Post-Covid hip damage fuels 40 pc rise in surgeries among young Indians

A worrying post-pandemic orthopaedic trend has emerged across India, with doctors reporting a significant rise in cases of hip arthritis and avascular necrosis (AVN), a painful condition caused by disruption of blood supply to the hip bone, particularly among younger and middle-aged adults.
Experts at the 2nd DELHI HIP 360 Conference, held at Crowne Plaza New Delhi on Sunday, warned that the post-Covid era has accelerated hip joint damage and increased the demand for Total Hip Replacement (THR) surgeries across the country.
The Delhi Orthopaedic Association organised the conference in association with the Indian Arthroplasty Association.
The conference brought together leading orthopaedic surgeons, arthroplasty specialists, fellows, and residents from across India to deliberate on the latest advances in Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), complex hip reconstruction, robotic-assisted surgery, rehabilitation, and management of post-Covid hip complications.
Experts at the conference said that hospitals are witnessing a notable increase in patients presenting with severe hip pain, limping, stiffness, and difficulty in walking due to AVN and early hip arthritis.
Several recent studies globally have suggested a correlation between high-dose or prolonged steroid use during COVID-19 treatment and osteonecrosis of the femoral head, especially among patients who already had underlying vascular or metabolic risk factors.
Medical experts noted that AVN, once largely seen in older adults or trauma patients, is now increasingly affecting individuals in their 30s and 40s.
In many cases, delayed diagnosis allows the disease to progress silently until the hip joint collapses, eventually requiring total hip replacement surgery to restore mobility and quality of life.
Dr L Tomar, organising Chairman of DELHI HIP 360 and Director, Department of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement at Max Hospital, Delhi, said, “We are observing a 40 per cent rise in hip replacement surgeries in younger people. Steroids played a life-saving role during the Covid pandemic. Still, indiscriminate or prolonged use in some patients has been associated with a rise in osteonecrosis and early degenerative changes in the hip joint.”
“We are now seeing relatively younger patients coming with severe hip damage, collapse of the femoral head, and advanced arthritis requiring early hip replacement surgeries,” he said.
Dr Tomar further stated that early diagnosis is critical because if AVN is detected in the initial stages, joint-preserving procedures may still be possible before complete destruction of the hip occurs.
Research published in international orthopaedic journals has shown that steroid-induced AVN may develop within months after exposure, with the hip joint being the most commonly affected site.
Dr Karun Jain, Organising Secretary of the conference and a senior orthopaedic surgeon at Pushpanjali Medical Centre in Delhi, said that one of the biggest challenges with AVN is that patients often ignore early symptoms such as groin pain or stiffness, assuming it to be muscular pain. (PTI)