Arthritis prevention measures

The core logic of arthritis prevention has never been to rely on eating expensive health products, but to reduce the additional wear and tear on joints as much as possible, control the triggering factors of systemic inflammation, and intervene as soon as early signs appear. By doing these three points, the risk of most types of arthritis can be reduced by more than 60%.

Don’t think that arthritis is a “senile disease” that only the elderly get. I have been in the orthopedic clinic for almost 9 years, and the youngest patient I have ever seen was only 22 years old. He was a young man who went to the gym all year round. He practiced squats every day while carrying 180 kilograms of weight to compete for PR. It was so painful that he had to go up and downstairs to check it out. It was already early-stage patellofemoral arthritis. Regarding the impact of exercise on joints, there are actually two different views in the industry: Traditional orthopedics prefers to "spare use", and it is recommended to do less knee-bending weight-bearing movements such as climbing stairs, climbing mountains, and deep squats. ； However, the viewpoint of sports medicine is more radical. It is believed that as long as the muscles around the joints are strong enough, appropriate weight-bearing can stimulate cartilage metabolism and delay degeneration. My own experience over the years is that both of these are correct. The key is to match your own joint foundation - if a person who is too lazy to go downstairs and gets out of breath after taking two steps suddenly climbs a mountain with an altitude of 1,500 meters, something will definitely happen. But for people who have been exercising all year round and have solid leg strength training, squatting two or three times a week is not a problem at all.

Speaking of, the impact of weight on joints is really underestimated by many people. The pressure on the knees is 3-6 times of the body weight. If you have 10 pounds of extra fat on your body, your knees will have to carry an extra 30 pounds of weight every time they land. There used to be a 52-year-old aunt who weighed 140 pounds and had knee pain for 3 years. She applied dozens of boxes of ointments and took a lot of imported medicines, but she didn't feel any better. Later, she followed my advice to control her diet and walk slowly for 40 minutes a day. She lost 12 pounds in 3 months. She came back for a review last month and said that the number of pains was reduced by 80%, which is more effective than any special medicine. When I sit in the office and review cases, I would put a 10cm-high stool under my feet so that my knees are slightly higher than my hips. I don’t have to bend my knees at 90 degrees all the time, and my legs won’t feel swollen at the end of the day. I’ve been doing this for almost 8 years, and many of my colleagues have followed suit.

There are also many little habits that young people don’t take seriously, but they are actually wearing down their joints. For example, little girls love to wear high heels that are over 8 cm. The most exaggerated thing I have seen is a little girl who just graduated. She wore 12 cm stiletto heels to work every day. Within half a year, she developed metatarsophalangeal arthritis, which was so painful that she could not walk. ； Also, if you expose your ankles in winter just to look good, don’t think that it’s just the skin that’s freezing. Cold stimulation will constrict the blood vessels around the joints, preventing inflammatory metabolites from being discharged. Over time, it can easily induce aseptic inflammation. It will be too late to regret it when it hurts.

Speaking of the supplement issue that everyone is most concerned about, we must objectively say that products such as glucosamine and chondroitin are really controversial: the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons’ guidelines in previous years clearly stated that routine supplementation of glucosamine is not recommended to prevent arthritis. However, many middle-aged and elderly people we have encountered in clinical practice have indeed alleviated a lot of joint soreness and snapping after taking them. My suggestion is that if you don’t have any discomfort, there is no need to spend that wasted money on food. If you already have slight soreness or joint stiffness after sitting for a long time, you can try taking it for 3 months.

Another point that many people ignore is early intervention. Many people just have a little pain in their knees when going up and down stairs, or struggle to stand up after squatting down. They think that it will be fine after just two days of rest, and do not take it seriously. When the pain is so bad that they can't walk, they will check again. A large piece of cartilage has been worn away. At that time, all methods can only relieve it, but cannot cure it. I often tell my patients that the joints are the "old friends" of your body. If they send you a signal that they are uncomfortable, don't force it. Rest for two days. If it is still not good, go for an MRI. Early detection and early intervention are better than anything else.

In fact, there is really no unified standard answer for arthritis prevention. Everyone's joint conditions are different, and the suitable methods are also different. Don't listen to others who say that climbing stairs is better, just climb a dozen floors every day, and don't listen to others who say that if your joints are injured by exercise, just lie still every day. Feeling more yourself, don't over-create, and don't over-maintain, is the best prevention.