What are the preventive measures for arthritis?

To put it bluntly, the core of arthritis prevention is to reduce excess wear and tear on joints and intervene in early stages of discomfort. There are not so many magical tricks spread on the Internet. Instead, many people fall into the trap because they blindly follow the wrong method of "maintaining joints" and end up damaging their good knees.

I just met 52-year-old Aunt Zhang at the outpatient clinic last week. I heard from neighbors in the community that climbing stairs can strengthen the legs and prevent arthritis. She climbed 20 floors every morning and evening for three months. Her knees hurt so much that she even trembled when going down the stairs. It was found that she had early-stage osteoarthritis, and a thin layer of cartilage had been worn away. Speaking of this, I have to mention the current controversy: Many sports bloggers emphasize that "climbing stairs with standard posture will not hurt the knees." However, according to clinical data, human articular cartilage itself begins to undergo degenerative changes after the age of 45. No matter how correct the posture is, the pressure on the patella when climbing stairs is about 7 times that on flat roads. There is really no need for ordinary people to take this risk. If you really want to build muscles, you can choose joint-friendly projects such as swimming and brisk walking on flat roads.

To be honest, the most easily overlooked and most effective prevention item is weight control. Don’t think that weight has nothing to do with joints. For every 1 kilogram of excess weight, your knees will have to carry an extra 3 kilograms of weight when walking. If you run and jump, this number will rise to 6 kilograms. I once met a 28-year-old young man who weighed 190 pounds and loved to play half-court basketball. He was diagnosed with patellofemoral arthritis without any trauma. Later, he lost 30 pounds according to the doctor's advice. The frequency of knee pain was reduced by 80% without taking medicine. The effect is more effective than any health care products.

There are some small details in your daily life that you just need to pay more attention to. For example, don’t always squat to wipe the floor or pick vegetables. When squatting to 90 degrees, the pressure on your knees is 8 times your body weight. Squatting once in a while is fine. Squatting every day will definitely wear down the cartilage.； Don't blow directly on your knees in an air-conditioned room in the summer, and don't expose your ankles and knees just to look good in the winter. The blood vessels around the joints are particularly sensitive to temperature. After catching a cold, the blood circulation is poor, and the synovial membrane is prone to problems. A while ago, there was a 22-year-old girl who had the air conditioner blowing on her knees every day in the office. After two months of blowing, she was so painful that she couldn't squat down. She was diagnosed with transient synovitis, which is caused by the cold.

As for whether ammonia sugar and calcium tablets should be supplemented by many people, there is currently no unified conclusion: some studies believe that appropriate supplementation of ammonia sugar and vitamin D after the age of 35 can delay cartilage degeneration. There are also clinical data showing that ammonia sugar is only useful for people with mild to moderate cartilage wear, and is basically useless for people who have suffered severe joint damage. On the contrary, it may increase the metabolic burden. If you really need to supplement, it is best to see a doctor to evaluate your own situation first, and don't buy health care products randomly.

Finally, I would like to remind you that if your joints occasionally experience soreness, popping, or slight pain, don’t insist on continuing to exercise. Take a rest for two days. If it is not relieved, take a X-ray to check. Early adjustments and early intervention are better than regretting it when you have to have surgery.