Makati Med's Symposium on the Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Last Saturday, I had another speaking engagement, this time at the Makati Medical Center- Department of Orthopedics’ Annual Orthopedic Symposium. The theme of the morning session was about the current trends in treatment of osteoarthritis, but not including joint replacement.  The focus was on the alternative management to joint replacement of patients with such conditions.  The theme was very relevant in my practice that’s why I readily agreed to be a speaker. 

As in the last Philippine Hip and Knee Society Convention, I was truly honored and privileged to have spoken before my esteemed colleagues because the audience was mostly orthopedic consultants, residents and medical students. I’d like to extend my gratitude to the Department for inviting me to be one of the speakers and share my knowledge. At the same time, it was also an opportunity for me to continuously update my knowledge by learning from other speakers’ experience. 

         Preparing lectures for orthopedic conferences is both stressful and energizing for me.  Stressful because there is so much pressure involved in researching and preparing a scholarly lecture before former mentors and colleagues in the profession.  I had to write and re-write my manuscript and think of all the possible post-lecture questions they will throw at me.  At the same time energizing, because it is an opportunity to shine and show your former mentors what you have learned during fellowship training. 

       The opening remarks were from the Makati Med Department of Orthopedics Chairman Dr. Liberato Leagogo who acknowledged the challenges of managing osteoarthritis, especially in the young and active patients. All the speakers, in my opinion, had well-prepared lectures that generated active participation among the audience. We even had the opportunity to learn from a foreign speaker from Singapore who was specializing in cartilage regeneration techniques.

      My lecture on the use of osteotomy (a surgical procedure that re-aligns a malaligned knee to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis, went well,  I thought. Thanks to my friend & colleague Dr. Marc Castro who provided me with some pictures I used in my presentation. The following are some of the pictures taken during the symposium.

Dr. Tony Rivera dishing out his usual fiery questions

         The afternoon session was devoted to presentation of researches in orthopedics which was personally sponsored by my mentor, Dr. Ramon Gustilo of Minnesota, USA. I wasn’t able to finish the afternoon sessions, though, due to clinic schedules. Dr. Gustilo himself gave a talk on the success and failures of total hip replacement patients.  Having done at least 10,000 hip and knee surgeries and has trained countless orthopedic surgeons, including me, throughout the world, his opinion and experience definitely are well-valued.

With my mentor, Dr. Ramon Gustilo

         There is so much more I want to talk about, but I just don't have the time right now. Hopefully, during the course of the next few days, I'll be able to share that with you.

           In the meantime, I just like to express this take home message:

     Doctors should invest in educating themselves, so that we remain up-to- date with the latest medical advances. This will help us provide state of the art medical care for our patients.  Attending conferences and actively participating is one way to do it.

        Orthopedic surgery is a very dynamic field.  Researches and studies are continuously being undertaken so what we might have learned a few years ago may not be the best option for our patients now.  However, I do acknowledge the fact that change does not mean improvement.  Long-term studies are usually needed to prove the effectiveness of  new procedures, especially if they are more expensive.