Osteoarthritis, also known as osteoarthrosis, degenerative osteoarthritis, etc., mainly occurs in people over 50 years of age, and is more common in women than men. Clinical surveys have found that the incidence of osteoarthritis accounts for about 29% of people aged 59 to 69 years, and 70% of people aged 75 years or older. It is evident that degenerative osteoarthritis is a typical disease of aging. Osteoporosis is also a common degenerative disease of the elderly and, like osteoarthritis, can manifest as bone pain, but the pain caused by osteoporosis is generally generalized skeletal pain and tends to be persistent. Osteoarthritis can occur in all joints of the body, but it is more common in the knee, hip, and spine, which are heavily weight-bearing joints, and is mainly characterized by pain that is obvious when the joint starts to move, decreases after a little activity, and increases when there is more weight-bearing or too much joint activity. Sometimes, the pain can be radiated, such as pain in the hip joint can be radiated to the inner thigh and near the knee joint. Patients with osteoarthritis may experience stiffness in the early stages of the disease, for example, when the knee joint is in a certain position for a long time, they may have difficulty moving and starting. As the disease worsens, joint instability, reduced range of motion in flexion and extension, and decreased walking ability, especially the ability to walk up and down steps, squat, run, and jump, may gradually appear. Some patients with advanced osteoarthritis may develop deformities of the lower extremities, with knee deformities being the most common, and patients may even have to rely on crutches to walk. Although osteoarthritis is more common in the elderly, it can be effectively prevented in daily life, mainly by doing the following four things: 1. It is best for the elderly not to frequently go up and down stairs, lifting heavy objects, so as not to overload the joints and aggravate joint degeneration. 2. Maintain body weight and prevent obesity. Because obesity can increase the burden on the joints, so once you are overweight, you should actively lose weight. 3.Participate in appropriate outdoor activities to prevent excessive exercise. The elderly actively participate in outdoor activities for physical and mental health, but must pay attention to avoid excessive exercise, so as not to cause joint, ligament and muscle damage. 4.Reasonable diet. Eat more food containing protein and calcium, such as milk and milk products, beans and soy products, fish and shrimp, kelp, etc., which can not only replenish protein and calcium to prevent osteoporosis, but also nourish cartilage and joints and reduce arthritis symptoms. For early osteoarthritis treatment, the main focus is to protect the joints and reduce symptoms. Patients should limit weight-bearing activities in the joints, avoid standing for too long or walking long distances, and use a cane to reduce the load on the affected joints. At the same time, the affected joints must be kept warm and protected from wind and cold, and can be rested in bed for a short period of time and completely braked during an attack of the disease. In the acute stage, if the joint becomes hot and swollen, local cold compresses should be applied first, and then hot compresses should be applied after the heat and swelling have subsided. In the chronic stage, infrared light, ultrashort wave, acupuncture, wax therapy, massage and other treatments can be performed under the guidance of a doctor. Appropriate functional exercise is also essential. Reasonable exercise can restore muscle contraction, joint flexibility and prevent osteoporosis. Professor Cai Zhengdong said that many patients will blindly exercise, disco dancing, even running, climbing, etc., but will increase the load on the joints, causing further damage to the cartilage and aggravate the symptoms. The correct exercise is to try to make flexion and extension activities without weight on the joints. It is recommended that the healthy limb be weighted on the ground and the affected limb be flexed and extended, or the joint flexion and extension exercise be performed in a sitting position. Try not to do squatting and other activities that will increase the load on the joints. The best way to exercise the hip and knee joints is to practice sit-ups, straight leg raises, etc. in bed. In addition, swimming is a great exercise for people with degenerative knee osteoarthritis because it is not overly taxing on the knee joint and allows the muscles to be fully active. For patients with advanced degenerative knee osteoarthritis who do not improve with regular medication and whose condition affects walking and daily life, surgery should be performed as soon as possible, rather than trusting the so-called prescriptions and recipes.