The Medical City Launches LAKAD MULI Program

The Medical City (TMC) launches Lakad Muli, a joint replacement program aimed at delivering high-quality total hip and knee replacement surgery under the most affordable conditions to serve the vast population of Filipino arthritic patients.

The Lakad Muli Program is being offered through the Department of Orthopedics with its team of well-trained and experienced joint-reconstructive surgeons in coordination with other related specialists. Surgery is offered in a controlled, packaged set-up to render it significantly more affordable to patients with severe hip or knee osteoarthritis in need of surgical joint reconstruction.

The package covers hospital ward admission, surgery and anesthesia, joint prosthetic implant and early post-operative rehabilitation. Total cost is approximately 60 percent of the regular Total Joint Replacement price.

Total joint replacement, or arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure wherein an arthritic or damaged joint is replaced by an artificial device called prosthesis. The two most common forms of joint replacement are those for the hip and the knee.
Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is a form of arthritis caused by inflammation, breakdown, and the eventual loss of cartilage in the joints. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis.

Joint replacement is recommended when advanced osteoarthritis results in severe pain and decreased function, such as difficulty in walking, after non-surgical treatments such as medications and physical therapy have failed.

Total hip and knee replacement provides complete and lasting relief of pain, permanently corrects joint deformities and restores normal walking function. Joint prostheses are designed to last for at least 10 to 15 years and, in elderly patients, their whole lifetime.

The patient usually is confined for four to five days post-operatively to undergo pain management and early physical rehabilitation. Movement of the involved joint is encouraged immediately after surgery and the patient is usually allowed to stand within two days. Ambulation training is soon instituted and progressed until the patient is walking with support at the time of discharge.

To avail of the program, interested patients may consult with their orthopedic surgeon at TMC. Patients with no previous joint surgery or hip or knee replacement, those with limited resources and who are relatively healthy may be eligible for Lakad Muli program.

For more information, please call TMC Orthopedic Multispecialty Clinic (OMC) at telephone nos. 988-1000 or 988-7000 ext. 6521.