Rohit Shishodia
Doctors have said that Yoga can be an effective tool to prevent osteoporosis which affects around 20% of women in India. They say that the increasing number of cases of osteoporosis in India is a matter of serious concern and requires urgent preventive measures.

Speaking at the Public Lecture on Prevention of Osteoporosis, in Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, on March 16, 2019, Dr Sujata George, Consultant-Physician, Yoga, said that there has been adequate research on impact of Yoga on osteoporosis. Yoga is also impactful in knee & joint pain and in backache.

“Yoga helps in retaining bone density and it also helps to build and maintain bone mass. Yogic exercises place stress on the bones, which forces your body to build up more bone minerals. Yoga increases bone mineral density which decreases the risk of developing osteoporosis,” added Dr George.

The doctors said that performing Yoga exercises such as Tadasana , Trikonasana, Vrikshasana and Suryanamaskar help not only in prevention of various orthopedic ailments but also help in recovery after of an orthopedic injury. This was evident at the lecture when a patient affected with backache performed these asanas.

Prof Ramesh Kumar, Director, Central Institute of Orthopedics, Safdarjung Hospital, said that there has been adequate research on impact of Yoga on all muscle and orthopedic ailments. Research data on impact of Yoga on orthopedic diseases is expected to be published soon.

Prof Kumar added, “Yoga has been in our culture for years but there has been a big gap its adoption. Western countries like US have seriously adopted Yoga which is known as a trend setter in surgery, medicine and research. So, there is an influence of Yoga on health.”

Prof Jugal Kishore, Director and HOD, Department of Community Medicine, Safdarjung Hospital, said that osteoporosis not only affects women but men as well. Men and women suffer fractures easily due to osteoporosis. This impacts quality of life of affected persons and their family.

“Osteoporosis is related to genetic issues. Persons affected by osteoporosis are prone to fractures. Women whose uterus is taken out are also likely to be affected with osteoporosis. Children who consume steroids may also suffer with osteoporosis. Use of alcohol and smoking and people with rheumatoid arthritis are prone to the disease,” explained Dr Kishore.