Relief for orthopaedic patients |12 October 2011

Surya Khanna, the local chairman of the Jeo Jyoti Foundation of India (JJ India), told Seychelles Nation that the foundation is planning to take care of other patients, notably those suffering from back pains.

He noted that in one case during the team’s visit in July, both knees were replaced simultaneously - the first time such delicate surgery was carried out in Seychelles.

Public attention is being drawn to the volunteer work of the India-based foundation  as today, October 12, is World Arthritis Day.

World Arthritis Day aims to raise awareness of the condition and make sure the sufferers and caregivers know all the support and help that is available to them.

Arthritis is the ailment which is expected to come to most of us as we grow old.  People start getting joint pains; pain in the knees and discomfort while talking, as well as pain in fingers and hands.

It is the ageing process that develops in some as early as in the forties, while in others, the ailment develops much later - after the seventies and eighties.

Arthritis is not a single disease; it is a term that covers over 100 medical conditions.

Arthritis develops when something goes wrong with the joint(s). What goes wrong  depends on what type of arthritis one has.
It could be that the cartilage is wearing away, a lack of fluid, auto-immunity (your body attacking itself), infection, or a combination of many factors.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and generally affects elderly patients. But other forms of arthritis can affect people at a very early age.