When I wake up, what is the cause of stiff joints and inability to straighten my legs? Why do I have a dull pain in my knees when I go up and down stairs? Why do my joints always hurt in cold weather...... These are most likely to be the fault of osteoarthritis. Winter is the season of high incidence of osteoarthritis, how should osteoarthritis patients survive the winter, how to correctly prevent arthritis, and how to maintain joints?

More than 65% of people over the age of 50 have osteoarthritis

Since the beginning of winter, due to the cold weather, the arthritis symptoms of some patients have worsened, and the number of patients going to the orthopedic department of the hospital has increased.

Song Yang, an attending physician in the Department of Orthopedics and Orthopedics of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, said that arthritis is a general term for various types of arthritic diseases, which can be roughly divided into osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, infectious arthritis, gouty arthritis, idiopathic arthritis in infants, and secondary arthritis. This is a disease in which articular cartilage undergoes degenerative changes, often commonly referred to as "long bone spurs" and "bone hyperplasia", but in fact, it not only has bone changes, but also includes changes in soft tissues such as synovium, ligaments, and muscles around the joint bones.

"Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, and people often say that the 'old cold legs' and the elderly have poor legs, which is basically in the range of osteoarthritis. Song Yang introduced that osteoarthritis is one of the most common chronic diseases, which is more common in middle-aged and elderly people, and more than 65% of people over 50 years old suffer from osteoarthritis. According to the data released by the World Health Organization, the number of osteoarthritis patients in the world has exceeded 5 million, and the data released by the National Health Commission show that the total prevalence of osteoarthritis in China has reached 15%, and the number of patients is conservatively estimated to be more than 1 million.

Song Yang introduced that in daily life, you can judge whether you have arthritis according to the following symptoms-

Joint pain: joint pain is the most common clinical manifestation of osteoarthritis, which is mild at first and gradually worsens, even when going up and down stairs or squatting.

Morning stiffness: Osteoarthritis may cause transient morning stiffness, that is, joint stiffness and tightness when you wake up in the morning, which usually lasts from a few minutes to ten minutes, and rarely more than half an hour.

Dysfunction: Arthritis attacks can cause joint swelling, edema of surrounding tissues, sometimes joint jamming, often unable to straighten or bend, and limited movement.

Song Yang reminded that if the above symptoms appear in the joints and cannot be relieved for a long time, they should go to the hospital in time to avoid more serious damage to the joints caused by long-term continuous inflammatory reactions.

Low temperatures are not a direct cause of arthritis

After the winter solstice, it is the coldest day of the year. The old man often says, "If you don't wear autumn pants now, you will get arthritis when you get old", is osteoarthritis frozen?

"Current medical studies have shown that low temperature is not a direct cause of osteoarthritis, but it can make the symptoms of arthritis more obvious. Song Yang introduced, when the weather is cold, arthritis patients vasoconstriction, is not conducive to blood circulation and muscles and other soft tissues to play a function, easy to aggravate arthritis, so it is recommended that osteoarthritis patients do a good job of cold protection and warmth;

Song Yang introduced that osteoarthritis is usually caused by a combination of factors, and common predisposing factors include age, weight, exercise, trauma, physical factors, etc. Among them, age is the most important factor. "We all know that with the increase of use, the texture of car tires gradually wears out, and when it reaches a certain time, it needs to be replaced, and the joints have the same problem. Song Yang said that with the increase of age, joint cartilage, meniscus and other structures will undergo different degrees of wear, which will cause inflammation of the joints, resulting in pain, swelling, difficulty in moving and other symptoms of the joints.

At the same time, weight is also an important factor in the impact on joints. Song Yang reminded that no matter what age you are, weight gain will directly cause greater pressure on your joints, and when you stand and walk, the speed of joint wear and tear will increase to varying degrees, and larger weights are often more likely to cause osteoarthritis.

