After more than a year of hiding behind four walls, residents, it appears, are suffering from
Vitamin D deficiency. This was an observation by Soham Mandal, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, at a free orthopaedic camp held at CK-CL Block community hall on July 24.
“Indians as it is tend to suffer from low calcium and Vitamin D levels in their bodies and the lockdowns have further reduced their exposure to the sun. So I’m not surprised that the most common ailments I’m getting today are knee and lower back pains. They are all related,” said the doctor who practises at AMRI Salt Lake among other hospitals.
At least 15 minutes of daily exposure to the sun was necessary. “It can be at any time of the day while the sun is up but it is best if the back and arms are exposed,” Mandal said.
The camp was organised by Rotary Club of Calcutta Universe and over 100 people had come to get themselves screened. Some patients came with old X-rays and prescriptions, some came with new complaints and a few just for a check-up.
“Check-ups are particularly important for women, as they tend to get osteoporosis after 60 years of age. But 60 is too late to start medication. They need to consult a doctor at 40 and get their vitamin D and bone mineral density (BMD) levels tested. A BMD test is used to measure the levels of calcium and other minerals in one’s bones. If the levels are found to be low, calcium supplements can be started before osteoporosis sets in,” said the doctor.
While a healthy diet devoid of junk food and comprising milk and eggs was recommended, Mandal said they might not be enough to prevent deficiencies. “This is why such camps are all the more necessary so doctors can be consulted.”
The camp was attended by MLA and minister Sujit Bose and chairperson of the board of the administrators, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, Krishna Chakraborty. “I used to play football and cricket back in the day and know how crippling leg pain can be,” said Bose. “It’s commendable that this organisation is providing help to those in pain and that too for free.”
Chakraborty cited how common it was to see grandmothers suffering from arthritis and commended the group on their effort to help the needy.
“Indeed, many of our well-wishers were informed about today’s camp but they were forced to wish us success from home. They could not come as they are immobile from leg pain,” said president of Rotary Club of Calcutta Universe, Digbijoy Chakraborty. “We want to change this with awareness. We also want to hold health camps in different disciplines over time.”
The vice-president of the club, Shanti Ranjan Paul, is also secretary of Bidhannagar CK-CL Block Residents’ Association. The camp took place at the block’s community centre. “It was a win-win situation for me. As I am well acquainted with my block residents, many of them could avail of this facility and the club too fulfiled its motive of serving a good number of people,” he said.
Besides doctor’s consultation, a BMI machine brought in by the organisers aroused curiosity. A person had to stand on the machine, that looked like a weighing scale, and hold out a handle, that was attached to it, at arm’s length. The machine then did the math and revealed the person’s BMI (Body Mass Index), body fat percentage, resting metabolism and “body age”.
“My body age came 13 years older than my biological age,” said Tapash Sen, of CL Block. “I also have some sports injuries from my childhood, that I neglected. They bother me now. But these tests have been a wake-up call for me and I shall carry out the tests that the orthopaedic advised me today and follow up with treatment.”
Some medical representatives also distributed common medicines that the doctors prescribed.
