50 Million Indians Get Damaged Knee Joints by 60-65 Years

By the age of 60-65 years, nearly 90 percent of people suffer from damaged knee joints, orthopedicians have said, adding that in majority of the cases the condition can be prevented by a proper lifestyle and food habits. According to doctors, 80 percent of the people in urban India suffer from Vitamin D deficiency, which is the sole reason behind decreasing the bone mass density, leading to the increase of osteoporosis. Health organisations estimate that in 2014, a total of 50 million people across India are reported to be either osteoporotic or with low bone mass density.

"In our country, joint and back pains are considered as part of the normal aging process. Therefore, instead of dealing with such problem seriously people prefer to go for quick fixes like analgesics or some pain relieving balms.

"Such temporary solutions just further worsen the bone and joint conditions," L. Tomar, a senior orthopedic surgeon at city's Max super specialty hospital said in a statement on Tuesday.

Though surgery and knee transplants can be a solution for the knee damages, a majority of the people delay their knee surgery till the last stage without knowing that it is actually deteriorating their spine further, doctors opined. He said postponing the right treatment for the knee further worsens the condition and may lead to serious problems in the spine.

Rajeev Jain, orthopedic surgeon at Safdarjung hospital said: "To help people avail the benefit of advanced treatment options, it is important that they know about the safer technologies like minimally invasive joint replacement surgeries which offer better clinical outcomes along with ensuring a quicker recovery without much blood loss or a hospital stay." "Lack of awareness around right eating habits, healthy lifestyle, and available treatment options is further worsening the situation," said Jain.

Source-IANS