Knee osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease, and the older you are, the higher the prevalence. Studies show that the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in people over the age of 60 is 50%, and over the age of 75, the prevalence is even higher at 80%. Over 90% of knee arthritis patients go to the hospital only when they are in severe pain, and some patients take as long as two years from the onset of pain to the time of diagnosis. Osteoarthritis is now the second leading cause of disability in adults. Causes of knee osteoarthritis Knee osteoarthritis is generally caused by degenerative knee disease, trauma, and overexertion. Knee osteoarthritis occurs most often in middle-aged and elderly people and is the main cause of leg pain in the elderly. In addition, excessive weight, improper walking posture, prolonged squatting, and cold exposure of the knee joint are also causes of knee osteoarthritis. What are the hazards of knee arthritis? 1. Knee pain: The early stage of knee arthritis can be characterized by pain during activities, such as walking for a long time, physical labor, going up and down stairs, squatting and standing up. When the disease has progressed to a certain level, pain may occur as soon as the ground is touched, even at rest. This seriously limits the normal life and labor of the patient and affects the quality of life of the patient. 2. Knee deformity: In the middle and late stages of the joint lesion, due to the long-term lesion process, the bone quality, force lines, joint space and surrounding soft tissues of the joint have undergone structural changes, and common knee deformities include: knee flexion contracture, internal and external rotation deformity, and knee subluxation. At this time, the knee joint has partially or completely lost its function, and the joint deformity directly affects the appearance and gait. 3. Psychological disorders: Knee pain, functional limitations, and joint deformities not only cause great harm to the patient’s body, but also put a strong pressure on the patient’s heart. When patients are unable to walk and stand like normal people, they are unable to work and live normally, and even need the care of their families, which can make them feel inferior, irritable and depressed, and even lose confidence in life. 4, knee joint activity is limited: early due to knee pain, patients are afraid to move or reluctant to move, the knee joint for a long time in a relatively comfortable flexion and extension position; with the progress of the disease, the soft tissue around the joint adhesions, contractures, patients tolerate pain activities, but also can not reach the normal range of activities; worse, the knee joint is fixed in a certain position for a long time, the formation of joint stiffness, until the joint bony fusion. How to prevent knee osteoarthritis? Women who like to wear high heels, because the pressure on the knee joint is too heavy, long-term, will appear degenerative knee arthritis, it is recommended that women wear less, have to wear, should avoid squatting and kneeling or climbing stairs action. Secondly, the first thing to control weight, obesity not only induces other systemic diseases, while the body’s joints are involved, accelerating the wear and tear of the soft tissue between the joints triggering osteoarthritis. To participate in appropriate physical exercise, strong muscles and bones, but to avoid excessive exercise caused by joint damage. In addition, when sitting for a long time to pay attention to posture, office workers should often change their posture to avoid a part of the joint in a long-term weight-bearing state. Pay attention to moderate exercise and reasonable diet, but also pay attention to the prevention of trauma, do not spend a long time low and bending; prevent excessive fatigue, to avoid long-term pressure on the joints; change excessive alcohol consumption and other habits. If you already have knee osteoarthritis, you should pay attention to the following measures to slow down the development of the disease: cold and wet autumn and winter, patients should pay attention to warmth, especially in the key parts of the knee pads or cotton, do not let the affected area contact the cool wind; less climbing very steep stairs, less walking downhill; usually avoid mechanical injury, knee involvement should avoid running and ball and other strenuous sports; bad posture, such as flat feet, knee inversion, hunchback and scoliosis, etc., should be corrected as far as possible.