What to do about osteoarthritis of the knee in the elderly

According to the patients’ physical condition and different degree of hyperplasia, the treatment methods are also different. Generally speaking, the patients can do the functional exercise of knee joint, reduce the weight, physical therapy, medication, surgery and so on. 1. Functional exercise of knee joint: often do knee flexion and extension activities, such as tai chi, Ba Duan Jin, etc., can help to slow down the progress of osteophytes, increase the flexibility of the joints, and reduce the pain caused by osteophytes. If necessary, walkers or canes can be used to assist in the activities. 2. Reduce weight: obese patients should reduce weight, reduce the damage to the knee joint. 3. Physiotherapy: hot towels can be used every day to apply heat to the affected limbs, and if necessary, the affected area can be irradiated with ultrashort-wave, long-wave, laser and other radiation therapy. 4. Medication: When the proliferated bone causes pain and swelling around the knee joint, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs can be given, such as acetaminophen and celecoxib. 5. Surgical treatment: For patients who have been ineffective in conservative treatment, joint replacement surgery and joint cavity cleaning surgery are feasible. For the same disease, patients with different physical conditions and at different stages of the disease, the treatment methods are different and should be standardized under the guidance of doctors. All of the above medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor to avoid self-medication.