Do you know how much stress your knee joint is under? When lying down, the weight on the knee is almost zero. When standing or walking, the weight on the knee is about 1 to 2 times heavier. When walking up and down hills or stairs, the weight on the knee is about 3 to 4 times heavier. Of all the joints in the body, the knee has the heaviest task, the most complex movement patterns, and a relatively poor nutritional and blood supply, so knee pain, injury, and degeneration are relatively common in people of all ages. Studies have found that our knee joints only have about 15 years of “good life” and the rest of the time they are subject to varying degrees of pain for different reasons. Before the age of 15: The knee joint is in a developmental stage, with occasional growing pains around the knee joint during adolescence 15-30: The knee joint is in “perfect condition”, and movement can be tireless. As long as there is no direct damage to the local tissues of the knee joint, it is basically not felt. Ages 30-50: After walking long distances or going down stairs, the medial side of the knee joint tends to become sore, or the area around the patella becomes sore, which is relieved by gentle rubbing. Over 50 years old: The knee joint will feel relatively obvious pain because the joint cartilage begins to wear out and “spurs” and “osteophytes” begin to grow, and arthritis has developed. This is the time to use the joint sparingly, reduce strenuous exercise, especially stairs, squatting and climbing, and use crutches if necessary to reduce the load on the knee joint. Knee injuries and degeneration are usually due to injury or wear of the cartilage or meniscus, which is almost always non-renewable. Therefore, it is important to take care of your knee before it is too late and not to wait until pain occurs before you start to cherish it. Once you become aware of a joint abnormality, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid missing the best time to treat it.