Robot-Assisted Joint Reconstruction in Sharjah

What is robot-assisted joint reconstruction?

Robot-assisted joint reconstruction is an operation that corrects the shape or alignment of the bones that form a joint, using computer planning and robotic guidance to carry out a correction the surgeon has designed in advance. The robot is a tool in the surgeon's hands: it follows the plan the surgeon approves, and the surgeon makes every decision and controls each movement in the operating theatre.

The work starts before the operation. Your X-rays or CT scans are loaded into planning software, which builds a model of the bones and measures the angles, twists and length differences around the joint. The surgeon uses this model to decide exactly where the bone needs to be cut or moved and by how much.

At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, robot-assisted joint reconstruction is used together with a six-axis circular frame, an external frame of rings around the limb linked by six adjustable struts, and computer software that turns the plan into a precise correction. Dr. Mohamed Kamal, Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, has worked in limb reconstruction for many years, including as acting consultant in limb lengthening and deformity correction at Khoula Hospital in Oman.

Who needs it

Robot-assisted joint reconstruction is for people whose joint is under strain because the bones around it are out of line. Examples include:

• A fracture that has healed in the wrong position (malunion), leaving the leg bent, twisted or shortened near the knee or ankle.
• Bowed legs or knock knees in adults or teenagers that load one side of the knee more than the other.
• A difference in leg length from an old injury, infection or a condition present from birth.
• Deformity after a growth-plate injury in childhood, where one part of the bone grew faster than the other.
• Uneven wear on one side of a joint, where straightening the limb moves weight onto healthier cartilage.

A bone out of line by a few degrees changes how weight passes through the knee or ankle with every step, and over the years that uneven load wears the joint on one side. Correcting the alignment aims to spread the load more evenly.

Other options are part of the discussion: supportive braces and insoles, physiotherapy, a single-stage osteotomy fixed with a plate, or joint replacement when the joint surface is worn through, described on the knee replacement and hip replacement pages. The choice depends on the size and type of the deformity, the state of the joint, your age and activity, and the condition of the skin and soft tissues. The surgeon talks through each option with you before you decide.

What happens

Robot-assisted joint reconstruction takes place under anaesthesia, usually general anaesthesia. Using the computer plan, the surgeon makes a controlled cut in the bone, called an osteotomy, and attaches the circular frame to the limb with thin wires and pins passed through the skin into the bone. X-rays in theatre check the position of each part against the plan.

With a six-axis circular frame, much of the correction happens after the operation. The software calculates a schedule of small daily strut adjustments, and following that schedule moves the bone gradually into its planned position. Gradual correction lets the bone, nerves, blood vessels and muscles adapt as the limb straightens or lengthens. New bone forms in the gap as it opens, and the frame holds everything steady while this new bone hardens.

Preparing for it

A pre-operative assessment, blood tests and an anaesthetic review confirm you are ready, and full-length X-rays or a CT scan provide the images for the computer plan. Bring a list of your medicines; blood thinners, diabetes medicines and anti-inflammatory tablets each need a plan, and you receive clear fasting instructions.

Stopping smoking helps bone heal. Prepare your home for moving around with crutches and a frame on the leg: clear walkways, a firm chair and a shower seat. Loose or wide-legged trousers fit over the frame. If surgery falls near Ramadan, raise it early so fasting, medicines and fluids can be planned.

Afterwards

The team teaches you, or a family member, how to make the strut adjustments and how to clean the pin sites where the wires enter the skin. Clinic visits with X-rays track the correction against the plan, and the software schedule is updated if the bone needs more or less movement. Dar Al Kamal Hospital's physiotherapy team works with you throughout to keep nearby joints moving and muscles strong, which matters as much as the correction itself.

In the Sharjah heat, keep pin sites clean and dry and avoid heavy sweating around them. Your surgeon gives you a personal timeline for walking, driving and work, planned around your job, whether desk-based, driving or manual.

Contact the hospital the same day if a pin site becomes red, swollen, more painful or leaks cloudy fluid, if a wire or strut feels loose, or if you are unsure about an adjustment. **Go to the emergency department straight away if you develop a high fever, numbness or tingling in the foot, toes that turn pale, blue or cold, or calf swelling with chest pain or breathlessness.**

Cost and insurance

Most UAE health insurance plans cover medically needed deformity correction and joint reconstruction, and surgery almost always requires pre-approval, supported by the X-rays, CT scan and surgical plan. The frame, follow-up X-rays and physiotherapy sessions may each fall under separate policy limits. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm your cover and start approval early on 06 599 7777.