Posted on July 3, 2008 in Latest News
Dr. Nallamilli Somasekhar Reddy is working at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad as a Senior Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon for the last 5 years
Qualifications: He studied MBBS (1984) and MS (Orthopaedics) (1989) at Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada. After MS he joined MIOT, Vijaya Hospital, Chennai where he worked for a year before leaving to the United Kingdom. He did M.Ch (Orth) from Liverpool in 1993
Experience: He worked in England for more than 12 years in teaching and general hospitals. He did Specialist Higher Orthopaedic training rotation in West Midlands (Birmingham) in different sub specialities of Orthopaedics (Trauma, Arthroplasty, Arthroscopy, Paediatric orthopaedics, Hand and Upper limb, Spine and back pain units). He worked with some of the doctors in UK who are world famous in Orthopaedics.His articles were published in International journals like “Injury” and “JBJS”. He also presented papers in several meetings both in India and United Kingdom. He specialised in Hip, Knee and Shoulder joint replacement operations and ‘Key hole’ operations (arthroscopy) on Knee and Shoulder joints.As a specialist in orthopaedics he has to deal with many elderly patients who suffered fractures of spine, hip and wrist joints commonly injured in osteoporosis. He also does joint replacement surgeries in the similar age group patients who may be slightly more active and perhaps not so very osteoporotic.
Interviewed by Danteshwari Bhaskar
Q.1. What are the common ailments that affect women?
Ans: There are a few ailments which are not particular to women as such….but it seems these problems such as backache, knee pains seem to be more common to women as compared to men.
Q.2. Osteoporosis is a major health problem for older women, particularly, the elderly. How can they cope up with it?
Ans: The coping starts for the prevention when the girl is in her teens… we call it overall bone quality. The bone quality peeks around the age 35- 40, after that it starts going down. So if somebody manages to exercise well during the growing part of years..mid to late teens and early 20s, they will make a good amount of bone stock for themselves once they peak up. Once they start losing their bone, they have more bone to lose, so the osteoporosis won’t be a major problem, if you start off with a good amount of bone mass. If they have more bone to lose, so when they grow old, the suffering they may have due to osteoporosis may not be that bad. After menopause most women do get some amount of osteoporosis. Women are these days getting more and more traditionally male problems like smoking. If they avoid smoking, if they exercise, few sessions a week, get exposed to sunlight, not leading a sheltered life throughout the day in the buildings….and where if necessary they have calcium supplements in specific cases that will help in the long term.
Q.3 What preventive measures they can take to lessen its impact?
Ans: As I just answered avoid smoking, regular exercise, as little as 10-15 minutes a day, getting exposed to sunlight. For some reason, if a woman has to undergo an operation called hysterectomy, a womb problem…. she invariably loses the hormonal support. So if she has some medical problem, involving the womb, if she has to get it removed, and if she gets the calcium supplements and other necessary medication, then may be the bone quality will remain well for a long time.
Q.4. What post-delivery orthopedic problems women face?
Ans: Generally, back pain. The back pain may start with the last trimester, last three months of pregnancy, when they become heavier. Unfortunately, that may continue following the delivery because the muscle segments get slightly weak during the last part of pregnancy. Once the delivery is over and if they get back to some sort of fitness regime, they can avoid getting into this back pain cycles. And continuing obesity….most people gain weight as you are aware during pregnancy, if they do not try to lose it after delivery, that may add to the problem. If they maintain a decent weight through exercise and dieting, then they can avoid this problem to a large extent.
Q.5. Are there any specific exercises that a woman needs to follow after delivery to ensure less pregnancy related orthopedic problems?
Ans: We have specific set of back strengthening exercises, some pelvic floor exercises, which our physio-therapist, for that matter any standard physio-therapist can have standard set of exercises to deal with these problems. It is only a question of commitment. Women after undergoing this pregnancy related things, if they actually give some time to themselves to attend these things, then it is not a major problem.
Q.6. What remedial measures are being adopted to tackle them?
Ans: In addition to the standard exercises I have just described having appropriate posture, sitting in an appropriately supported chair… when you are lying down or trying to sleep, a decent bed, not too soft, not too firm, those things do make a difference.
Q. 7 Arthritis is another problem that the elderly women have to cope up with. What interventions are being undertaken to mitigate this health problem, to make women more physically active?
Ans: Arthritis, whether one likes it or not, some amount like again osteoporosis is common after a certain age, but the question is some people suffer more from these arthritis symptoms more compared to others. If somebody is less heavy, if body mass index is less then 25, perhaps they suffer less compared to the person with same problem, but is on the heavier side. So if they can take care of their weight, you can say most of the problem can be controlled if not cured. And regular exercises to maintain the joint movement, avoiding joint stiffness, and for that people can have some help from the physio-therapist, what sort of exercises to do.
Q.8 Women are active in sports. What kind of orthopedic problems they experience? Are they unique to women only or men also experience them?
Ans: Orthopedic problems common are ligament sprain, ankle sprain, knee sprain and occasionally some back problems and shoulder problems. They are not unique to one or another sex. They can occur to any person. I suspect, being more flexible women actually flex the joints beyond the normal range too much. They may suffer from these sprains more than men. So, a good sports therapist and guide can help them to prevent these injuries.
Q.10. Are they any treatment facilities available in India, which women in the West can make avail of? In other words, what does East have to offer to the West?
Ans: This is a difficult question , but I suspect before these days of industrialization, we do not really know the meaning of the word stress. Our people long ago have found ways and means of relieving stress situations, for example meditation was one thing which was invented long ago to relieve stress. Nowadays, many of the modern diseases are linked to the ways of daily living- to our stressful lifestyles. If we can control most of the stresses with meditation, then perhaps we can control most of the aliments. Sure stress causes various changes in our body homeostasis, which may indirectly harm various systems. Other thing, which we may be able to offer is Yoga exercise, which is not completely like fitness sort of exercise, but it is a stretching type of exercise, which will help the joint stiffness. Even like in a completely arthritic joint, if not stiff, if it allows good movement, then the patient can get good life out of that joint. The joint will function with less pain.
Q.11. Do traditional treatment methods such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy help cure orthopedic ailments?
Ans: I am sure they have a role, but not really knowing more about these traditional treatment specialties, I cannot really comment on them. But anything which helps the orthopedic patient to maintain a movement which is mainly some sort of exercise related one.. and if somebody can exercise and maintain a good posture, so what ever the medical specialty treatment, that should help.
Thankyou Dr. Somashekar Reddy.
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