Chandigarh, April 26
To conclude Rheumatological Diseases Awareness Month, the Department of Internal Medicine at PGIMER organized a public awareness walk from PGIMER to Sukhna Lake. The event aimed to highlight the critical role of lifestyle modifications in managing and preventing musculoskeletal disorders.
Addressing a gathering at Sukhna Lake, Prof Vivek Lal Director PGIMER, Chandigarh spoke about the importance of healthy lifestyle , exercise and healthy diet to fight the menace of Musculoskeletal diseases. He said that such awareness initiatives are very important to increase public awareness about these diseases which impact a large part of population, and suggested that the awareness activities should begin right during childhood and school going age. He also talked about prevalence of osteoporosis, and advised everyone to quit smoking and alcohol.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Aman Sharma, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology division of the department of Internal Medicine at PGIMER and current President Indian Rheumatology Association talked about high prevalence of Rheumatic and musculoskeletal (RMSK) diseases in Indian population. He also highlighted the role of smoking in activation of various rheumatological diseases like Rheumatoid arthritis and bad effect of alcohol on bone health. He said that alcohol even in a very small quantity is very harmful. The fact that various diverse medical conditions can present with ‘arthritis’ it is imperative to seek opinion from the rheumatology experts for timely and appropriate treatment. He highlighted the importance of healthy lifestyle and incorporation of some form of exercised in day to day living.
Prof Aman informed that this walk was held as a part of nationwide activity of Indian Rheumatology association to increase awareness about rheumatological and musculoskeletal diseases. The awareness walk was flagged off from Nehru Hospital by Prof. Sanjay Jain (Dean Research), Pankaj Rai (Deputy Director), and Dr. Vipin Kaushal (Medical Superintendent). The event saw enthusiastic participation from over 200 individuals, including PGI faculty, residents, staff, patients, members of vasculitis society and common public.
