Chennai: Climbing the flight of stairs to her apartment was a daily struggle for 54-year-old Rajni S., a housewife. Diagnosed with arthritis, she found it extremely difficult to manage her everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs and cooking, until she underwent a surgery and is on the road to recovery.
The disease, which had taken up such a huge space in her life, is one that affects a large population in the country.
Fifteen per cent of the Indian population suffers from arthritis, according to a report presented by Arthritis-India and the data estimates that by 2030, arthritis will affect 67 million people, suggesting that the number of adults with arthritis is growing by almost 1 million per year.
With the ever-rising burden of arthritis among the Indian population, doctors feel that there is a dire need for increased awareness on the treatments available, the need for early screening and the right treatment method.
“Living with arthritis and the debilitating, unbearable pain that comes with it, is a great struggle. Many like me tend to develop immense pain, swelling, stiffness, redness and soreness as the disease progresses,” said Saranya N, a resident of Porur, who also recently underwent a knee replacement surgery.
Stating that many people with arthritis refrain from coming forth with their condition, Dr Karthik. M. Selvaraj. consultant orthopedic surgeon, Ortho One Orthopedic Speciality Centre, said, “Most of the suffering population chooses to suffer in the agony of the pain thinking that home remedy will be enough to manage the ailment. People should seek immediate medical attention as timely intervention can go a long way in improving overall quality of life.” With the ever-rising burden of arthritis among the Indian population, there is a need for increased awareness.
“Even though the benefits of knee replacement surgery are high, many fear undergoing a surgery. As a result, many patients end up wasting money and time on fake quacks who claim to be able to provide them with complete relief from pain without surgery. Injections into the knee joint at the maximum can buy some time for the patients, however, that is not the final solution,” said Dr Gunashekaran, an orthopaedic surgeon.
