Why are middle-aged and elderly people prone to knee pain? Should I rest, or keep exercising?

Lao Wang is almost 60 years old, and he will take his grandson to school every day, because it is not far away, he will go downstairs for a walk in the evening. Besides, he likes the elderly in the community. The activity center played mahjong with old friends, and the days were very leisurely.

But when I picked up my grandson recently, I always felt knee pain, and my grandson couldn't keep up with running. When I talked to my old friends, I found that everyone basically had knee and thigh discomfort. However, some old friends think that it is because they are getting old and their legs and feet are not good, so they should rest more. Others think that they are too lack of exercise, and they always sit here and play mahjong. Do some exercise such as running or tai chi.

Facing the different opinions of his old friends, Lao Wang is also very confused. This knee always hurts. Should he rest or exercise more? I believe this is also a question that many elderly people have. Today, the doctor will take you to scientifically explore how to care for your knees.

To explore how to care for your knees, you must first understand why people are prone to knee pain when they get old.

Why do people tend to have knee pain and leg disease when they are old?

The knee is the key part of the human body connecting the lower leg and the inner part of the knee is composed of the meniscus and four ligaments. The knee joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. It is composed of the femur, tibia and patella. It is the weight-bearing joint of the human body and is therefore one of the most vulnerable joints. Many daily activities of the human body can cause wear and tear on the knees, and as the age increases, the wear and tear of the knees become more obvious, and the pain is more likely to occur.

The knee joint is also the joint part with the highest incidence in the human body, and various pain symptoms are prone to occur. Among them, the ligaments, meniscus, femur, tibia and patella are prone to form diseases due to wear and tear. Common knee joint diseases include knee joints. inflammation, chondromalacia patella, meniscus injury, etc.

Knee arthritis and osteoarthritis are very common degenerative diseases in the elderly. According to the latest epidemiological survey in China, the current prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in China is 8.1%, which does not seem to be a high probability. , but this means that there are about 110 million knee osteoarthritis patients in China, and the prevalence of people over 65 years old has even reached 50%.

The key to its pathogenesis is the wear and tear of the joints. A large number of clinical cases have also confirmed that the degree of knee pain is positively correlated with the wear and tear of articular cartilage. Patients often show knee swelling, pain when going up and down stairs, knee pain when sitting low, and joint deformities.

Why does articular cartilage wear down?

After the age of 30, the fibers of the joints will change, the elasticity will be weakened, and the reduction of joint fluid will make the joint cartilage dry , and in this case, the knee is extremely prone to wear and tear. Human activities, collisions, and falls will aggravate the wear and damage of articular cartilage. Since there are no blood vessels and nerve structures in cartilage tissue, nutrition mainly depends on synovial fluid, which easily leads to a vicious circle of wear and tear.

In fact, it is not just that people are prone to knee pain when they are old, but many young people also have this problem. The key to these problems is caused by bad living habits. For example, women who wear high-heeled shoes for a long time are more harmful to their knees, while people who often maintain sedentary conditions such as long-term drivers, office workers, and even those who lack outdoor activities Students are prone to knee injuries, increasing the risk of knee problems later in life.

In addition, since the main job of the joint is to bear the weight of the human body, when the human body is too fat, it will also increase the wear and tear of the knee joint. The more worn out the knee joint is, the more likely it is to develop lesions when injured.

Then the key question is, when the knee wear is obvious, how to choose a maintenance plan, whether to rest or walk less? Or exercising?

My knees always hurt, should I stay still or move?

For the elderly, it must be kept in mind that you can't just lie down when you feel sick .

When the knee hurts, every step can be torture, but the way to deal with pain by lying down and reducing movement is undoubtedly self-deceiving. With the increase of age, the functions of the human body are easily lost, and it is more prone to the situation of use and disuse. Long-term inactivity will accelerate the loss of body functions , and at the same time, it is easy to accelerate the loss of body muscles.

Of course, with the increase of age, the body is not suitable for high-intensity exercise. In particular, some weight-bearing activities should be avoided to avoid greater pressure on the knees. At the same time, the habit of sedentary should be avoided. Chess is still chatting and chatting. It is easy to sit for a long time and often have knee pain when getting up.

For the elderly with knee pain, you can choose some less weight-bearing exercises to exercise. Swimming and cycling are very suitable for middle-aged and elderly people. They can adjust the exercise intensity that suits them, and it is not easy to hurt the knees. For example, when riding a bicycle, the legs can maintain the cycle of repeated straightening and bending, which is conducive to the flow of joint fluid, reduces the wear and tear of articular cartilage, and drives the movement of the leg muscles.

Although running and other fitness training programs are good ways to exercise, they are not suitable for people with knee injuries. It is easy to increase the wear and injury to the knees due to irregular movements or inappropriate strength.

For people who have just experienced a collision, fall or severe knee arthritis, it is still not recommended to exercise. If you arrange your own training at this time, it may aggravate the condition. Therefore, the doctor's treatment should be the main treatment, and then some rehabilitation training should be carried out. , through the doctor to give targeted exercise recommendations for the patient's condition.

In addition to people with frequent knee pain who need to increase exercise in their daily lives, some young groups should exercise early to prevent the arrival of leg diseases.

What should be done to prevent leg disease?

The first is to pay attention to avoid daily injuries to the knees. Long-term weight-bearing tests are not only the muscle strength of the human body, but also the lifespan of the knees. When climbing, running fast, and moving things up and down the stairs, the knees will bear several times the pressure of standing. Although running and climbing are good ways to exercise, you must also master the appropriate intensity.

When running, avoid fast running in the whole process. You can choose a running method that is mainly jogging, and fast running and running are crossed, which can not only have a good exercise effect, but also reduce the pressure and injury to the knees. For those who are physically weak or older, jogging or brisk walking is more suitable.

Secondly, the measures to protect the knee can not be less. Wearing knee pads during exercise can play a certain protective role, and can also keep the knee warm and promote the blood circulation of the knee. At the same time, with the increase of age, the immune system of the human body tends to decline, and cold and moisture are very easy to invade the human body. The fragile joints are very sensitive to these injuries, so the warm work of the knee cannot be ignored.

Summarize:

Exercise is a very important part of protecting human health. Choosing the right exercise method can improve your physical function well.