What is osteoarthritis of the knee Osteoarthritis is an inflammation of the joint caused by a series of degenerative changes in the joint beginning with the degeneration of the articular cartilage. Osteoarthritis of the knee is the most common type of knee arthritis and is the most common cause of knee pain. Who is at risk for osteoarthritis of the knee: Osteoarthritis of the knee can occur at any age, but is more commonly seen in people over the age of 38. Ageing, heavy weight, previous inflammation or trauma to the knee, abnormal joint development in the lower extremities, and even smoking are all associated with this disease. Frequent cold stimulation of the knee can aggravate the degeneration of joint cartilage. Osteoarthritis of the knee: Pain is the most common manifestation of osteoarthritis of the knee, often ranging from mild to severe. In addition to pain, swelling and stiffness of the knee joint may also be a complication. In severe cases of osteoarthritis of the knee joint, hypertrophy or deformity of the knee joint may occur due to severe cartilage damage; you may feel a sound in your knee when squatting or walking up and down stairs. In the later stages of arthritis, the range of motion of the knee joint becomes smaller, or even almost impossible. Therefore, for early knee discomfort, you should be alert and go to a regular hospital as soon as possible. Home health care for osteoarthritis of the knee 1. General health care: Get more sunshine, pay attention to cold and dampness, keep warm, and try to make the knee joint get good rest. Do not overload the joint, and avoid prolonged standing and sitting, do not let the joint in a certain position for too long. Obese patients should lose weight and wear knee pads or elastic bandages to protect the knee and other joints. 2. Diet: Eat foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, which help in calcium absorption, such as milk, eggs, soy products, vegetables and fruits, etc., which are useful in preventing osteoporosis and cartilage degeneration. 3, physical exercise: appropriate functional exercise to maintain and improve joint activity and enhance the muscle strength of the affected joint is quite beneficial, mostly active non-weight-bearing exercises, first for the strengthening of muscle strength exercises, and then gradually practice to increase joint mobility. ① General exercise: walk slowly once or twice a day on flat ground for 20-30 minutes each time. When descending stairs and squatting can take the method of slow walking, one level up and down the stairs, while pulling the handrail, squatting should also hold something to lend strength. You can play taijiquan, but it is not advisable to squat in a horse stance, and cycling is a better way to walk. For patients with osteoarthritis, the best exercise program is swimming. On the one hand, the load on the joints is minimal, on the other hand, swimming movements (such as breaststroke) can ensure joint movement and exercise muscle strength, and swimming can enhance the function of the heart and lungs and other organs, which can effectively enhance the ability to resist disease. In addition, do not stay in one position for a long time, and do not blindly do exercises such as repeatedly flexing and extending the knee joint, rubbing the patella and shaking the knee joint. ② Straight leg raise exercise: lie on your back, raise the affected knee straight up 30-1000px, try to maintain the position after raising it, adhere to it for a period of time and then slowly put it down, counting the above once. Then repeat the exercise, 10-15 times per group. 3-4 times a day. It can make the quadriceps strong and powerful, and can reduce knee pain. ③ Knee flexion exercise: the patient sits on the edge of the bed, the affected limb calf drops and actively flexes the knee, which can increase the knee mobility. What should I do if I have osteoarthritis of the knee? When you have osteoarthritis of the knee, it is difficult to reverse the general pathological changes, but proper treatment can completely stop the vicious cycle of joint degeneration, relieve the symptoms and slow down the development of the disease. Medication: Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and cartilage-nourishing drugs can be taken under the guidance of a physician to improve pain and delay joint degeneration, and certain Chinese medicines are also effective. Surgery: If the symptoms of osteoarthritis are very severe, if medication is ineffective, and if it affects the patient’s daily life, surgical intervention should be considered. For milder cases of knee osteoarthritis, arthroscopic surgery is preferred. Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that can effectively clean the inflammatory material in the joint cavity, repair or even mend the articular cartilage, and has the outstanding advantages of safety, minimal damage, short operation time and quick recovery. For severe osteoarthritis of the knee, knee replacement surgery can be considered to obtain a pain-free, stable, and mobile knee joint. Navigated arthroplasty is a new advancement in knee replacement surgery, offering greater precision and better long-term outcomes.