Early prevention of osteoarthritis of the knee
In the streets, we often see scenes of elderly people hobbling, crossing the street carefully, and getting in and out of cars with great effort, which people rightfully attribute to the fact that people’s legs get old first, but in fact, they are not. Osteoarthritis (OA), referred to as OA, has many other names, such as age-related arthritis, degenerative arthritis, proliferative arthritis and osteophytes, is the most common chronic arthritis, very common in the elderly population, the number of patients is more than the sum of all other arthritis patients, about 80% of all types of arthritis, it is estimated that in least 50 million patients in our country.
We know that, under normal conditions, the end of a joint is covered with a layer of articular cartilage, smooth and of a certain thickness, which has an important physiological role in protecting the joint, reducing shock and friction, and is an essential component in maintaining normal joint function. Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disease characterized by degeneration and loss of articular cartilage, as well as growth of marginal and subchondral bone.
OA can produce pain, swelling, stiffness, friction sounds, deformation, and even limited range of motion of the affected joints, thus seriously affecting the patient’s quality of life, and in severe cases, loss of labor and living ability, bringing a heavy burden to the patient, family and society. “, some predict that it may become the number one disease of mankind.
OA can occur in various joints throughout the body, the knee is the main weight-bearing joints of the lower extremities, heavy, more activities, susceptible to trauma, wind and cold, and other factors, is one of the good parts of OA, statistics show that the chances of osteoarthritis of the knee in Chinese than in Westerners.
According to clinical observations, around 30 years of age, the joint cartilage began to degenerate, the trend of osteoarthritis, many people to the age of 40 years later, there will be varying degrees of symptoms. Therefore, for OA should also focus on early prevention, early treatment, preferably in the absence of symptoms, or just beginning to appear symptoms, and joint cartilage has not yet occurred when the obvious lesions, the early start of prevention, and long-term persistence. It is important to be persistent.
Weight control
Obesity increases the risk of developing osteoarthritis, mainly because of the additional mechanical load caused by being overweight. Clinical studies have confirmed that the risk of developing the disease at age 37 years is 1.5 times higher in men who are 70% over standard weight and 2.1 times higher in women, and researchers have also found that after middle age, weight has a significant impact on the development and progression of osteoarthritis of the knee, even 8-12 years before symptoms appear. Imagine being 20 pounds overweight, which is equivalent to a normal-weight person carrying 20 pounds of weight on their shoulders every hour of the day for labor and exercise, which increases the load on the joints and thus increases wear and tear.
Therefore, weight control is an important part of the prevention of osteoarthritis of the knee. Maintaining a normal weight or losing excess weight has many benefits for obese people, not only to obtain a slim and lovely figure, but also to prevent osteoarthritis and many other medical diseases, improve the quality of life and prolong life. In a group of 40 patients with osteoarthritis, an average weight loss of 3.9 kg within 6 weeks was observed, and the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee joint were significantly improved.
Pay attention to keeping warm
Although there is no strong evidence on the relationship between cold weather and the development of osteoarthritis. However, it is indisputable that joint discomfort can occur after exposure to cold, and that existing osteoarthritis symptoms can worsen during the winter months. According to the theory of Chinese medicine, arthritis can be caused by external wind and cold. Pay attention to keeping your joints warm, especially in the joint area, and don’t just pursue the “beautiful freezing” and aggravate the joints.
Correct the line of force in the lower limbs
For many reasons, poor joint alignment or abnormal force lines in the lower limbs can lead to O-leg (the inner knee joint does not fit together when the lower limbs are brought together) and X-leg (the inner ankle joint does not fit together when the lower limbs are brought together) deformities, which can cause stress to be concentrated in certain parts of the cartilage and increase the local load, which is an important cause of secondary osteoarthritis. Therefore not only to change the appearance, but also to prevent and treat osteoarthritis, you should go to the hospital as early as possible for examination and, if necessary, use surgical treatment to correct the alignment abnormalities of the lower limbs.
Protecting the joints
Osteoarthritis is associated with long-term occupational and athletic joint overstress. Long-term overuse of certain joints, or repeated exposure to impact, can damage these joints, causing a significant increase in the incidence of osteoarthritis. Therefore, care should be taken to protect the joints in work, life and sports, to reasonably adjust body position and posture, to prevent injury and overuse of the joints, and to avoid repeated impact sports on the joints.
Reasonable Exercise
Exercise and joint protection are not contradictory, to correctly understand the relationship between exercise and OA, OA occurs with the wear and tear between the joint surface and excessive stress, the correct and appropriate exercise can prevent and delay the occurrence of OA; and incorrect way, or excessive exercise will trigger and aggravate OA. beneficial forms of exercise are swimming, walking, cycling, etc.; harmful forms of exercise include increasing the load on the joints The harmful forms of exercise include those that increase the load on the joints, such as stair climbing, mountain climbing, repeated squatting, especially in patients with joint disease should be avoided. The quadriceps muscle in front of the thigh is very important for the knee joint, and regular supine straight leg raises or resistance exercises can be beneficial.
Exercise can improve flexibility and suppleness, increase muscle strength, improve joint stability and improve joint mobility. Regular aerobic exercise, especially aerobic exercise in water, including swimming in various positions, is an excellent way to exercise because buoyancy in the water reduces the pressure on the joints and resistance in the water strengthens muscle strength.
Early treatment of joint diseases
When a joint is uncomfortable or damaged, it is important to seek medical advice from a specialist to help diagnose and treat the problem. In particular, the presence of mechanical symptoms in the knee joint, such as popping in the joint, a feeling of jamming, and strangulation, often suggest the presence of free bodies, meniscal damage, and synovial crepitus syndrome in the joint, which can produce and accelerate wear and tear of the joint and should be treated promptly.
In recent years, with the popularity of minimally invasive techniques, arthroscopic techniques have become increasingly sophisticated and can achieve good results for these intra-articular diseases with minimal pain and maximum benefit. Many people currently fear surgery, but it is important to keep in mind that mechanical symptoms can only be removed by mechanical methods of surgery.
Diet and nutrition
It has been determined that about 70% of the water in the cartilage matrix of the joints is water, so adequate hydration and “rain and moisture” will help promote the metabolism of joint cartilage and maintain its elasticity.
In the diet, we should pay attention to vitamin supplementation, and eat more foods rich in vitamins A, C, D and E. These vitamins are closely related to the metabolism of articular cartilage and bone, and vitamin E is the main antioxidant in food, which has antioxidant effects and counteracts the damaging effects of oxygen free radicals on cartilage, which can slow down the aging process of articular cartilage.
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are naturally produced in the human body and are essential physiological substances in the process of synthesis of cartilage matrix in cartilage cells. It is approved by the FDA in the United States as a popular food supplement and can be purchased in supermarkets, but care should be taken to adhere to a long period of time and to take it regularly.