AGNIKARMA IN CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS

Musculoskeletal disorders are among the major causes of pain, loss of mobility, swelling, and stiffness. The incidence of these conditions increases with age, significantly affecting overall health and well-being. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015, conditions such as back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, and other musculoskeletal disorders were ranked among the top ten causes of age-specific years lived with disability worldwide. This highlights that musculoskeletal disorders continue to be a leading cause of disability across the globe. Despite advancements in modern medicine, the management of chronic musculoskeletal disorders remains challenging, often providing only symptomatic relief. Conditions such as osteoarthritis, spondylosis, sciatica, frozen shoulder, and neuropathies are chronic, progressive, and frequently resistant to conventional pharmacotherapy. In this context, Ayurveda offers an effective alternative in the form of Agnikarma, a para-surgical procedure involving controlled therapeutic heat cauterization, extensively described in the classical text Sushruta Samhita, one of the foundational treatises of Ayurvedic surgery.