The human knee joint quality has 15 years of best condition
Before the age of 15: The knee joint is in its developmental stage, and most of the growing pains of adolescence occur near the knee joint.
From 15 to 30 years old: The knee joint is in “perfect condition” and works tirelessly. As long as the knee joint tissue is not damaged, it is basically not felt.
Age 30-40: The patellofemoral cartilage is in an early stage of mild wear and tear, with a period of weakness and short-term knee pain lasting a few weeks to a few months, which some people do not even notice. Patellofemoral cartilage is a 3-5 mm thick layer of hyaline cartilage in the human knee joint that cushions the knee joint from the impact of movement. However, because the patellar cartilage has no nerve distribution, it will only sound an “early warning signal” once during the vulnerable period before the full layer wears out, and strenuous exercise should be avoided during this period. From this time onwards, the knee joint can no longer be used as you wish.
Age 40-50: After walking long distances, the inside of the knee joint tends to become sore and painful, which is relieved by rubbing it with your hands. In the knee joint, the meniscus serves to cushion vibrations and maintain stability. Since 60% of the body weight is supported by the medial side of the knee joint, degeneration of the medial meniscus occurs earlier. Because of the nerve distribution in the meniscus, people can feel soreness and pain during the degeneration process. This phenomenon is a reminder that it is time to start taking care of your joints.
Over 50 years old: the knee joint will feel significant pain because the patellar cartilage has reached the end of its “useful life”, the cartilage is worn down and arthritis has developed. This is the time to conserve the use of the joint, reduce strenuous exercise, especially stairs and climbing, and use crutches if necessary to reduce the stress on the knee joint.
Causes of knee pain in middle-aged and elderly people
After middle age, the tendons and ligaments of the knee joint begin to undergo degenerative changes, the synovial fluid secretion in the joint cavity decreases, the bone surface of the joint rubs together for a long time to form bone wear, and the tissues around the joint are prone to fibrous adhesions due to inflammation, so the elderly often feel stiffness in the knee joint, and there is a “click” sound or frictional sound when moving. This can lead to pain, swelling, and joint effusion when exposed to cold or excessive activity, and in severe cases, joint deformity and disability. Specifically, the causes of knee pain in the elderly are as follows.
1, chronic synovitis: chronic pain and swelling in the knee joint. Synovial effusion and synovial hypertrophy are seen on physical examination.
2. patellar deviation: soreness and weakness of the knee joint after activity, improvement after rest, pain during semi-squatting.
3, intra-articular free body of the knee joint: the patient’s leg is beaten soft or has a feeling of joint jamming, and there is an abrasive sound under the patella.
4, prepatellar bursitis: a history of trauma, causing prepatellar pain, with localized pressure pain on physical examination.
5, osteoarthrosis: joint pain is obvious when getting up and going up and down stairs after prolonged sitting or squatting, and relieved after rest.
6, pseudogout: more male patients, preferably in the knee joint. Painful swelling, high skin temperature and limited function during attacks. x-ray shows calcification of meniscus and articular cartilage surface.
7, femoral head necrosis: hip lesions with knee pain symptoms.
In principle, all the above-mentioned conditions of knee pain, should promptly go to the hospital to find a specialist physician (rehabilitation, orthopedics and other specialists) to confirm the diagnosis and treatment.
The easiest way to tell is to let your body tell you the answer. If your knee hurts, it means it may be unhealthy and it is best to have it checked out by a doctor.
Daily care for sore knees.
1. Do not walk for too long on the road, especially up and down stairs sparingly, avoid hiking as much as possible and rest immediately when your knees feel uncomfortable.
2, do not do heavy exercise, such as running, high jump, long jump.
3, avoid half squat, full squat or kneeling position. such as squatting horse stance.
4.Do not do semi-flexion rotation of the knee joint to prevent half-plate injury.
5, maintain the ideal weight to reduce the burden on the knee.
6, pay attention to the warmth of the knee, you can wear long pants, knee pads to protect the knee.
7.Less heavy lifting and less wearing of high heels.
8.Avoid trauma and overwork.
9, the choice of shoes is very important. A pair of shoes that fit can not only make you walk comfortably, but also reduce the impact and pressure on the knee during exercise.
(1) The instep part of the foot can be closely combined with the shoe, the width and length are appropriate, and the arches of the foot can be correctly maintained.
(2) The weight of the shoe should be light, the sole should not be too soft, and it should be somewhat thick.
(3) the heel of the shoe can be about 2-3 cm high, the sole is too flat is easy to walk when fatigue.
(4) shoes with non-slip pattern on the sole.
Should I exercise when my knee is injured?
