Arthritis prevention methods

Controlling weight, reducing inappropriate joint loads, avoiding excessive wear, and combining with moderate muscle strength training, as well as targeted nutrition and work and rest adjustments, can reduce the risk of degenerative arthritis, which accounts for the highest proportion, by more than 60%. It can also significantly reduce the frequency of gout and rheumatoid arthritis.

When I was doing follow-up work at an orthopedic rehabilitation center, I met many patients who were diagnosed with cartilage wear and tear just after they turned 50. The one who impressed me the most was a 52-year-old aunt who danced square dances for two hours every day, and also followed young people to do fat-reducing exercises with jumping. After half a year, her knees were so swollen that she couldn't wear jeans, and she already had second-degree cartilage damage after an MRI. To be honest, many people's understanding of joint protection is either extreme: either to prepare for death or to keep it motionless, which is actually wrong.

Don’t underestimate the impact of weight. We have calculated that for every 10 pounds of weight gained, the knees have to bear 30 pounds more weight when walking, and 3-4 times more weight when running and jumping. People with a BMI over 28 are more than 4 times more likely to develop degenerative arthritis by the age of 60 than people of normal weight. But don’t go on a blind diet just to lose weight. If you lose muscle faster than fat, it will be worse for your joints.

Oh, by the way, there is another type of rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease, and its onset logic is completely different from that of degenerative arthritis. The focus of prevention is to avoid long-term overexertion and reduce the probability of repeated infections. People with a family history can do relevant screenings regularly, and there is no need to join in the fun of preventing degenerative arthritis.

Nowadays, there is a lot of quarrel on the Internet about "does climbing stairs hurt the knees?" In fact, doctors in different departments have really different opinions. Most doctors in the sports medicine department believe that as long as the quadriceps are strong enough and the movements are standard, climbing stairs can build lower limb strength and is a good training. ； However, doctors in the geriatric medicine department generally recommend that elderly people over 65 years old try to avoid climbing more than 3 floors. After all, the elderly lose 1%-2% of their muscle mass every year, their reactions are also slow, their knees are unstable, and they may accidentally wear cartilage. There is no need to take this risk. Both statements are correct, it depends on your own physical condition.

Many people always think that the joint itself is the strongest, but in fact it is very brittle, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments are the real "protective cover". I used to have a colleague from 996 who didn’t exercise at all. He just sat in the office and fished every day. When he was 27 years old, his knees hurt when he climbed up to the third floor. When he went to have a cartilage check, there was no problem, but his quadriceps muscles atrophied so much that he couldn’t even squat silently against the wall for 30 seconds. After practicing for two months, he squatted silently for 10 minutes every day, and he no longer had pain when going up and down stairs. So really don’t sit down every day. Even if you have nothing to do, stand up and take a few more steps or practice raising your legs. It’s better than being paralyzed.

I also ran into a pit when I ran a half marathon two years ago. I didn't warm up because I was young, so I started running hard. After half a month of running, my patellar joint hurt and I had difficulty walking down the stairs. Later, I changed my habit: do hip and knee circles and leg raises for 5 minutes to warm up before each exercise. And for girls who like to wear high heels, don’t wear shoes that are over 5cm tall every day. I have met many girls in their 20s who have worn high heels for several years, and the wear and tear on their ankles and knees is worse than those in their 30s.

As for whether aminoglucose sulfate, which is the most frequently asked question, is an IQ tax, the current clinical conclusion is actually very clear: if you already have mild cartilage wear and occasionally have joint pain, supplementing with 1500mg of aminoglucose sulfate every day can indeed relieve discomfort and delay wear and tear.； But if your joints are completely healthy and there is no additional preventive effect from taking them, there is no need to spend that wasted money. There is also bone soup that the older generation loves to drink. It really doesn’t add much calcium. The calcium in a pot of soup is not as much as half a cup of milk. Instead, it is all fat. Drinking too much will make you fat, and it will increase the burden on the joints. If you are a patient with gouty arthritis, you should keep your mouth shut and don't drink skewers and drink cold beer in summer. I have seen many young men who had a seafood barbecue in the middle of the night and their feet hurt so much that they couldn't get out of bed. It was a gout attack.

Some people also ask whether keeping joints warm is useless. In fact, it depends on the situation. Cold will not directly cause arthritis, but it will constrict the blood vessels around the joints and prevent metabolic inflammatory factors from being discharged. People with slight wear and tear will be prone to pain. Wearing knee pads in winter and not facing the air conditioner blowing directly on your knees in summer can indeed reduce the onset of discomfort.

After all, there is really nothing complicated about preventing arthritis. Don't waste it too much, and don't leave it untouched all the time. It's that simple. After all, this joint will accompany you for decades. If you take care of it, it can accompany you for a longer distance, right?