India, Aug. 12 -- Arthritis cases in India are rising. Experts say patients are getting younger, and the gap between those who seek timely treatment and those who don't remains wide. Dr Dilbans Singh Pandher, Senior Orthopaedic and Joint Replacement Surgeon at SGL Hospital, Mustafabad and New Ruby Hospital, Jalandhar, who has over 20 years of experience, discusses why timely diagnosis and treatment matter. It is significant. A decade ago, the typical knee replacement patient was in late sixties. Today, patients are in their late forties and early fifties. Sedentary lifestyles, obesity and dietary changes are accelerating joint degeneration across age groups. Fear of surgery is the biggest reason, followed by concerns about recovery time and cost. There's also a deep-seated tendency in India to push through pain and treat endurance as the only option. By the time most patients get to treatment, the joint is more damaged, the surrounding muscles have weakened, and the case becomes more complex. The procedure patients are afraid of today is far more precise and controlled than what they have heard about or imagined. It brings real-time, intraoperative data into the surgical process. We attach small trackers to specific bony landmarks, and the system continuously provides highly accurate information about limb alignment, joint balance, and implant positioning as I operate. The AI-assisted system enhances surgical precision. Any patient with advanced knee arthritis whose quality of life is significantly affected and for whom conservative management, medication, and physiotherapy have stopped delivering relief. With modern techniques, effective pain management and our AI-assisted system, most patients can stand and walk within hours of surgery. Post-surgery, rehabilitation is equally critical. For many patients, frequent physiotherapy visits aren't practical. That's why we developed a structured, video-based rehabilitation programme patients follow at home. I've seen patients walking unaided and climbing stairs within days. Precise surgery, a structured rehabilitation programmme and an actively engaged patient change everything. HTC...