Post-Covid hip damage driving surge in joint replacements among young Indians

New Delhi: Hip replacement surgeries among Indians in their 30s and 40s have risen by nearly 40% in the post-Covid period, with doctors linking the surge to steroid-related bone damage and delayed diagnosis of avascular necrosis (AVN), a painful condition that destroys the hip joint.May is observed as Arthritis Awareness Month, and orthopaedic experts at DELHI HIP 360 Conference warned that the post-Covid period has accelerated hip arthritis and joint damage among younger and middle-aged adults, increasing demand for total hip replacement surgeries across the country.Doctors said hospitals are increasingly treating younger patients reporting severe hip pain, limping, stiffness and difficulty walking months after recovering from Covid-19. In many cases, such patients require hip replacement surgery after the femoral head — the ball-shaped top of the thigh bone — collapses due to disrupted blood supply.According to experts, indiscriminate or prolonged steroid use during Covid treatment may have contributed to a rise in osteonecrosis of the femoral head, particularly among patients with underlying vascular or metabolic risk factors.Dr L Tomar, organising chairman of DELHI HIP 360 and director of orthopaedics and joint replacement at Max Hospital, said AVN, once largely seen in older adults or trauma patients, is now increasingly affecting people in their 30s and 40s.“Steroids played a life-saving role during the pandemic, but their prolonged use in some patients has been associated with osteonecrosis and early degenerative changes in the hip joint,” he said. “We are now seeing relatively younger patients coming with severe hip damage and advanced arthritis requiring early hip replacement surgeries.”Doctors said obesity, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol use and metabolic disorders also contribute to the growing burden of hip degeneration in urban India.Dr Karun Jain, organising secretary of the conference, said many patients ignore early symptoms, such as groin pain and stiffness, assuming them to be muscular problems. “By the time they seek medical advice, the hip joint may already have undergone irreversible collapse,” he said, stressing the need for timely MRI evaluation and early intervention.Experts said advances in robotic-assisted surgery, minimally invasive procedures and improved implant technologies are helping patients recover faster after hip replacement surgeries.However, they warned that India could see a substantial increase in demand for hip replacement surgeries over the next decade if awareness, early screening and preventive orthopaedic care are not strengthened.