Steroids, protein powders causing rise in hip damage among urban youth: Experts

Group of orthopaedic experts have raised a serious public health concern stating the misuse of steroids and unregulated protein powders is severely damaging the hips of young gymgoing individuals in their 20sThis warning came during the Delhi Hip 360 conference held in the national capital where orthopaedic specialists highlighted the alarming rise in cases of Avascular Necrosis AVN and early hip degeneration in youth conditions traditionally seen in older adultsDr L Tomar the organising chairman of the conference said We are observing a significant surge in hiprelated complaints among young patients in recent years Every week in my OPD I see two to three patients under the age of 30 many in their early 20s complaining of persistent hip painInvestigations often reveal Avascular Necrosis AVN a condition where blood supply to the hip bone is compromised leading to bone death In over 7037 of these cases there is a history of anabolic steroid use or excessive consumption of unverified protein powders said Dr Tomar who is the unit head of orthopaedics and joint replacement at Max Hospital DelhiRecent studies have indicated a rise in hip issues among youth and how alcohol and steroid use were key contributors to AVN among young adults he saidMore recently the Maharashtra FDA launched statewide checks on protein powders after several brands were found to be spiked with performanceenhancing steroids many of which are freely available online or at gyms without proper labelling or approvalsYouth especially those chasing rapid physical transformation are unknowingly damaging their bone health particularly the femoral head of the hip joint which is uniquely sensitive to blood flow changes Dr Tomar pointed outThere is a thriving underground online market for performanceenhancing drugs and musclebuilding supplements in IndiaDr Rajiv Jain senior orthopaedic surgeon said that steroids especially when misused or consumed unsupervised directly impact the blood supply to the bonesIt AVN begins with pain stiffness and limping and in many cases leads to complete collapse of the hip joint Hip replacements are required for patients whose condition can be treated using medications Dr Jain statedThe condition AVN is not only painful but also often irreversible if not diagnosed early In extreme cases the only treatment is total hip replacement a complex procedure typically meant for older patients Orthopaedic experts say this is becoming disturbingly common in Indias urban youthAnother observation presented by orthopaedic researchers at the conference revealed that over 30 per cent of AVN cases seen in Delhis tertiary hospitals over the past three years involved patients under 35 and most had a history of either steroid injection oral steroid abuse or supplement misuseDr Sharad Agarwal scientific chairman of the conference and senior orthopaedic surgeon said that fitness has become a booming industry in India but without proper regulation and educationWhat they dont realise is that behind that muscle their bones might be silently deteriorating We urgently need awareness drives regulation of supplement markets and basic orthopaedic screening at gyms Dr Agarwal saidDoctors have urged fitness trainers influencers and gym owners to educate their clients about the risks of shortcuts like steroid cycles and unverified protein supplementsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params