Nadi-based physical therapy clinic Flying Physio Rehab yesterday held an open clinic and free consultation, marking World Physiotherapy Day.
This year’s theme focused on osteoarthritis (OA) which has become a global problem over the years.
“In a global study of 291 conditions, hip and knee OA was ranked as the 11th highest contributor to disability,” said physiotherapist Isaiah Elder.
He said OA was more prevalent in the older population, however, none of the age group was immune to it.
“It can affect any group of people thus we are encouraging people to do more functional exercises such as walking, swimming, jogging.”
Mr Elder said according to figures from 1990 to 2019 released by World Physiotherapy, there has been an increase of 48 per cent in terms of the number of people globally affected by OA.
“Sixty per cent of all OA cases are for knee OA because the knee being a big joint takes a lot of load in the body.
“If a person who is athletic and is also involved in a lot of physical activities is usually subjected to knee injuries which can predispose you to OA if not properly treated.”
