Joint replacement not just for elderly
Weight, sports injuries and road trauma driving orthopaedic concerns
Sunday 27 September 2026 | 07:30
Pacific Specialist Healthcare orthopaedic specialist and consultant Dr Vaigalo Eddie McCaig.
Joint replacement is not just for the elderly, with obesity, sports injuries, road accidents and previous joint damage among the reasons younger Fijians may require new hips and knees.
Pacific Specialist Healthcare orthopaedic specialist and consultant Dr Vaigalo Eddie McCaig said these were among the main reasons for hip and knee replacement, but joint problems could affect people across all age groups.
“Osteoarthritis is when we lose the cartilage which protects the joint,” he said.
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That protective cartilage allows the bones to move smoothly. Once it wears away, bone begins to rub against bone, causing pain, stiffness and reduced mobility.
Dr McCaig said carrying excess weight over many years placed additional stress on weight-bearing joints such as the hips and knees.
The problem is particularly relevant to Fiji and the wider Pacific, where changing lifestyles and increasing body weight are contributing to orthopaedic problems.
Age, however, is far from the only factor.
Dr McCaig recently treated a woman in her early 50s who had suffered injuries in a 2018 car crash. She had previously undergone a partial hip replacement but is now experiencing problems and may require a total hip replacement.
In another case, Dr McCaig said a 28-year-old rugby player dislocated his hip and underwent surgery in New Zealand. The hip subsequently dislocated again and remained out of position for about a year, eventually resulting in severe arthritis.
“It’s not just the elderly person with osteoarthritis. It can affect anyone,” Dr McCaig said.
He stressed, however, that an X-ray alone should never determine whether a patient requires joint replacement.
“The indication for an operation is not based on X-rays. It’s based on your quality of life,” he said.
“Surgery should always be the last option.”
PSH is looking at introducing joint replacement surgery at its hospitals in the future. This could give patients a local treatment and follow-up option instead of requiring them to travel overseas.
Dr McCaig said the operation itself was only one part of successful treatment.
“It’s about the follow-up, it’s about preventing complications, and if there is a complication, you have to deal with that complication,” he said.
He also identified sports trauma, road crashes, infections, diabetes and HIV as major considerations in orthopaedic care.
For patients with diabetes or HIV, the risk of complications, including problems with wound healing, can increase significantly.
His message is that a damaged joint may appear on an X-ray, but it is the pain and loss of quality of life experienced by the patient that ultimately matter.
