‘Pain in your knee and joints can be more than annoyance. It may limit your daily simple activities such as walking and climbing stairs. It might even keep you awake at night. So how can you get relief from the pain’ – was the main subject of discussion when Hemas Hospital Wattala recently conducted a free seminar for the community and residents of the vicinity.
Negombo District Hospital Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Ajith Ukwatte and other doctors attached to Hemas Hospital in Wattala were on hand to make presentation and discuss common symptoms, early detection and treatment of what is now an extremely common cause of functional disability among people. Eager audience comprised of residents of the Negombo, Seeduwa, Katunayake and Kochikade areas.
“Making an accurate diagnosis of the patient’s pain is the first step in determining the most effective course of treatment,” explained Dr. Ukwatte. 
“Osteoarthritis, which is caused by the breakdown of the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in a joint, is one of the most common causes of joint and hip pain,” noted Dr. Ukwatte. 
“Cause and severity of the pain will dictate the proper course of treatment,” he added, while elaborating the clinical aspects of the condition to the participants.
“Cardinal symptoms such as acute pain, stiffness, joint instability or buckling down of knee, swellings around the joints, should not be ignored,” he urged while expressing the need for early detection.
The chronic musculoskeletal problem is now the second most significant cause of disability worldwide. The condition causes substantial physical and psycho-social disability and obstructs participation in normal daily activities. Osteoarthritis-related disability is expected to rise by the year 2020. Compounding this picture are the enormous financial costs that the nation might have to bear for treating arthritis and its complications. 
As in most other countries, in Sri Lanka too many people suffer from Osteoarthritis. This commonest cause of joint pain occurs not only in the knees but even in the wrist and fingers and thumb, neck and lower back as well as hips. 
“Hemas Hospitals has recognized the need to educate, empower and support individuals and communities in the prevention and treatment of such non-communicable and sometimes lifestyle-related conditions. In this effort they help the communities around the hospital locations learn more about various causes and treatment options,” revealed Hemas Hospitals Managing Director Dr. Lakith Peiris.
Bottom line is that we want to give our patients the best possible long-term outcomes and want them to make informed decisions about their condition and treatment, summed up Dr. Peiris.