Myth #1: I’m only 50 years old, are my joints getting old this early? A joint can look like a mechanical structure that is constantly rubbing all day long. As long as there is friction, there is wear and tear. Joint aging is the gradual wear and tear of joint cartilage, which can begin at the age of majority, somewhat like the balding process. Myth 2: I am afraid to exercise because my joints will wear out. This is also not true. Older people who don’t exercise are prone to osteoporosis, and their bodies will lack agility and coordination, making it easy to fall and cause serious fractures. And reasonable exercise helps reduce the incidence of knee osteoarthritis in the elderly, is conducive to the acquisition of joint cartilage nutrients, and can improve muscle flexibility and reduce pain Myth 3: I’ve been exercising like this since I was young, and I still like the way I exercise. In fact, everything in the world, “change” is eternal, according to age, environment, physical condition and other circumstances and change is with the times. When you are young, you can play soccer or even rugby because you are not afraid of impact. But when you get older, the elasticity and strength of the joint cartilage, ligaments and muscles are weakened, and the ability to resist blows is reduced, making you prone to injury and less strong than before, so you should change. Myth #4: Knee pain also insists on playing taiji. In the process of playing Taijiquan, people are always in a semi-squatting position, the movement is slow and the center of gravity is low, the knee joint is overloaded, the patella and femur joint surface is often subject to friction, extrusion or impact, accelerating cartilage metamorphosis. If you have knee pain, I do not recommend insisting on playing Tai Chi, and recommend changing to other forms of exercise. Myth #5: Walking is not enough exercise. In fact, walking is a good and appropriate form of exercise for older adults. Walk at 30-40 steps per minute, gradually increase to 60 – 70 steps, one trip 2000 meters – 3000 meters, 1-2 times a day. Of course, you can also adjust according to your specific situation. Myth six: water exercise is not good for the joints. The buoyancy of the water can greatly reduce the impact of the land on the body joints, so that the joints are not easily injured; water exercise also consumes more. A study shows that: the full force of running 100 meters on land about 35 kcal energy consumption, while jogging 100 meters in the water to consume 65 kcal energy. A Danish study found that the majority of patients who adhere to the water exercise bone and joint pain significantly reduced, joint function was restored. Myth 7: Resolutely refuse to use a cane. Older adults have a fear of being laughed at for being old, and many of my patients do not accept the suggestion of using a cane. One study found that using a cane reduces the maximum internal moment value of the knee by more than 10%-20%, which can also be interpreted as a reduction in the load on the knee joint by that much. Therefore, it is one of the most direct and easiest ways to protect the knee joint. Myth #8: I hope that one visit to the doctor will solve so problem or not. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative disease, which is the manifestation of aging in the joints. It is a natural progression from youth to old age. There are no medications available to rejuvenate worn-out joints, but rather to reduce the number of flare-ups, ease the burden and reduce the pain. If left unattended, the condition worsens with each acute attack. The worst part is that when one side of the knee is diseased, the body tends to naturally and unnaturally put its weight on the other leg, and over time, the other leg is overused. At that point, one side of the ailment becomes a bilateral ailment, making it even more troublesome. The methods I recommend are: early stage: medication, rehabilitation physical therapy, exercise therapy; middle stage: intra-articular injection, arthroscopic treatment (free body, meniscus), osteotomy (deformity) Late stage: artificial joint replacement. Myth 9: Fear of artificial joint surgery In fact, severe osteoarthritis of the knee, artificial joints work very well, the surgery is moderate, basically painless after surgery, from then on the patient can travel, visit friends, store and improve the quality of life.