Politicians and their followers must stay cautious of their pre-existing health conditions to ensure successful completion of padayatras
Dr. Kolla Saketh, Sports & Regenerative Orthopaedic Surgeon, Gleneagles Global Hospitals has recommendations for those embarking on padayatras
365telugu.com online news,Hyderabad, september1st, 2021: Staying physically active is a good habit for humans and walking every day is possibly the best way to remain in the pink of health. However, overdoing anything (like excessive walking or exercising) could prove a disaster for a human’s health. It is important one takes proper precautions and seeks right advice from experts before embarking on a long and sustained physical exertion regimen like undertaking long/marathon walks aka padayatras.
Politicians before the start of or during an election season embark on people connect activities like marathon walks/padayatras and continue walking for days and at times months together to ensure they cover maximum geography on foot. While some politicians might be working on their physical strength before embarking on such padayatras, many followers of these politicians’ resort to doing the same without much preparation. Lack of preparedness causes severe damage to physical health which could even lead to partial or permanent damage.
Singapore trained
Dr. Kolla Saketh, Consultant – Sports, Joint Replacement & Regenerative Orthopaedic Surgeon, Gleneagles Global Hospitals has the following advice for those who undertake padayatras.
Padayatra may commonly trigger Orthopaedic issues namely:Knee pains (Osteoarthritis) (majority); due to meniscus tears, cartilage wearing, ligament injury, leg pains (shin splints), heel pains (Achilles Tendonitis), foot pain (Plantar Fasciitis), muscle pain & cramps (Fibromyalgia), stress fractures in foot, back pain, recurrence of any old injury, etc.
Certain simple steps could help prevent Orthopaedic issues during the padayatra. Like:
Pre-padayatra Orthopaedic clinical and Radiological check up by Sports Medicine surgeons; Clinical examination to assess any old injury, or any Orthopaedic issues due to ageing; X-Rays and MRI scan if necessary.
Physical actions like, warm-up and proper tone-up of muscles, doing muscle strengthening exercises, training from at least one month before padayatra, posture correction will help a great deal. Even selecting the right kind of footwear, like sports shoes with softer material silicone insoles or micro-cellular rubber material is a must. Knee braces with proper padding will provide much needed support during marathon walks.
Some preventive and strength providing medicines will act as aides to build the body for the rigorous act. Knowing Vitamin D3, Calcium levels, along with correcting electrolyte imbalance is important, and any medications must be taken to ensure these levels are maintained to optimum standards before and during the padayatra. Gel injections into knees for effective lubrication is one of the latest available solutions to maintain joints health. Injections in advance into affected areas along with taping and strapping will help in faster recovery.
Presence of a sports medicine doctor during the yatra, and his/her consultation will help great deal. Sticking to fixed hours of walking and to stick onto a schedule with reasonable rest and intermittent breaks will help go the long haul. Avoiding walking on uneven surfaces is a must to avoid any slips or muscle catches. Proper hydration, nutritious and balanced diet, multi-vitamin supplements including Vitamin E and Levocarnitine are highly recommended during the walk.