8 decompression methods to protect the knee joints, pay attention to them in daily life!

The knee joint is the largest and most complex joint in the human body. It plays a connecting role and is mainly responsible for weight bearing and walking. The knee joint is composed of the femur, tibia and patella, with the femur on the top, the tibia on the bottom and the patella on the surface. The patella is connected to the quadriceps femoris on the top and the front of the tibia on the bottom. The flexion and extension of the knee joint are controlled by the contraction and relaxation of the muscles. The joint where these three bones are connected to each other is covered with a layer of fragile cartilage, which cannot be under pressure for a long time. If the knee joint is flexed, there will be obvious pressure between the patella and femur. The posterior condyle of the femur is directly stuck on the tibia, which will also cause obvious pressure between the femur and tibia to a certain extent. In the face of complex knees, we need to take good care of them in our daily lives. The following mainly explains several ways to protect the knee joint.

1. When you wake up

When you sleep at night, your body lies flat for a long time, your blood circulation is slow, your venous return is poor, and the inflamed medial folds become swollen. When you wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning, your knees will feel sticky and you won’t be able to move immediately. Many patients wake up in the middle of the night because of pain, their knees cannot move, and they don’t even know how to get rid of the painful state.

At this time, remember not to get out of bed immediately. You should lie flat or sit on the edge of the bed, do the toe-hooking and leg-lifting movements, and use both hands to gently knead the knees, especially the inner part of the knees, for three to five minutes. Wait until the local blood circulation improves before getting out of bed. This will be smoother. The toe-hooking and leg-lifting movements can increase the strength of the quadriceps, increase the stability of the knee joint, improve blood circulation and metabolic capacity, and relieve pain.

2. When going to the toilet

After getting up, many people have to go to the toilet. This is an action that everyone, especially female friends, must repeat many times every day. It is recommended to use a sitting toilet at home. Whether squatting or sitting, the most important thing to pay attention to is "slowness". The movement should be as slow as possible. You can hold the wall or handrail with your hands to prevent the inner folds from being pinched by the kneecap due to the sudden bending of the knee.

3. When eating

Whether you are sitting on a chair or a sofa, you should move slowly. It is best to hold on to other stable objects with your hands and sit down slowly. This method is suitable for all daily sitting movements.

4. When climbing stairs

We often hear that climbing stairs hurts the knees. In fact, if you know how to climb stairs, you won’t hurt your knees easily. When climbing stairs, the lower limbs exert force, and the knees go from bent to straight, so there won’t be any major problems. When going down stairs, the lower limbs exert force, and the knees go from straight to bent, and the medial folds are more likely to be pinched. For patients with inflamed and swollen medial folds, the kneecap is more likely to be pinched by the medial folds when going down stairs, causing pain. Therefore, people with knee pain problems should avoid climbing stairs. If they must climb stairs, they can bend their knees slightly to avoid a large bending angle in the knee joint, climb slowly step by step, and use handrails for assistance when appropriate.

Climbing a mountain can also refer to the principle of climbing stairs. When climbing a slope, keep the knee joint slightly bent and avoid repeated bending movements. Increasing the pace can also reduce the bending angle to a certain extent. The same principle applies to going downhill, walking sideways. You can also use a trekking pole to assist.

5. When taking the bus

When waiting for the bus, you may be in a hurry because you are in a hurry. If you sit down or stand up quickly, the medial fold will be pinched, injured and inflamed. At this time, you should be careful to slow down. In order to avoid bending your knees for more than 50 degrees for a long time, you can try to choose a position that allows your knees to be straight when riding.

6. When driving

When getting in or out of a car, hold the door and use your hands to share the weight of your body. Sit sideways first, and then carefully move your feet in or out of the car. Patients with knee pain can support the knee pits with both hands, one at a time, and slowly move the lower limbs in or out of the car.

7. When sitting in the office

It is a misconception that office workers who sit at their desks for long periods of time and do not need to do weight-bearing work will not have their knees easily degenerated. In fact, office workers who sit in the office every day are more likely to suffer from degenerative arthritis. When sitting at work, the knees are bent for a long time at 90 degrees, and the inner folds will be bitten up and down like teeth for a long time, which will cause damage. Therefore, every half an hour, take a break and move around, or straighten your legs and do simple knee protection exercises.

8. Leisure sports

Patients with knee arthritis can engage in brisk walking, which will not hurt the knees due to the large bending angle of the knee joint, and can also have the effect of exercise. They can also jog.

For ball sports, the frequency and angle of knee bending and straightening should be used as the criteria, and should not be excessive.

People who like swimming should avoid breaststroke, because this type of swimming requires repeated bending and straightening of the knees, which will worsen after a long time. You can do freestyle swimming, which relies on the up and down swing of the thighs to drive the calves, try to avoid bending the knees, do not hurt the knees, and still achieve the effect of exercise.

The knee joint is vital to people's lives, so we should pay special attention to protecting it in daily life. I hope this article can help you protect your knee joints!

Author: Li Langming, Humen Hospital, Dongguan City