Ludhiana,
July 9
The Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital in collaboration with the
RMS, Chandigarh and research associates of the college will hold an
osteoarthritis camp on the premises of the college from July 14 to 16.
Dr Vijay Kumar Naik of the PNR Society for Relief and Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, would conduct the camp.
Dr Naik will examine each patient himself from 9 am to 7 pm. He will be accompanied by a team of engineers who will be fabricating individualised braces. One can register for the camp at the college, College Peripheral Clinics at Sood Bhavan, Sector 10, Panchkula, Prachin Shiv Mandir, Sector 8, Chandigarh, and Sanatan Dharam Mandir, Phase IV, Mohali.
Osteoarthritis
is one of the most common forms of arthritis and approximately one third
of India’s population suffer from this. This is a common problem
resulting from the breakdown of the cartilage inside the knee joints
which is a rough, rubbery tissue protecting the bones from friction.
Osteoarthritis is mainly due to wear and tear of the cartilage and is
more common in persons over the age of 50. Total knee replacement (TKR)
is one surgical method to get relief from this problem, however, a
common man cannot afford this costly surgery.
Dr Naik, consulting
prosthetist and orthotist from the US, has to his credit some innovative
research and development work in this field and has invented the world
famous cross-leg prosthesis “Prabha Foot” and “Miracle”
electronic upper limb prosthesis.
He has developed this simple
technique named “poly centric knee brace” for osteoarthritis. “This
is a simple weight bearing device consisting of a mechanical joint
attached to plastic flaps which in turn are provided with Velcro straps.
The technique of this knee brace is to transfer the knee weight from
anatomical knee joint to mechanical polycentric knee joint and it
prevents further deformity and corrects genu varum (bow leg) of knee
joint, which is light in weight and shares the body weight of the
patient giving relief.
“It is cost effective and manufacturing
process is fast. The only requirement is a simple X-ray of the knee
joints. Till date we have fitted this brace on lakhs of patients with 90
per cent correction all over the country through camp activities and at
our base clinic at Bhavnagar”, explains Dr Naik.
Dr Naik graduated in prosthetic and orthotic engineering with honours from the All-India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mumbai. After serving for almost 10 years in the Ministry of Health, Sana'a, Republic of Yemen, as Chief Prosthetist, he worked at the internationally famed Kessaller Institute for Rehabililation, New Jersey, USA.
He
is actively engaged in rehabilitating disabled by providing suitable
aids and appliances and on an average 100 to 150 patients are benefited
daily. The “poly centric knee brace” developed by him is a boon to
the osteoarthritis patients and over 75,000 braces have already been
fitted by him.
Such knee braces aid in sitting cross leg, riding bicycles and carrying on with rigorous daily activities. This knee brace is a unique substitute for the costly total knee replacement surgery. Dr Naik is the recipient of the Dr Vikram Sarabhai Young Scientist Award (1998-1999) for fabricating low-cost aids and appliances for the physically disabled.
He has been awarded the National Award for Best Technological Innovation in 2001 by the Vice-President of India.
He has helped in setting up prosthetic and orthotic workshops in the neighbouring underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and also training the students from these respective countries at their base workshop in Bhavnagar. He is touring the country with his mobile team to reach the doorstep of the disabled through camp activities.
