

which causes a destruction of the
joints in the form of rheumatoid
arthritis, systemic lupus,
ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic
arthritis, fracture of the spine hand
and hips, secondary metabolic
bone disease (osteoporosis), and
many other rheumatic disorders.
All of these require preoperative
management by a rheumatologist,
to control their disease activity,
and check their medications
which may delay healing as well
as medication that may lead to
post-operative complications. Also,
a rheumatologist has a role after
recovery from surgery to control
diseases and prevent further joint
destruction.
KNEE AND JOINTS
REPLACEMENT
The most common reasons for
bone degeneration, highlights
Specialist Orthopedist Dr. Pulate
Avinash Murlidhar, are obesity,
a sedentary lifestyle, and not
consuming a healthy diet. Other
than that, there are diseases;
some people may have in-built
congenital problems, some may
have suffered in an accident, or
there may be a rheumatological
disease.
THE PROCEDURE
Dr. Rajesh Garg, Specialist
Orthopedic and Joint Replacement
Surgeon, has successfully
performed thousands of joint
replacement surgeries on
patients ranging from ages 35
to 97. However there is still a
spike in patients for knee joint
replacements at age 60 to 70 years,
typically because of the aging
phenomenon- “wear and tear”. He
reiterates, “Often times in the past,
as a patient got older in age, he/
she assumed the knee pain was
due to aging when it was actually
knee arthritis, but mistakenly
assumed as a symptom of aging.”
Also, sometimes a person may have
a cartilage injury for which they
used painkillers to alleviate the
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May/June 2017