Deformities due to bone, joint diseases can be prevented: Docs

Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu Orthopaedic Association (TNOA) is creating awareness on how deformities due to degenerative bone and joint diseases could be prevented.
With the average life expectancy expected to increase to 71 in 2025 and 77 in 2050, orthopaedic surgeons say there is going to a gradual but massive increase in the number of people above 60 years in the country. In the 2011 population census, there were 104 million people above 60 in the country.
Dr S Rajasekhar, director, orthopaedic and spine surgery department, Ganga Hospital, says, “With the increase in longevity, degenerative bone and joint disease has become one of the most disabling illness and therapeutic challenges.”
Doctors say degenerative bone and joint diseases include osteoarthritis, obesity and overweight related musculoskeletal disorders and malalignment due to deformities of the limb and injuries sustained during childhood.
Dr C Rex, executive committee member, TNOA, says, “Many young children develop bow legs or knocked knees due to vitamin D and other nutritional deficiencies. This can be corrected by changing their nutrition, adding calcium supplements, physiotherapy and surgery, if required.”
Osteoarthritis, which affects 163 out of every 1 lakh women, could be delayed, if detected at an early stage, with medicines. “Osteoporosis, which manifests in severe back pains, can be corrected in the early stage with posture correction, wearing braces and changing lifestyles, by preventing development of hunch banks,” the orthopaedic surgeon said.
Malalignment of limbs occurs when limbs abnormally heal after a fracture, which require surgical correction. “Point is all the above issues, which affect old people, can be corrected with medications, braces, medicines, physiotherapy and most importantly lifestyle changes in terms of food habits and exercise. People don’t have to live with deformities,” the orthopaedic association members said.
The Bone and Joint Day was on Tuesday.