In fact, most of their symptoms are caused by degenerative knee disease (degeneration), which is a chronic, progressive joint disease most common in middle-aged and older adults. The knee joint consists of the thigh bone (femur) with the tibia and fibula of the lower leg and the kneecap (patella) above it, and a thin but very wear-resistant layer of hyaline cartilage on the surface of the joint. middle-aged and older people over 45 years old, especially women, experience degeneration and atrophy of the hyaline cartilage due to declining hormone levels in the body, and with some minor injuries, this layer of hyaline cartilage will begin to “rusty”, forming bone spurs and other derivatives that prevent the normal use of the joint, while excessive leakage of synovial fluid can cause further swelling and pain in the joint. The degeneration of the knee joint is an inevitable trend and is also very closely related to injury, age, gender, hormone levels, obesity, exercise, lifestyle and genetic factors. If you pay attention to protecting the knee joint in daily life, you will slow down the degeneration or reduce the symptoms, so that the knee joint can “serve” in a healthy way. 1. Weight control The main causes of knee degeneration are long-term weight bearing, wear and aging of the joint, and calcium loss. Many middle-aged and older women are the main victims of knee osteoarthritis, and weight control is the most direct way to reduce the weight on the knee joint, which is very important to slow down the aging of the joint. 2, scientific exercise Currently, there is a common confusion: whether to maintain the knee joint or not to exercise? One view is that exercise may accelerate knee degeneration, while another is that exercise is beneficial in any form. Our advice is that exercise is necessary from both a preventive and a therapeutic point of view. Exercise can make bones strong and muscles powerful, and can enhance the nutrition of cartilage in the joint, improve and delay the aging of cartilage, which is the fundamental way to prevent knee degeneration. However, the key is to master the scientific method of exercise. TIPS Cycling and swimming are beneficial In general, cycling and swimming are two activities that are gentle and have the least impact on the knee joint. Climbing hills and stairs is not advisable. Middle-aged and elderly people should avoid participating in fitness sports that have a high impact on the knee joint, such as jumping rope, volleyball and other jumping sports, as well as climbing hills and stairs. Although climbing hills and stairs is a good way to exercise, it is not good for protecting the knee joint. Because the knees are weighted when climbing up hills or stairs, and there is a downward force in addition to your own weight when descending, the impact will increase the damage to the knee joint. Moreover, the curvature of the knee joint increases when climbing stairs, and the pressure between the patella and the femur increases accordingly. The body’s center of gravity should not be too low Secondly, the elderly should raise the body’s center of gravity as much as possible when playing Taijiquan. When you are ready to stand after squatting in life, you can use surrounding objects (such as tables, chairs, etc.) to “support a hand” in order to reduce the “pressure” on the knee joint. Although running can enhance the elasticity of joint ligaments, older people should not run too fast, and should not use too much force when stepping on the ground, it is best to land on the forefoot, or choose special sports shoes to cushion the vibration of the legs and prevent knee injuries. The knee joint is not as rich in muscle and fat tissue protection as other joints, but a “skin and bone” part, poor blood circulation, if cold for a long time, it may be due to local vascular spasm contraction to make the blood supply less, thus weakening the metabolism of cartilage and immune defense, so that the articular cartilage surface occurs Ischemia, or even necrosis, can lead to arthritis. So the elderly should always take appropriate protective measures for the knee according to the changes in temperature and humidity. For example, it is best to wear cotton pants in winter; wear knee pads before taking long walks; try not to wear skirts in winter or on rainy days; do not sit for long periods of time when playing cards, chess or mahjong in a cooler environment, and move or massage the knee joints regularly; rinse the knee joints with hot water when bathing on weekdays, and do not rinse with cold water immediately when sweating heavily on hot days. 4. Enhance nutrition and regular checkups Joints, like other parts of the body, also need adequate nutrition. Middle-aged and elderly people should pay attention to whether they have osteoporosis. They can have regular bone density checkups and take calcium and vitamin D supplements under the guidance of professional doctors to slow down the rate of bone and joint degeneration.