The MMI Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Raipur, on Friday held an interactive programme to address the myths and fears associated with joint pains and knee replacement surgery.
Speaking at the programme, Dr Ankur Gupta, Senior Consultant - Orthopedics and Joint Replacement Surgeon at MMI Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Raipur, said that elderly people tend to dismiss stiffness and pain in the joints as part of ageing. Instead of consulting an expert at the early onset of joint pains, patients often tend to self-medicate with pain-killers and home remedies.
In the long-term, this proves to be more damaging as the condition becomes chronic and diminishes the quality of life. Squatting on the floor and bending the knee for a prolonged period leads to pain in the knee, he said.
Dr Gupta further remarked: “There are various myths associated with joint pains and knee replacement surgeries. People resort to temporary solutions to deal with joint pains which only offer intermittent relief. It is important to educate the elderly about overdose of pain-killers as it can fasten degeneration of the bones, leading to untimely fractures.”
He said that osteoporosis, arthritis, obesity and age-related de-generation process, tissue compression, diabetes and increase in uric acid levels are some of the common causes for thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. These triggers develop into chronic joint problems over the years, for which knee replacement surgery is a permanent solution.
He further said: “Fear is often associated with surgery, however, the good news is knee replacement surgery not just improves the overall quality of life, but will also offer relief from joint pains and restores the regular knee function.”