of her recovery.
Following the procedure, the woman was mobilised with a walker under physiotherapy supervision. For her family, seeing her take steps after years of wheelchair dependence was an important milestone in her recovery.
Dr Jain, chief and head, Orthopaedics, Joint Replacement and Sports Medicine, KIMS Hospitals in Thane, said, “Age by itself should not be the sole factor in deciding whether a patient is suitable for knee replacement. The decision depends on the severity of pain and disability, response to non-surgical treatment, overall medical fitness and the patient’s expectations. In elderly patients with conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, careful evaluation and optimisation before surgery, along with close monitoring and structured rehabilitation afterwards, are particularly important.”
The elderly woman’s case highlights how advanced age does not automatically mean that significant knee pain and loss of mobility have to be accepted as a permanent part of ageing. At the same time, knee replacement in an elderly patient requires individual assessment rather than relying on age alone.
After spending three years dependent on a wheelchair, her first postoperative steps with a walker have given the woman and her family hope that she can gradually regain greater mobility and independence.
For the family that travelled across the country in search of a solution, the goal was straightforward, not simply to undergo surgery, but to give the 88-year-old another opportunity to move with no pain and participate more independently in everyday life.
Mumbai docs give new lease of life to elderly woman wheelchair-bound for 3 years