Song Yang introduced that the impact of exercise on osteoarthritis includes two aspects: exercise mode and exercise rhythm. Different types of exercise put different stress on the joints. Squatting has the greatest pressure on the joints, and many of the arthritis clinically start from the discomfort, lack of strength and pain in the knee joint during the process of getting up after squatting; secondly, climbing mountains, stairs, and walking up and down slopes is actually a kind of squatting activity with a small amplitude, which is essentially a joint bending activity, which will also cause greater pressure on the joints;

Different movement rhythms affect joints differently. Song Yang introduced that some patients in the outpatient clinic are not old and do not weigh much, but they also suffer from osteoarthritis, which may be caused by irregular activities. These patients often have a "shock dose" exercise experience, such as usually working in the office, no exercise Xi, weekends or holidays suddenly climbing, hiking, playing badminton, basketball and other activities far beyond the usual amount of exercise, if not careful, easy to cause acute attacks of arthritis.

Trauma can also lead to the development of osteoarthritis. Song Yang said that it is inevitable that bumps and bumps will occur in daily life, caused by a sudden traumatic injury caused by local tissue damage, if not fully treated to continue to move, although this inflammation will recover on its own most of the time, but if there is a lot of activity in daily life, it is likely to induce inflammation of the tissues around the joints and suffer from osteoarthritis.

Physical factors also have a great impact on the feeling of joint health. Song Yang said that the physical condition varies from person to person, and the same is true for the joints, and patients often ask in the clinic: "The work intensity of the colleagues around me is similar to mine, and the rhythm of life is similar, but after climbing the mountain together, why do everyone react differently?" It's the same with recovery from illness, some people are faster, others are slower.

To prevent osteoarthritis, exercise is within your means

As we age, the wear and tear on our joints becomes more severe. Song Yang reminded that through reasonable use and proper prevention, the joints can be kept in good condition for a long time, and even in old age, they can have healthy joints.

"The first is rational movement, including the form and rhythm of movement. Song Yang introduced that some patients think that they can't exercise if they have arthritis, but in fact, not exercising will lead to muscle atrophy and osteoporosis, which is not good for the joints. Moderate and correct exercise will not only not aggravate soft tissue damage or joint inflammation, but also strengthen the stability of joints, prevent further damage to articular cartilage, reduce the symptoms of arthritis, and delay the deterioration of joint function. He stressed that it is necessary to avoid activities that put a lot of pressure on the joints, such as stair climbing, mountain climbing, and squats, and recommend some moderate-intensity forms of exercise, such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc. In terms of exercise rhythm, it is recommended to develop the Xi of regular exercise and avoid "shock dose" physical exercise, especially after entering middle age and long-term desk work, a sudden high-dose exercise may cause serious damage to the joints.

The second is the control of weight bearing, including one's own weight control and weight bearing. Song Yang said that it is recommended to maintain a reasonable weight and avoid obesity, otherwise it will bring direct pressure on the joints, but it should not be too thin, weak muscles will make the joints vulnerable to damage. In daily life, it is recommended to reduce the weight, a typical example is the elderly to buy vegetables, more than a dozen pounds of vegetables to carry home is a very big challenge to the joints, it is recommended to use a trolley as much as possible. For young people, it is important to avoid weight-bearing after joint discomfort.

Finally, the joints should be strengthened. Song Yang reminded that strong muscles can make joints more stable and less susceptible to injury. Each person's constitution is different, and it needs to be strengthened according to the individual's constitution. According to the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteoarthritis (2018 Edition)", it is recommended to do some straight leg raises, squat training and other movements every day to help protect the knee joint and strengthen the muscles around the joint. At the same time, you can also use protective equipment such as knee pads and patellar straps during activities, the use of these appliances will also make the joints more stable and help avoid joint injuries.

In terms of treatment, Song Yang introduced that the principle of "step treatment" is adopted for osteoarthritis in clinical work. For patients with different conditions, from conservative to surgical, according to the different grades of lesions, targeted treatment is adopted. Trying the next one after one treatment is ineffective, rather than "one step in place" is also the most beneficial treatment principle for the recovery of patients derived from many clinical practices, which requires the orthopedic surgeon to evaluate and judge according to the actual situation of the individual.