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Gary Williams (55), who works at the headquarters of Episcopal Church, New York, had been facing a knee problem for almost 13 years. Gary’s work had made his problems worse. “I had to kneel throughout the service as I was a servant of the church and it hurt my knees so much in the long run.”
He chose to travel to India for a knee replacement after doctors in the US gave no hope for his cure and he needed immediate attention for his knee.
He chose the Bharathiraja Specialty Hospital, T Nagar, Chennai, for treatment under Dr Venkatachalam, consultant orthopaedic surgeon.
Dr Venkatachalam responded quickly and positively through e-mail.
“When Dr Venkatachalam responded, I was happy and am glad that I came here,” says Williams.
He had his right knee replaced on March 28 and the left knee, April 2, 2007.
“A lot of awareness is needed in the minds of the people about arthritis and its cure,” says Dr Venkatachalam. They must know what their problem is and approach a surgeon. Sometimes the patient is not satisfied with the outcome and this leads to many a misconception about the surgery process. A partial knee replacement is what any doctor would recommend for a patient in the second stage of arthritis.
Dr Venkatachalam goes on to explain the condition by asking how many times in the past week have you felt a strong pain in your joints? If your answer to this question is more than twice, then you are suffering from arthritis.
A constant pain in the knees even while at rest, a sedentary lifestyle and injection of painkillers are the important symptoms for your being a patient of arthritis, says the consultant surgeon.
Arthritis is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 65.
There are many forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause. Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection. Gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint that results in subsequent inflammation. Additionally, there is a less common form of gout that is caused by the formation of needle shaped crystals of calcium pyrophosphate. This form of gout is known as pseudo gout. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, is also known as degenerative joint disease and occurs following trauma to the joint, following an infection of the joint or simply as a result of aging.
Even a small pain in the joints left without proper attention can develop into severe arthritis. When detected in the beginning the treatment is quite simple with a conscious change in the diet of the patient, his footwear (in case of pain in the knees) and simple physiotherapy exercises.
In case you fail to notice the pain or dismiss the situation without giving any importance, the case worsens and moves on to the next stage where the doctor would recommend a ‘knee replacement’ to be done. A knee replacement means a quick recovery from the harsh pain that would have bothered you for so many months or even years. A single replacement lasts for about 15 years.
Sometime children suffer from arthritis and this is mainly due to genetic reasons. Arthritis can be cured and needs proper care. To ensure proper care, early detection is needed. So, if you have not given importance to that knee pain for a long time, then it actually needs your attention!
Aishwarya Srinivasan
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