In the case of knee injury already, unreasonable exercise will lead to secondary damage to the knee. Over time, the meniscus of the knee will lose its protective and cushioning effect due to wear and tear, and heavy people may walk inconveniently.
The knee joint is a hinge joint and can only move back and forth, not left and right. If the knee joint is already injured, the first thing to do is to pay attention to protection. Simple back and forth exercises can be performed if allowed to promote blood circulation in the knee joint, but it is not suitable for strong activities, not enough movement will easily cause stiffness of the knee joint, excessive movement will accelerate the wear and tear of the joint, but the movement is still to the extent that the joint does not feel pain.
Through appropriate muscle strength, stability training can play a preventive health role for the knee joint
1, side lying exercises: lying on the left side, knees slightly bent, heels together. Head resting on the left arm, eyes looking straight ahead. The right hand holds a weight of about 1 to 2 kg, placed on the outside of the leg. Then tense the abdomen, tense the hips, lift the knee of the right leg as high as possible, hold the body still while lifting the leg, hold for a few seconds and put it down. Repeat the exercise 15 times, change legs.
2, leg lifting exercises: stand behind a solid bench or step, step on the right foot (heel do not hang), and focus the weight on the right foot, the body is raised, the left foot toes touch the step, hold on for 1 to 5 seconds. Then lower the left foot and tap the ground. Repeat 8 to 10 times, change legs.
3, bridge exercise: lie flat on the ground, knees bent, feet apart, hip-width apart, arms on the sides. Slowly lift the hips and leave the ground smoothly. Then slowly put down. Repeat 15 times.
4, leg extension exercise: lie flat, knees bent, feet flat on the ground. Extend the left leg, set into the stretch
Pull the band or towel, grab the ends of the band with both hands. Use the strap to pull the leg to the chest, and then force the calf straight, hold for 10 to 30 seconds to exercise the calf muscles and hamstrings. Repeat the movement 3 to 5 times, then switch legs.
Diet
Eating a diet rich in vitamin K (e.g. peas, broccoli) or taking some glucosamine supplements can be beneficial for knee health.
Yoga physical therapy for the knee joint
Any exercise, performed in an unreasonable manner, can bring about injury. In sports, the knee joint is heavily loaded and can easily cause strain and injury if not taken care of. Prevention is a key aspect, but how should we repair an already injured knee joint with exercise?
Lack of muscle strength in the legs and hips is the main cause of knee pain, but too much muscle tension can also have a negative effect on the knee joint, and stretching of the leg ligaments can also help the knee joint recover. Therefore, in yoga practice after knee damage, the main focus should be on building and strengthening the leg and hip muscles. The following are some yoga postures that are beneficial for recovery after a knee injury.
Phantom Chair Pose Variation
Start in Mountain Pose, lean your back against the wall, slowly bend your knees to an angle of less than 90 degrees, keep your knees and ankles perpendicular to the ground, tuck your tailbone in so that your whole back is against the wall, exercise the strength of your leg muscles, hold for a while and then straighten your knees and relax. To exercise the inner thighs, you can hold a yoga block between your knees.
Warrior I variation
Facing the wall, step forward with your right foot, hold the wall with both hands and follow the floor with your left foot. Inhale to stretch the spine upward, exhale to bend the right knee and feel the stretch in the back of the left leg. Note that the muscles of the legs should be tightened and lifted up, and the right knee should not exceed the toes.
Single Leg Stand Balance
From mountain stance, shift your weight to your right foot, bend your left knee back and place it on the chair without leaning forward. Tuck your hips forward and feel the stretch in the front of your left thigh. Take care to adjust the chair to the right height.
Sit-stand forward bend pose
From seated mountain pose, bend the right knee inward, keep the left leg extended and muscles tightened, and place the second toe of the left foot towards the knee. Inhale and stretch the spine upward, breathe in and slowly lean forward, focusing on tightening the leg muscles and stretching the ligaments in the back of the leg.
Foot Binding Pose
Pay attention to the stretching of the back, if the back is not upright place a yoga blanket or yoga block under the hips. Do not pull your feet excessively close to the direction of your body, put your awareness on the stretch of the inner thighs to strengthen this part of the muscles.
Side lying
Start by lying on your right side with your head resting on your right arm, legs together and knees bent at 90 degrees. Inhale to raise the knee of the left leg slowly upward, feet always together, until the knees are separated by about one palm width, hold for a few breaths and slowly drop on the exhale.
Supine hand leg pull
Lie on your back and inhale as you pull your right leg upward with both hands so that your right thigh is at 90 degrees to the ground. Inhale again as you slowly straighten the knee of your right leg, feel the stretch in the back of your right thigh, hold for a few breaths and then drop.