The Division of Hip & Knee Joint Reconstruction in the Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation recently commemorated the graduation of Muhammad Padela, MD, MSc, marking the completion of a year-long clinical instructor and adult reconstruction fellowship.
During the department’s annual fellowship symposium, Padela presented a significant research project titled, “Incidence and Implications of Manipulation Under Anesthesia After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Comparative Analysis of Cemented and Cementless Fixation.” His efforts offered important clinical insights into postoperative stiffness and fixation techniques, contributing to a growing body of evidence guiding implant selection in total knee replacements.
This undertaking involved evaluating more than 567,000 patients from a six-year national administrative database sample, with 95% of total knee replacements being cemented with the remaining 5% using uncemented components. The study found a similar 3.4% rate of knee stiffness in both groups, with 95% of the manipulation procedures being performed within six months. Notably, patients who underwent manipulation following knee replacement ultimately had higher revision rates than those who did not. The data from the study, co-authored by faculty members Lee Rubin, MD; Jonathan Grauer, MD, and Thomas Hickernell, MD, is currently under peer review with the Journal of Arthroplasty.
Following the symposium, Padela also shared highlights from his international orthopaedic education experience in Johannesburg, South Africa, which was made possible through funding support from the Keggi-Kimball International Fund for Orthopaedic Education.
His presentation detailed the surgical approaches, training structures, and health care delivery challenges he observed during his two-week international fellowship visit with Khodi Sikhauli, MBChB, a surgeon and lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
Section chief and arthroplasty fellowship director, Rubin, lauded Padela’s development and achievements at a celebratory graduation luncheon.
“Dr. Padela’s year in fellowship was a time of tremendous professional growth, with a focus on mastering hip and knee replacement procedures, utilizing advanced technology to perform joint reconstructions, as well as on the assessment and care of the growing volume of revision cases that routinely present to Yale New Haven Hospital,” Rubin said. “At every point, Dr. Padela consistently performed at a high level, both in caring for patients and in advancing the educational mission of the joint replacement service.”
Padela has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and presented nationally on topics in arthroplasty, spinopelvic alignment, perioperative protocols, and value-based surgical care. As part of his fellowship year at Yale, he ran a weekly complex case indications conference and participated in delivering didactic lectures as part of the department’s residency training program.
Padela completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Wayne State University, where he served as chief resident and chair of the orthopaedic research committee. He earned his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University, and a master’s of science in biomedical sciences with a focus on health administration.
Balancing his professional responsibilities, Padela also celebrated personal milestones and welcomed a daughter during his fellowship. Next, he will progress to a spine surgery fellowship at UC Davis Medical Center, where he will specialize in the intersection of hip and spine pathology.