AktivOrtho, an international orthopedic care centre, which entered the Indian market via the foreign direct investment route is set to expand its operations in the country. The company founded by German orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Gerd Mueller, already invested Euro 2.5 million and is looking forward to expand its footprint in two more locations in the next 12 months, taking the total number to three.

Currently, AktivOrtho, India’s first-of-its-kind comprehensive orthopaedic, rehabilitation, sports medicine and medical fitness centre in New Delhi was set up in 2012 as its maiden flagship facility.

The focus of AktivOrtho is on the non-invasive treatment and prevention of orthopaedic problems with special emphasis on back and neck pain treatment. AktivOrtho has seven such centres operational in Germany under the brand name 'Ruckenzentrum' since September 2009.

“We had patients from India at one of our centres asking us to look at the possibility of setting up in India. These patients said that the Western standards of orthopaedic rehabilitation and prevention were just not available in Delhi or India. Let's first tackle India and then look at the rest of Asia,” Dr Mueller told Pharmabiz in an email interaction.

Due to poor dietary habits, low calcium intake and insufficient levels of vitamin D, India is a country which requires a high level of education and awareness about the silent epidemic: osteoporosis which is the second most common health related risk globally that show signs at the age of 35. Improved nutritional and regular physical activity could help prevent the condition. The reality is that one in three women and one in five men suffer from osteoporosis in India, pointed out Dr Mueller.

The AktivOrtho centre is known for its six-12 months of an intense two to three times a week of a specific exercise programme as well as sensible nutritional advice to get people back on track.

There are many effective drugs and tailored medication which is dependent on a patient's blood results, level of osteoporosis and other pre-existing medical conditions. All these parameters need to be discussed with the patient’s general practitioner. The treatment provided at AktivOrtho compliments with patients leading an  active and improved nutritional approach, he said.

“The challenges to treatment change in lifestyle covering dietary and exercise. But at AktivOrtho we have some great success stories. Once patients understand the disease, they could help themselves with some simple changes and our job is to keep them engaged and motivated,” he said.

On the World Osteoporosis Day which just concluded on October 12, 2013, there is need to provide complete information to people who feel they could be suffering bone problems. They should be informed of AktivOrtho, where a functional and nutritional assessment could be made through diagnosis and prognosis effected with the help of a DEXA (bone density measurement) scan and some blood tests. Like all diseases, in the case of orthopedic problems too, prevention is the best. Therefore diet control and avoidance of sedentary lifestyle could deter the risk of developing osteoporosis by one per cent per month, said Dr Mueller.