Coimbatore: The National Bone and Joint Day is being celebrated on August 4 to create awareness among the public about the perils of common orthopaedic illnesses that afflict society. The initiative also aims to enhance brotherhood and strength among the orthopaedic fraternity.
Coimbatore: The National Bone and Joint Day is being celebrated on August 4 to create awareness among the public about the perils of common orthopaedic illnesses that afflict society. The initiative also aims to enhance brotherhood and strength among the orthopaedic fraternity.
The National Bone and Joint Day was an initiative started in 2012 by the then President of the Indian Orthopaedic Association, Prof. S Rajasekaran. Since then, the day has been celebrated every year with week-long activities starting from August 1 to 7, organized across the country.
The Tamil Nadu Orthopaedic Association (TNOA) President, Dr. J Dheenadhayalan, President-elect Dr. S G Thirumalaiswamy, Executive Committee Member Dr. S R Sundararajan, Dr. G Balasubramaniam, Dr. P Dhanasekara Raja, President and Secretary of Coimbatore Orthopaedic Society participated in the event.
For 2019, the current President, Prof. Rajesh Malhotra, AIIMS Hospital, New Delhi has declared 'Healthy Aging with Strong Bones' as the theme. The orthopaedic experts revealed that to enhance public knowledge on this theme, they will be conducting various programs pertaining to the theme. Also, all members of the IOA will be encouraged to perform at least one free Orthopaedic Surgery to deserving patients in the first week of August at various hospitals across the country. For this purpose, a free Medical Camp will be organized on July 29 to identify the beneficiaries.
The doctors further added that in 2016, the Indian Orthopaedic Association created a world record by performing the maximum number of free surgeries by any single country. This year, the Association is also hoping to create a new record of most free surgeries.
According to the Population Census 2011, there are nearly 104 million elderly persons (aged 60 years or above) in India; 53 million females and 51 million males. Currently, the average life expectancy of an Indian is 69 years, and it is expected to increase to 71 in 2025 and 77 in 2050. A report released by the United Nations Population Fund and Help Age India suggests that the number of senior citizens is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026, and would rise to about 324 million.
The problems of aging is expected to be on the rise with the geriatric population in the country steadily rising. "Life is mobility and mobility is life," and it is free mobility that helps one to be independent and enjoy human life. However, with increasing age, similar to other organ systems, the bones and joints also undergo certain wear and tear, which makes mobility painful and disabling. Prevalence of musculoskeletal problem is close to 20 percent. Of this, 60 percent of our population have osteoporosis and 40 percent have osteoarthritis (OA - wear and tear) associated with age. Global statistics expose over 100 million people as suffering from OA which is one of the most common causes of disability and more than 50 percent of the population over the age of 65 years shows X-ray evidence of OA in at least one joint. A recent study in India shows an annual incidence rate of osteoarthritis 163 and 121 per 100,000 per year in women and men, respectively, above the age of 55 years. The incidence of OA in knee joint has been reported to increase by ten folds between the ages of 30 and 65 years compared to younger age groups and India is expected to be the capital of chronic disease, having 60 million people with arthritis, by 2025. Persons aged 65 years and above are more commonly affected by knee osteoarthritis resulting in movement limitation and inability to perform major activities of daily living, severe knee pain and disability. Along with the increase in age, there is an exponential increase in the associated risk factor of osteoarthritis, due to progressive sedentary behaviour changes in lifestyle patterns, obesity, poor physical fitness and environmental conditions among the adult population.
Osteoporosis refers to the gradual weakening of bone mass. Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 seconds, which in turn takes a substantial personal and economic toll. According to the ICMR database, osteoporosis at the spine and hip is about 27.7 percent and 8.3 percent subjects. Many older people are unaware that she/he has osteoporosis and surprisingly, a fracture of the hip or the spine bone after a trivial fall may be the first presentation. "Hence it is essential to promote 'Healthy Aging with Strong Bones' among our people and with a high prevalence of OA, there is need to spread the awareness about osteoporosis and its prevention in the community. For this purpose, the Indian Orthopaedic Association has requested its members throughout the country to conduct free Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test, health education programs for general public and students, distribution of pamphlets and rallies, highlighting healthy ageing with strong bones," opined the orthopaedic experts. They also requested the media to spread the message and highlight the importance of orthopaedic care, and thus help the Indian Orthopaedic Association to succeed in this mission.
