India has higher worldwide Osteoarthritis avers Livasa’s Dr Aditya Aggarwal

Chandigarh: A team of  doctors from Livasa Hospital, Mohali  Friday addressed a press conference for awareness of rising trends of osteoarthritis and recent advances in knee replacement surgeries. Dr (Prof) Aditya Aggarwal director orthopedics and joint replacement surgery and Dr Saurabh Vashisth consultant orthopedics were present.

Livasa Hospitals is Punjab’s biggest super speciality hospital network with 5 hospitals, 750 beds, 280 ICU beds , 06 cath labs, 20 modular OTs. The healthcare chain is treating over 3 lakh patients every year and it runs North India’s biggest joint replacement program according to a press release.

Dr (Prof) Aditya Aggarwal  has recently joined Livasa as director orthopedics and joint replacement surgery after serving for over 35 years at PGIMER Chandigarh as Head of orthopedics department said, “With increasing connectivity to Tricity, many international patients are landing up for medical treatment. The proximity to hills and various sightseeing places further add to medical tourism flow to tricity. Moreover joints treatment in India is quite cheap as compare to US or Europe,”

In 2023, 6.1 million foreign  nationals visited India on medical visas and this figure is likely to jump to 7.3 million in 2024-25, said Dr Aggarwal . The medical tourism industry revenue  in India is likely to touch  $ 13 billion by 2026. Indian doctors are ranked as best trained doctors worldwide. Our surgical outcomes are better and comparable with international standards, he maintained.

The cost of hip replacement which is around  $ 57,000  in the USA, is just around $ 7,000  in India with the same implant. With the recent reform in visa policy the visitors from most of the countries can avail e-visa and for medical treatment, it is now valid for 60 days with triple entry benefit. The patients can even come back within 60 days on the same visa for follow up after surgery.

Dr Saurabh Vashisth said,” The number of knee replacement surgeries is increasing day by day in India. Total knee replacement involves placing metal implants in the knee area to recreate the joint surface. The procedure is overwhelmingly successful in India and people with severe knee problems are advised to undergo this surgery to remain mobile,”

Earlier patients used to stay for 3-4 weeks in hospitals  but with recent advancement like robotic and navigation surgery, now we do fast track knee replacement surgery which is performed in 45-60 minutes. With no blood transfusion, sutures, drains the joints surgery is performed from 3.5-4 inches small cuts and patients can walk 4 hours after the surgery.

Early Signs of Osteoarthritis:  1. Pain when you are walking or climbing stairs, 2. Pain when lying down, 3. Periodic inflammation , 4.  Stiffness after a period of inactivity, 5. Knees becoming bent and bowed, 6. Crepitus – a creaking, crunching, grinding sensation when you move the joint.

Non-surgical treatments for Osteoarthritis:   1. Using pain medications, 2. Doing physical therapy,  3. ·         Maintaining a healthy weight, 4.  Using a knee brace, 5. Using orthotics such as insoles or special footwear, 6.          Cortisone (steroid) injections, 7.  Visco supplementation.