Orthopedics

Knee replacement resurfaces a knee joint worn out by arthritis, replacing the damaged cartilage and bone with metal and plastic components. It relieves pain and restores movement when other treatments no longer work.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the median nerve at the wrist, causing numbness, tingling and pain in the thumb, index and middle fingers — often worse at night.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) stabilises the knee during twisting and pivoting. It is commonly torn in sport by a sudden change of direction or awkward landing, causing the knee to give way.

The menisci are two C-shaped cushions in the knee. They tear from a twisting injury in younger people, or from wear in middle age, causing pain, swelling and sometimes locking or catching.

Hip replacement removes a hip joint damaged by arthritis, avascular necrosis or fracture, and replaces the ball and socket with a durable implant. It is one of the most successful and satisfying operations in medicine.

Spine surgery treats problems such as a slipped (herniated) disc, spinal canal narrowing (stenosis), or an unstable or slipped vertebra, when leg or arm pain, weakness or numbness has not responded to non-surgical care.

A shoulder dislocation is when the ball of the upper arm comes fully out of its socket, usually from a fall or sporting impact. After the first dislocation, some people — especially younger, active ones — go on to dislocate repeatedly.

Shoulder replacement resurfaces a shoulder joint worn out by arthritis or damaged by a large rotator cuff tear or complex fracture, replacing it with a metal-and-plastic implant to relieve pain and restore useful movement.

The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons that lift and rotate the shoulder. Tears occur from injury or gradual wear, causing pain, weakness and difficulty with overhead activity.

Arthroscopy is keyhole joint surgery. A pencil-thin camera and fine instruments are passed through two or three small incisions, letting the surgeon diagnose and treat problems inside a joint with minimal disruption.

Knee arthroscopy is keyhole surgery of the knee, used to treat meniscus (cartilage) tears, remove loose fragments, address early ACL problems, and manage cartilage damage — through two small incisions.

Shoulder arthroscopy is keyhole surgery of the shoulder, used for rotator cuff repair, stabilisation after recurrent dislocation, removing bone spurs causing impingement, and treating a frozen shoulder that has not responded to other care.

Total knee replacement resurfaces all three compartments of a knee severely worn by arthritis, replacing the ends of the thigh and shin bones — and usually the kneecap surface — with metal and plastic components.