The National Bone and Joint Day was an initiative started in 2012 by the then President of the Indian Orthopaedic Association, Prof. S Rajasekaran. Since then, the day has been celebrated every year with week-long activities starting from August 1 to 7, organized across the country.
The Tamil Nadu Orthopaedic Association (TNOA) President, Dr. J Dheenadhayalan, President-elect Dr. S G Thirumalaiswamy, Executive Committee Member Dr. S R Sundararajan, Dr. G Balasubramaniam, Dr. P Dhanasekara Raja, President and Secretary of Coimbatore Orthopaedic Society participated in the event.
For 2019, the current President, Prof. Rajesh Malhotra, AIIMS Hospital, New Delhi has declared 'Healthy Aging with Strong Bones' as the theme. The orthopaedic experts revealed that to enhance public knowledge on this theme, they will be conducting various programs pertaining to the theme. Also, all members of the IOA will be encouraged to perform at least one free Orthopaedic Surgery to deserving patients in the first week of August at various hospitals across the country. For this purpose, a free Medical Camp will be organized on July 29 to identify the beneficiaries.
The doctors further added that in 2016, the Indian Orthopaedic Association created a world record by performing the maximum number of free surgeries by any single country. This year, the Association is also hoping to create a new record of most free surgeries.
According to the Population Census 2011, there are nearly 104 million elderly persons (aged 60 years or above) in India; 53 million females and 51 million males. Currently, the average life expectancy of an Indian is 69 years, and it is expected to increase to 71 in 2025 and 77 in 2050. A report released by the United Nations Population Fund and Help Age India suggests that the number of senior citizens is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026, and would rise to about 324 million.
The problems of aging is expected to be on the rise with the geriatric population in the country steadily rising. "Life is mobility and mobility is life," and it is free mobility that helps one to be independent and enjoy human life. However, with increasing age, similar to other organ systems, the bones and joints also undergo certain wear and tear, which makes mobility painful and disabling. Prevalence of musculoskeletal problem is close to 20 percent. Of this, 60 percent of our population have osteoporosis and 40 percent have osteoarthritis (OA - wear and tear) associated with age. Global statistics expose over 100 million people as suffering from OA which is one of the most common causes of disability and more than 50 percent of the population over the age of 65 years shows X-ray evidence of OA in at least one joint. A recent study in India shows an annual incidence rate of osteoarthritis 163 and 121 per 100,000 per year in women and men, respectively, above the age of 55 years. The incidence of OA in knee joint has been reported to increase by ten folds between the ages of 30 and 65 years compared to younger age groups and India is expected to be the capital of chronic disease, having 60 million people with arthritis, by 2025. Persons aged 65 years and above are more commonly affected by knee osteoarthritis resulting in movement limitation and inability to perform major activities of daily living, severe knee pain and disability. Along with the increase in age, there is an exponential increase in the associated risk factor of osteoarthritis, due to progressive sedentary behaviour changes in lifestyle patterns, obesity, poor physical fitness and environmental conditions among the adult population.
Osteoporosis refers to the gradual weakening of bone mass. Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 seconds, which in turn takes a substantial personal and economic toll. According to the ICMR database, osteoporosis at the spine and hip is about 27.7 percent and 8.3 percent subjects. Many older people are unaware that she/he has osteoporosis and surprisingly, a fracture of the hip or the spine bone after a trivial fall may be the first presentation. "Hence it is essential to promote 'Healthy Aging with Strong Bones' among our people and with a high prevalence of OA, there is need to spread the awareness about osteoporosis and its prevention in the community. For this purpose, the Indian Orthopaedic Association has requested its members throughout the country to conduct free Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test, health education programs for general public and students, distribution of pamphlets and rallies, highlighting healthy ageing with strong bones," opined the orthopaedic experts. They also requested the media to spread the message and highlight the importance of orthopaedic care, and thus help the Indian Orthopaedic Association to succeed in this mission.