ALLAHABAD: At a time when women in India have come out of the confines of their homes and are taking up different responsibilities in different fields, arthritis is one of the major hindrances in their growth path. A majority of arthritis patients are women and not just the elderly but also young girls and women. For all such hardworking women, a new innovation in the form of gender-specific knees has brought a new hope for a pain-free normal life.

Dr K D Tripathi an eminent arthroplasty surgeon in his drive to raise awareness on arthritis is holding free camp for women of all ages in Allahabad on Friday at Kalawati The Women Health Care Centre 35/10, Lukerganj Allahabad between 9am to 5pm.

Divulging more about the problem of arthritis in women, Dr Tripathi said, "Arthritis has come up as a major lifestyle disease in India with women being 3-times more prone to the disease as it is a major concern for women across the country that hampers their daily routine. Majority of women in India suffer from various forms of arthritis mainly due to lack of exercises and balanced diet, regular bending and squatting and wrong postures in their daily routine and overweight. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis that affects women over the age of 50-55. It starts with joint pain that eventually leads to complete immobility."

Though osteoarthritis strikes women in old age, there are other forms of arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, or RA that can strike patients as young as in their teens. Some of these patients suffer due to hereditary reasons, excess weight, medical conditions arising during pregnancy or some kind of injury. Also, women who wear high heels are known to be more prone to joint pains," added Dr Tripathi regarding the myth of arthritis being problem of only the aged.