Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disease characterized by degeneration and destruction of joint cartilage and osteophytes. It occurs mainly in the knee joints of middle-aged and elderly people, so it is also called proliferative knee arthritis or senile knee arthritis. The disease is commonly seen in middle-aged and elderly people, and is more common in women than men. Osteoarthritis is mainly characterized by painful knee movements, especially going up and down stairs, and is more pronounced with exertion and at night. There may be popping and grinding sounds when the joint moves, and some patients have joint swelling, effusion, or even deformity. The main cause is chronic strain on the soft tissues of the knee joint due to long-term poor posture; secondly, weight gain is directly proportional to the development of osteoarthritis, and some studies have shown that the risk of knee osteoarthritis increases 12-fold in obese men and 17-fold in obese women, so obesity is also an important factor in the development of the disease; other causes include cold irritation, osteoporosis, fractures, cartilage and ligament damage, etc. Osteoarthritis has a significant genetic predisposition. Guo Hua, Department of Pain, Sixth People’s Hospital, Anyang City Physical therapy, external application, drugs, acupuncture, arthroscopy and joint replacement are all conventional treatments for osteoarthritis. Can osteoarthritis be self-prevented: The answer is yes. 1. Weight loss is the most effective measure to protect the knee joint. 2. Correct your daily life and work posture and habits, such as avoiding prolonged squatting, because the weight on the knee joint during squatting is 3 to 6 times your own weight;
Try not to walk in high heels; ride a bicycle with the height of the seat so that both legs can be straight or slightly bent; avoid strenuous exercise.
Minimize stairs, hiking, standing and lifting heavy objects; middle-aged and elderly dancers avoid strenuous bouncing, because bouncing greatly increases the load on the knee joint; but appropriate exercise such as swimming, walking and tai chi are helpful to the recovery of osteoarthritis. 3. Reasonable diet. Eat more dairy products, beans, eggs, fish and shrimp, seaweed, black fungus, chicken feet, pork and beef tendons, and other foods rich in protein, calcium, collagen, and isoflavones are helpful. 4. Drug treatment. Oral glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, diacetin and other drugs can be taken. 5. Acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture therapy can improve the pain and function faster, and it is still effective for physical therapy, external application and medication that are not effective. 6. Advanced patients can have joint replacement.