Gurgaon, Dec 5 (IANS): The two-day International Congress for Joint Reconstruction (ICJR) was Friday organised and hosted by one of the leading orthopaedic experts in the country at the Max Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences here.

The event which was addressed by S.K.S. Marya, chairman and chief surgeon at the Max Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences and president of ICJR - Saarc countries, witnessed the participation of over 300 prominent orthopaedic experts and international surgeons from the US, Europe, Australia and Asia who included Ross Crawford, Luca Marega, Alfred Tria, Fred Cushner and David Dalury besides Sylke Anderson, ICJR director.

The idea behind the Congress is to provide a platform to address and discuss the recent advances and challenges in the field of orthopaedic and joint replacement surgery.

"Orthopaedic diseases have become a global epidemic which is affecting demographics across all age groups. By 2040, India would have 274 percent more people in the age group of 64 and above and hence the requirement for joint reconstructions would also be higher," Marya said.

Bone and joint diseases are the most common causes of physical disability in the world, especially in the developing countries, as about 10 percent of the population have bone and joint problems.

Joint pain and knee problems are very common among Indians. At least, 70 percent of the problems are related to the knees while 20-30 percent are hip problems. These diseases affect all age groups - from the newborn to the elderly.

At present, total joint replacements conducted annually in India are approximately 100,000 while almost 10,00,000 people need joint reconstruction.

The Indian Society of Hip and Knee Surgeons recently reported a total of 66,352 knee replacements in 2013.

In the US, 250,000 joint replacements are performed in a year despite having a comparatively smaller population.