Arthritis prevention knowledge bulletin board

The core logic of preventing arthritis has never been to "blindly supplement calcium", but to do a good job Weight control, avoidance of improper strain, adjustment of daily habits, early detection and early intervention Four things, 90% of early and mid-stage joint injuries can be delayed or even reversed through reasonable prevention.

Last week at the free clinic in the community, I met Aunt Zhang who lives in Building 3. She came over with half a bag of imported health products and asked. She said that she had been taking calcium and ammonia sugar every day, but she still had pain in her knees when climbing stairs last month. After taking a X-ray, she found out that it was degenerative arthritis, and one-third of the cartilage had been worn away. This misunderstanding is really too common. Many people think that arthritis is a "senile disease caused by calcium deficiency" and that everything will be fine if you supplement enough nutrition. This is not the case.

There is a lot of talk about joint care on the Internet right now. One group says, "The more you move, the stronger your joints will be." They post about their records of climbing more than ten floors and running a marathon every day, and they shout that "the more you wear the cartilage, the longer it will last."”； The other group says "use your joints once and use them less". They wish they could lie on the sofa every day without moving, and even walk for fear of wearing out their knees. The doctors from the orthopedic department of the city's top tertiary hospitals who we contacted have supporters of both views, but the consensus in the industry is clear: incorrect exercise destroys joints, while appropriate exercise can nourish joints. Exercises that bear little weight on the joints, such as swimming, walking on flat roads, and riding shared bicycles, can strengthen the muscles around the joints, which is equivalent to putting a layer of cushioning on the joints, which can actually reduce cartilage wear. ； If you already have a lot of weight and you squat, jump, and climb twenty or thirty floors every day to lose weight, your cartilage will wear away faster than anyone else. Last year, a 27-year-old girl who worked in Internet operations came for screening. She wore 8cm high heels every day while squeezing on the subway, and climbed stairs to lose weight after work. She developed ankle arthritis before she turned 30, and it hurt so much that she couldn't walk on rainy days. Now she can only wear soft-soled shoes and undergo regular rehabilitation.

You may not believe it. For every 1 kilogram of weight gain, your knees have to carry an additional 3 kilograms of weight when walking, and they have to carry up to 10 kilograms when running and jumping. If you are 20 kilograms heavier than the standard weight, your knees will be equivalent to carrying a 40 kilogram rice bag every day. Can they not be worn out? Many people can't keep their mouth shut and put all their hopes of prevention on supplements, which is really a waste of time.

There is another detail that everyone easily overlooks: exposing ankles and knees in the winter, and facing the air conditioner blowing directly on the joints in the summer. Many young people think that "arthritis is only caused by old people, and I can afford it when I am young." In fact, the cold will not directly cause arthritis, but it will constrict the blood vessels around the joints and prevent inflammatory metabolites from being discharged. Joints that are already slightly damaged will directly suffer severe pain. Don’t always talk about young people in Europe and the United States showing their legs in winter. People get on the bus when they go out, and there is heating when they enter the building. The total time of exposing their legs is less than 10 minutes. If you stand in the subzero wind for half an hour waiting for the bus, is it the same?

Speaking of supplements, I would like to say a few words. Glucosamine and chondroitin are very popular nowadays. Some people say that taking them can cure arthritis, while others say that they are purely IQ-taxing. Objectively speaking, for nearly 30% of patients with early- to mid-stage degenerative arthritis, it is true that eating it can relieve pain. However, for healthy people, eating it has no preventive effect. There is no need to spend a lot of money to buy imported products. There is also the tradition of "drinking bone soup to supplement calcium" that has been passed down for decades. The calcium content of 10 bowls of bone soup is not as good as a cup of milk. The soup is full of fat. Drinking too much will make you gain weight and put a burden on your joints. If you really need to supplement calcium, 300ml of milk a day and 15 minutes of sunshine are more reliable than anything else.

Don’t think that you just have to deal with small things if you have a little joint pain, and don’t just buy ibuprofen and eat it for half a year, which will ruin your stomach. If you have pain when going up or down stairs, can't stand up after squatting, or your joints are cracking or swollen, go to a regular hospital to take a X-ray as soon as possible. Nowadays, there are still people who advertise that sodium hyaluronate injections are "just one injection." This industry is also controversial. Some doctors think that early and mid-term injections can lubricate the joints and relieve pain, while some think it is not cost-effective. You need to find a doctor to evaluate your joint condition to determine whether you need injections and how much. Don't believe the "radical treatment packages" of private institutions.

To put it bluntly, our joints are like the bicycle chains commonly used at home. If you make them every day without maintenance, they will rust after two days of riding. If you leave them alone every day, they will get stuck. It's better to pay more attention at ordinary times than to spend tens of thousands of dollars to replace a joint if something goes wrong. If you are not sure whether you have a problem with your joints, you can come to the health consultation room on the second floor of the Community Health Service Center every Wednesday afternoon. We will give you a free assessment, and a rehabilitation therapist will teach you joint exercises that you can do at home.