By Dr Mahesh Kulkarni

Pune  :  This Mother’s day, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital has is generating awareness about osteoarthritis. Having seen that in India women over the age of 40 are most affected by osteoarthritis and this is corroborated by the fact that women form 60% of the patients that undergo Total Knee replacement. However, it has been observed that women delay surgery due to various factors which leaves them in a lot of pain

In India there is a general lack of awareness or negligence towards healthcare and this also reflects in the patients with osteoarthritis. Many doctors have observed that women wait longer to pursue knee-replacement surgery than men do, postponing it until they can no longer stand the pain. And the excuses range from “surgery will leave me immobile” to “I don’t have the time” etc…

Women are the most important fabric in society .They are wives, mothers and sisters: they put everything into being a support to every man and on this Mother’s day it is a time to strengthen their aging knees.

“Osteoarthritis of the knee is the most common cause of disability. And It is a disease of age that affects more women than men on a 60-40 basis,” Dr. Mahesh Kulkarni Senior consultant and joint replacement surgeon said. “General physicians sometimes have advised patients to wait as long as they can before pursuing knee replacements, with the thinking that it is an once-in-a-lifetime surgery that should last an average of 15 to 20 years. However, delaying surgery beyond a pointcan limit the quality of life of patients because how they function before surgery indicates their performance afterward. Today with the advancement in technology there are knees made of newer material like oxidized zirconium that last longer with the replacement lasting for up to 30 Years”

When your lifestyle starts changing because of your hip or your knee, and there are things you enjoy doing that you can no longer do, that’s the time to start thinking about the surgery

Adding in Dr. Mahesh Kulkarni Senior consultant and joint replacement surgeon at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital said “10 to 15 ago, knee replacement was a last resort operation where patients were told that they needed to replace their knee or use a cane or a wheelchair. However, today the situation is different with the age of women affected by Osteoarthritis coming down it is now looked as an option to maintain an active lifestyle. Now, patients are coming to see us saying, ‘I can’t do the things I want to do. I can’t play with my grand-children or take the stairsanymore.’ We’re seeing more and more patients in their 50s and even some in their 40s who just want to get it done and get on with their lives. And there is a need for a replacement joints like oxiniumthat stands the wear and tear for a longer time.”

On the occasion of Mother’s Day it is important to understand her pain and if there are things that she is no longer able to do then a visit to the surgeon is the order of the day.