"When the pain was at its worst, even a single step was agony." Bangura Flamatu from Sierra Leone had suffered from hip pain for 16 years. The cause was a motorcycle accident. After seeking treatment in multiple countries without success, she finally underwent total hip replacement at the Joint and Sports Surgery Department of ZJU4H and is now walking normally again.

"I sought treatment in Kenya and consulted doctors in India, but nothing worked," Bangura recalled. Limited by medical conditions, costs, and language barriers, her treatment was repeatedly delayed.

She had planned to go to Guangzhou, but a fellow African friend strongly recommended ZJU4H. The friend had successfully undergone breast cancer surgery while doing business in Yiwu and had a very good experience. Bangura immediately changed her plans and traveled to Yiwu.

On admission, she walked with a pronounced limp and was in severe pain. Imaging showed advanced femoral head necrosis. "The femoral head had collapsed and split in two, severely limiting joint movement. Conservative treatment could no longer relieve the pain, so total hip replacement was recommended," said Chief Physician Teng Chong.

Total hip replacement is a routine procedure in the department, but Bangura's BMI exceeded 30, placing her in the category of severe obesity. This increased the difficulty of surgery, raised the risk of complications, and set stricter requirements for postoperative recovery.

To ensure safety and the best outcome, experts Gao Jian, Teng Chong, and Huang Leyi carefully assessed her condition and decided to perform total hip replacement through a posterolateral approach. To maximize the implant's service life, they selected a highly wear-resistant ceramic-on-ceramic implant to reduce the risk of loosening and dislocation.

The outcome far exceeded Bangura's expectations. On the second day after surgery, she could gradually walk without a walking aid. "I will never be in pain again!" she excitedly told her business partner Judy. The trip not only allowed her to do business successfully, but also relieved her of pain that had lasted more than a decade and corrected the length discrepancy in her affected leg.

Before discharge, she said she would share her experience with family and friends in Africa and recommend ZJU4H to anyone with similar problems.

Rooted in Yiwu, Serving the World

As an international hospital in the world's capital of small commodities, ZJU4H has earned the trust of many foreign businesspeople. In the Joint and Sports Surgery Department, patients like Bangura are not uncommon. Besides patients from Africa, there are also international patients from Russia, Dubai, and elsewhere who undergo procedures such as rotator cuff repair and joint replacement during business trips to Yiwu.

The department offers stepwise care for joint diseases: for the knee, this ranges from conservative treatment, arthroscopic meniscus repair, knee-preserving HTO osteotomy, unicompartmental replacement, to total knee replacement and implant revision. It also routinely performs hip arthroscopy, shoulder, elbow, and wrist joint replacement, and various minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures.

Bangura noted that in her home country, even many basic imaging devices are hard to come by. At ZJU4H, efficient examinations, a professional multidisciplinary team, and thoughtful international services make cross-border medical care far less difficult. Word of mouth is also leading more international visitors to seek treatment while doing business in Yiwu.