Science in Action: The Best Strategy for Preventing Knee Osteoarthritis

Author: Niu Guangming: The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College, Henan Province

Reviewer: Cheng Chao, Chief Physician, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University

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Regarding knee osteoarthritis, many people have this view: in order to prevent knee osteoarthritis, we should move less, walk less, climb less, lift less heavy objects, do less heavy work, and should not put too much stress on the knee joint. But is this really the case?

In fact, if we sit for a long time, the probability of getting knee osteoarthritis is higher. Scientific research shows that the incidence of knee osteoarthritis in sedentary people can reach 10.3%, while the incidence of knee osteoarthritis in people who exercise regularly is only 3.5%, and the incidence of knee osteoarthritis in people who participate in competitive sports is 13.3% [1]. In other words, if we exercise too much or do not exercise at all, the probability of getting knee osteoarthritis is higher than those who exercise regularly.

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So why is this happening?

In fact, there are almost no blood vessels in our articular cartilage tissue, and its nutrients come from synovial fluid. The synovial fluid inside the knee joint is squeezed into the cartilage through the flexion and extension of the knee joint, thereby providing nutrition to the cartilage. Therefore, regular flexion and extension of the knee joint can squeeze the synovial fluid into the cartilage regularly, which is beneficial for the knee joint to obtain nutrition and maintain its normal function. At the same time, regular exercise can also exercise the muscle strength around the knee joint and the flexibility of the tendons.

So what exercises are good for exercising and protecting the knee joints?

(1) Swimming, cycling, jogging and other sports. When swimming, the body uses the buoyancy of water, so the impact of our body weight on the knee joint becomes very small. Even if you cannot swim, doing aerobics in water will be more effective than exercising on land due to the resistance of water. When exercising on a bicycle, first adjust the seat a little higher so that the knee joint will not be too bent. In addition, when sitting on the seat, you must sit firmly to minimize the impact of your body weight on the exercise. It is very beneficial for exercise to keep the knee joint in an active state of force. Jogging is actually a good exercise. Before jogging, you should do a full warm-up exercise to prepare yourself, especially for patients with knee osteoarthritis. Then, jog correctly. Wear suitable running shoes when running, which also helps protect our bodies.

(2) Moderate resistance exercise is also a good choice, which can promote skeletal muscle metabolism, enhance muscle strength, and reduce the risk of falling. Common resistance exercise methods include dumbbell lifting, straight leg raising, bench squats, elastic bands, etc.

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In addition to regular exercise, we also need to supplement protein in time. Protein is one of the important substances that make up human muscles. Due to the consumption of the elderly's own body and diseases, the elderly lose too much protein through decomposition. At the same time, the elderly are used to eating some liquid or semi-liquid food, and their protein intake is insufficient, which gradually leads to the decline of muscle mass and strength, which may aggravate the severity of knee osteoarthritis. Therefore, the elderly should also increase their protein intake appropriately.

Only through scientific and regular exercise can we ensure that the cartilage is fully nourished and maintain the muscle strength around the knee joint, thus making our knee joint healthier and our lives better. So, don't hesitate any longer, start "moving" from this moment!

References:

[1] Yu Han, Zhang Chi, Xie Mingdong, et al. Effects of exercise therapy on lower limb function and muscle strength in middle-aged and elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis in the community [J]. Journal of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2021, 44(3): 75-78, 85.