Young people may not realize the pain and inconvenience caused by bad knees when they are old. Knee ache, pain and stiffness don't mean you can't feel it without rest. Many of my patients often tell me that they often wake up in pain in the middle of the night and get up in the morning with pain in their knees.
Don't talk about traveling, it is difficult to go to the toilet at home at ordinary times. It is conceivable that even squatting in the toilet has to endure severe pain, and the quality of life and happiness of middle-aged and elderly people with poor knees will be greatly affected.
It can be said that knee osteoarthritis is a disease that almost every elderly person will get. Just like wrinkles on the face, our knees will have different aging and lesions sooner or later. However, we will all get old, and one day, you and I will both face such a problem.
Yes, knee osteoarthritis. I believe that no one wants to come up and have an operation to change their joints. So everyone will choose conservative treatment. Today we will talk about the most important link in the maintenance or conservative treatment of knee osteoarthritis: exercise.
The answer is very clear:
Even if the knee is worn out, it is far better to exercise than not to exercise!
Don't think like this: "When my bad knee is worn out, I will rest and try to reduce the wear." I have met many people with bad knees. In order to prevent knee pain, I try to avoid activities. Almost without exception, they found that the joints became more and more stiff and the legs became more and more boring, but the pain was not alleviated because of inactivity, but it was more painful to walk.
In fact, all textbooks, guides and professional orthopedic surgeons will suggest:
Patients must keep active in order to maintain and increase joint flexibility and muscle strength around joints as much as possible.
Authoritative research found that patients with knee osteoarthritis, using individualized moderate exercise, not only will not aggravate joint pain, but will relieve joint pain and discomfort symptoms, and even significantly improve the function of knee joint.
In addition, exercise can not only prevent joint stiffness and muscle atrophy, but also play an important role in controlling weight, maintaining cardiovascular health and preventing coronary heart disease.
Of course, exercise must be "appropriate"!
I know that many popular science articles suggest proper exercise, but they may not tell you what kind of exercise is appropriate. Today, I will tell you what kind of exercise is safer and how much exercise is "appropriate" for people with poor knees or even different severity of illness.
Although different people have different conditions, there are individual differences. But I will still give advice that applies to most people.
Please remember:
Swimming, walking and cycling are all low-impact or non-impact sports before arthritis patients usually exercise moderately. Although some literatures put forward different time ranges, at present, the "2-hour pain principle" is widely used.
The so-called 2-hour pain principle refers to:
If the patient's joint pain reaches or even exceeds 2 hours after exercise, it means that his activity is too large.
Can we ordinary people apply this 2-hour pain rule? To help us assess whether we exercise too much. If the pain reaches 2 hours after exercise, it means reducing the amount of exercise.
Although it is to remind everyone to exercise, I still want to remind everyone of the importance of "rest" in the end.
Friends with bad knees should deliberately arrange rest during the day. These intervals can provide opportunities for our joints to breathe and repair themselves, thus avoiding pain and inflammation.
Of course, rest is more than "stopping". Alternating light and heavy tasks is another way to relieve joint pressure. Many friends with bad knees deliberately alternate sitting and standing activities to reduce joint traction. If we need to work all day, we can stand up, walk around and stretch our joints regularly. If you need to stand in one place for a long time at work, you can put a piece of wood on the ground and step on it alternately with your feet to reduce traction.
There are old people in our family. One day, we will all get old and have more or less problems with our knees. I hope this article can help you and the people around you. For more interesting and useful medical science knowledge, you can pay attention to the orthopedic doctor Lu Yao.
Finally, 20 19, I wish you all happiness, happiness and health.
refer to
1. I'm Kujala. Exercise therapy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Scandinavian Journal of Medical Science and Sports 2004; 14: 138.
2.Semanik P, Wilbur J, Sinacore J, Chang RW Physical activity behavior of elderly female patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis 2004; 5 1:246.
3. Joint protection and fatigue management. In: Rehabilitation of Rheumatism, Melvin J, Jensen G (ed.), American Occupational Therapy Association, Bethesda 1998. Volume 1, page 279
4.Stamm TA, Machold KP, Smolen JS, etc. Joint protection and home hand exercise improve hand function in patients with hand osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Rheumatoid arthritis 2002; 47:44.