Dr Sultan's CME on knee osteoarthritis generates enthusiastic response

The topic for the CME was "Knee Osteoarthritis - Are patients getting timely advice? and as expected, there were passionate discussions and comments made.

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, occurs when the cushiony cartilage between two bones wear out and the bones begin to rub against each other in the joint (the area where two bones come together).

This often leads to pain, swelling, a decrease in motion at the joint, stiffness, or the formation of bone spurs (tiny growths of new bone). While osteoarthritis can occur at almost any joint, osteoarthritis of the knee is the most common type. More than 10 million Americans have osteoarthritis of the knee and most people affected are 45 years or older.

During the CME, several questions were posed to Dr Sultan on the effects of Osteoarthritis. He explained, "Osteoarthritis of the knee is a major cause of pain and disability in many people. It can interfere with their work, sport, social and religious activities." He felt that most people limit their activities instead of seeking medical attention and it hampers the chances of complete recovery.

He stressed that there are many treatment options available today ranging from simple measures such as modification of footwear, weight reduction, and altering life style to reduce the impact of pain to various medical and surgical options including total knee replacement.

He further elucidated, "Many people unfortunately, are advised to take oral pain killers for many years. While these may be effective, they also can cause very serious side effects like kidney failure and bleeding in the stomach. These people are far better off with total knee replacement which has a success rate of around 90 per cent in patient satisfaction. Nowadays, there are joint replacement that allows patients the freedom to sit on the ground for prayer and social reasons."

Gerard Strong, Hospital Director, Muscat Private Hospital added, "Worldwide, osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder. Therefore appropriate medical management requires that physicians be able to diagnose osteoarthritis early, recognise factors that may affect the prognosis or complicate the disease, and make effective use of the many available treatments."

Registered with the UK General Medical Council since 1991, Dr Sultan al Maskari joined the Orthopaedic and Trauma Specialist Register in 2002. In addition to the Orthopaedic training in Liverpool, UK, he also underwent special training in total hip and total knee replacement training at Wrightington Hospital with Mr Martyn Porter (the home of total hip replacement).

Later he joined Khoula Hospital as a Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with special interest in diseases of the knee and its surgical treatment.