Spot the early signs of this serious joint condition before it’s too late

“Have you been feeling discomfort in your hips or knees lately? These could be signs of a common condition known as large joint disease,” she captions the post.

Dr Mrinal Sharma, head of orthopaedics and joint replacement, at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad tells indianexpress.com, “Regular pain while walking, swelling in the joint, crepitus (sounds coming from a joint), and visible deformity are signs and symptoms that a joint is degenerating and developing osteoarthritis.”

Distinguishing between normal discomfort and large joint disease

Dr Aashish Chaudhry, managing director, senior consultant and head, Department of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement at Aakash Healthcare explains, “If somebody is having large joint disease pain or the symptoms intermittently maybe once a week or fortnightly and that’s going away without any special treatment then it comes under normal pain or discomfort. When these symptoms are recurrent on a daily basis, they need investigation.”

Regular pain while walking, swelling in the joint, crepitus, and visible deformity are signs and symptoms that a joint is degenerating and developing osteoarthritis.(Source: Freepik)

Dr Ramneek Mahajan, senior director (Orthopaedics) and head – Joint Reconstruction (Hip and Knee) at Unit Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket adds that when pain and discomfort are prolonged for a long duration, it reduces mobility which persists for a long duration.

Lifestyle factors that can increase the risk

Sedentary lifestyle, weight gain, junk food, smoking and alcohol, and lack of exercise, can lead to large joint disease , asserts Dr Mahajan.

Dr Chaudhry mentions that when someone is on a low protein diet for a prolonged period of time or they suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes, they are more prone to develop large joint disease.

Early warning signs

“Do not ignore any pain or minor injuries; consult your orthopaedic surgeon at the earliest opportunity. Pain when climbing stairs, brisk walking, regular sounds coming from a joint, swelling, and locking of the joint should not be ignored, as they may be signs of early joint disease”, Dr Sharma suggests.

Preventive measures

Dr Sharma also recommends maintaining a healthy lifestyle by keeping a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and consuming a balanced diet rich in calcium, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Avoid smoking and drinking.

Dr Sharma advises patients to lose weight, take supplements, exercise regularly under the guidance of a physiotherapist, maintain a balanced diet, and consult their joint specialist.