Take 10,000 steps daily… and you will be fit — this was the message conveyed at a special camp organised at Government Rajaji Hospital here on Thursday.
On the occasion of National Bone and Joint Day, members affiliated to the Madurai chapter of Tamil Nadu Orthopaedic Association (TNOA) organised a camp to detect osteoporosis. Around 300 patients, including women, attended the camp which was inaugurated by M.R. Vairamuthu Raju, Dean, Government Rajaji Hospital.
Doctors said at least 70 per cent of the patients who were screened had osteoporosis. “This was not a good sign as most of them lacked calcium,” they said.
Speaking to reporters, TNOA president R. Sivakumar said that brisk and daily walk would facilitate exposure to sunlight and persons could feel fit and flexible. Osteoporosis, he said, was a medical condition in which the bones became brittle and fragile from loss of tissue. There might be other factors too, like change in food habits and consumption of fast food which lacked natural calcium. Change in lifestyle also contributed to osteoporosis, he said. Sitting in an air-conditioned environment for long hours and not getting exposed to sunlight should be avoided, he added.
The doctors recommended a diet of calcium-rich food products such as milk, eggs, fish, dark green leafy vegetables , cabbage and banana
. The surgeons have been performing surgeries as part of their nationwide theme of this year, ‘One member, one free surgery,’ for three days since Wednesday.
