BENGALURU: With increasing cases of people, particularly techies and teens, complaining of early osteoarthritis, experts and doctors ask youth to exercise regularly and look at trekking and expeditions as a reward.
Sidharth Uniyal, known as BadKneesGuru, was promoting this. He successfully completed four Himlayan peaks above 6,000 metres in five days in May 2026, in collaboration with the Bengaluru-based adventure firm, TrekNomads. He summited Nirekha Peak (6,159m), Lobuche Peak (6,119m), Island Peak (6,189m) and Mera Peak (6,476m).
Uniyal, who has suffered knee injuries and undergone three critical knee surgeries, said youth look at treks and expeditions as an adventure, but that should not be the case. Exercising at least 3-4 times a week helps improve fitness, he said.
The reason why Uniyal is inspiring others is that he had undergone three ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgeries, suffered serious meniscus and cartilage damage and currently functions without an ACL in his left knee. Also, just 15 days before the expedition, he twisted his knee again. He is also the founder of Granimals, a global injury recovery and performance platform.
