New Delhi, Jan 31: A 55-year-old Afgan woman, weighing 135 kg and suffering from obesity-induced early arthritis that damaged her knees completely, is back on her feet again after undergoing a total knee replacement procedure at a city hospital.
Aaseya (name changed) not only faced severe threat from obesity-induced diseases such as diabetes and hypertension but was also restricted to the bed for several years as excess weight had completely damaged her knees.
Doctors in her home country advised her to reduce weight and start physical exercise. However, with her knees failing to support her body weight and her inability to walk or make any substantial movement further aggravated her health condition and co-morbidities.
As her condition deteriorated, her family decided to travel to India for treatment.
“She was so heavy that her knees suffered early wear and tear which progressed into severe damage with time. So much so that she could hardly walk without support. Ultimately, she was restricted to the bed completely. Her condition necessitated a total knee arthoplasty immediately,” said Dr Rajeev K Sharma, Senior Consultant, Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement Surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
Aaseya was operated upon on January 12 and was discharged the day after. “Knee replacement procedures are more difficult and time-consuming in case of people who are overweight as they have excess fatty tissue surrounding the joints,” Dr Sharma said.
Preventing wear and tear in the cartilage and ligament is an important aspect of maintaining knee. For every additional pound the body puts on, the pressure on knees increases multiple times, Dr Sharma said, adding that he nowadays comes across more and more cases of obesity-induced early arthritis.
With the surgery successful, Aaseya is hopeful of leading a normal life once again.
