While a study conducted by Indian Spinal Injuries Centre suggested that cracking or grating sounds in knees can lead to osteoarthritis (arthritis happening due to accelerated or normal wear and tear in the joints), Dr Uma Kumar, Professor and Head of Department of Rheumatology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), believes that these sounds have nothing to do with arthritis and they are just joint crepitus or a crackling sensation due to the presence of air in the subcutaneous tissue.
As per Indian Spinal Injuries Centre some conservative studies report that over 18 crore people suffer from arthritis in India and the country is likely to become the arthritis capital of the world by 2025 if the current trends continue.
According to Dr Maninder Shah Singh, Senior Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, Chief Foot & Ankle Unit, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, if people have noisy knees, even if they are painless, they are at higher risk of developing arthritis than those who do not have noisy knees.
“These noises in the joints are common and usually painless but they indicate the risk of arthritis. People who experience noisy knees, with or without any pain, must report it to their doctor as further X-ray tests can determine if they are at the risk of developing arthritis”, said Dr Maninder Singh.
On the contrary, Dr Uma Kumar said, “Cracking sound is not going to lead to Osteoarthritis at all. That clicking sound comes when someone stands up after a prolonged sitting is because there is a lubricant in your joints that is reducing. So when one stands up, a noise is produced.”
However, when it came to India being on the verge of becoming one of the leading nations with maximum cases of arthritis, both the doctors believed that the situation of arthritis is actually very bad in India because musculoskeletal health (relating to or denoting the musculature and skeleton together) is compromised upon.
Similarly, Dr Uma Kumar said , however, there is a lack of adequate studies in India but every second person is suffering from some kind of pain in joints.
“When we sit in the AIIMS Out Patient Department (OPD), the numbers have gone huge. We were never used to see so many patients with joint pains but now the numbers have gone huge. So, it is increasing but unfortunately, in our country, it is not given much importance and that is why, we do not have any data”, said Dr Uma Kumar.
The experts also added that these days more young people are coming with the disease. Dr Singh said, “These days, people in their 40s are coming with severe arthritis in their knees and that is sometimes due to genetic causes where a family member of the patient might have developed arthritis early on the age.” Similarly, Dr Kumar also said,
“The autoimmune diseases including arthritis develop in economically productive age of 20s, 30s and sometimes 40s.” Women because of X chromosomes are genetically more predisposed to the disease and the immune system of women is robust which is why women in their reproductive age are more prone to the disease, added Dr Kumar.
Nevertheless, doctors believe while the normal wear and tear remains, the onset of the disease can be delayed by taking small steps, out of which avoiding obesity is most important.
“Whenever there is an increase of weight on your knees by one kilogram, the pressure on your knees is three times and pressure on your hips is six times” said Dr Uma Kumar.
Other measures include maintaining a healthy lifestyle, having a diet rich in protein and antioxidants besides avoiding smoking. The doctors also believe that the symptoms of arthritis are less if you are more active.