The “arthritis” and “cold leg” are actually known as degenerative arthritis of the knee (or osteoarthritis of the knee, osteoarthrosis of the knee) in medical terms, simply because it increases in pain when the climate turns cold, cloudy and rainy, and the patients are mostly middle-aged and elderly. This is why it is commonly called “old cold leg”. “It is a degenerative change in the joints that becomes more severe with age. In the early stage, there is often vague pain on both sides or one side of the knee, which is aggravated when moving, especially when going up and down stairs, and relieved after rest. The symptoms worsen when it rains or cools down. Sometimes the pain is acute and the joint is stiff, with a popping sound when moving. The stiffness of the joint worsens after prolonged sitting and improves slightly after activity. At a later stage, the knee joint may become enlarged and deformed, with limited range of motion and persistent pain. Osteoarthritis is mainly due to the thinning, softening, loss of elasticity, and even fragmentation and peeling of the cartilage in the joint due to prolonged use of the joint. Without the protection of the cartilage, the bones under the cartilage grow “bone spurs” during the friction process, which eventually leads to joint pain, stiffness and limited movement, which is called osteoarthritis. Therefore, osteoarthritis is actually a sterile inflammation caused by the wear and tear of joint cartilage. Generally speaking, the human skeleton reaches its peak of development at the age of 25 and 30, after which it begins its downward spiral. Articular cartilage is no exception and is more prone to damage due to prolonged use or violent impact. Because of the special results of articular cartilage, it has little regenerative capacity and is difficult to repair itself once it is damaged. If we use our joints normally, they will grow old with us until they accompany us throughout our lives. However, the lack of exercise, overload use and trauma of modern people have greatly accelerated the rate of joint damage. Therefore, in order to prevent osteoarthritis, we need to take care of our knee joints. There are some clinical misconceptions about treatment: 1. “Calcium supplements for joint pain”. When many patients experience knee pain, their first reaction is that they have osteoporosis, so they rush to take calcium supplements. As a result, some patients with osteoarthritis eat calcium tablets for half a year, but not only the joint pain does not improve, but the wrong calcium supplementation leads to osteophytes. 2, “painkillers do not eat”. Many patients with osteoarthritis believe that painkillers do not really cure the disease and have many side effects, so many patients prefer to endure pain rather than take painkillers, which is actually a misunderstanding of painkillers. What clinicians use are not just painkillers, but non-steroidal analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as the common Cilobal, Fotarin, Fenbid, Meloxicam, Nimesulide, etc. The main role of these drugs is to eliminate sterile inflammation, thus achieving the purpose of analgesia. Therefore, patients with bone joints can apply this type of painkillers appropriately during the acute inflammation period, which can prevent the development of the disease. Otherwise, it will continue to aggravate the damage of joint cartilage, forming a vicious circle. However, although painkillers are effective, they also have certain side effects, so if you find joint pain, you should still seek medical attention in time to prevent continued damage to the joint. Generally speaking, if joint pain occurs after exercise or overexertion (excluding trauma), it can be observed for two days. If the joint also appears red, swollen, feverish, promptly go to the hospital. 3, “less use of joints will be less wear and tear”. Joints with more wear and tear, but long periods of inactivity of the joints will also have problems. Especially the sedentary office white-collar workers, long time to maintain a posture, will also increase the load on some joints, triggering osteoarthritis. In addition, long periods of inactivity can weaken the function of ligaments, tendons and muscles, affecting the stability of the joints. In this state, once the sudden movement, the risk of joint injury will be higher. Therefore, only moderate exercise can strengthen the support of muscles, tendons and ligaments, thus protecting the knee joint and preventing arthritis. Of course, people of different ages can only achieve the prevention of osteoarthritis if they choose appropriate exercise: Exercises that are more suitable for middle-aged and elderly people include walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, taijiquan, Yi Jin Jing, etc. It should be noted that the correct posture should be mastered during exercise, avoid over-exercising, avoid trauma, and if an injury should be treated appropriately and in a timely manner. Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee should also exercise appropriately, but should avoid exercises with high joint load, such as running, jumping and squatting for a long time, and reduce or avoid climbing stairs. Adequate preparation before exercise to avoid sudden onset of heavy exercise; concentration during exercise to avoid trauma; choosing a flat and resilient playing field to reduce weight and avoid excessive impact on the knee joint when running; and wearing necessary protective equipment are all reasonable and effective measures. If you already have a knee injury, you should take adequate rest and try to avoid sports activities with high knee loads such as mountain climbing, stair climbing, etc.