What to do if you have arthritis in your legs

Arthritis can occur in various parts of our body. The most common areas are the knee joints and the shoulder joints. When you have arthritis, your joints become red, swollen, and painful. The occurrence of arthritis is closely related to the disease and daily living habits. To treat arthritis, patients can also use medication and surgical treatments. Of course, prevention should be the priority in life.

Knee arthritis is a disease based on degenerative pathological changes. It mostly affects middle-aged and elderly people, and its symptoms include redness, swelling and pain in the knees, pain when going up and down stairs, and knee soreness and discomfort when sitting, standing or walking. Some patients may also experience swelling, popping, fluid accumulation, etc. If not treated in time, it will cause joint deformity and disability. The knee joint is also prone to joint diseases such as knee synovitis, ligament injury, meniscus injury, loose bodies of the knee, popliteal cysts, patellar softening, anserine bursitis, and genu valgum/knee valgus.

Causes

The occurrence of knee arthritis is generally caused by factors such as degenerative changes in the knee joint, trauma, and excessive fatigue. Knee arthritis is common in middle-aged and elderly people and is the main cause of leg pain in the elderly. In addition, being overweight, incorrect walking posture, squatting for a long time, and cold knee joints are also causes of knee arthritis.

Clinical manifestations

Most patients with knee arthritis have mild initial symptoms, but their condition will gradually worsen if they do not receive treatment. The main symptoms include knee pain, knee swelling, knee clicking, etc. Stiffness and coldness of the knee joint are also symptoms of knee arthritis, which is mainly caused by stiffness and is aggravated by fatigue, cold or minor trauma. In severe cases, limited movement may occur.

treat

1. The key to treating knee arthritis is to prevent further wear of the cartilage. Chondroprotective agents such as glucosamine sulfate can promote the synthesis of cartilage, inhibit the decomposition of articular cartilage, and also have anti-inflammatory effects. The sulfate group rich in glucosamine sulfate is also one of the essential components for the synthesis of cartilage matrix. This type of drug can relieve pain symptoms, improve joint function, and long-term use can also delay the destruction of joint structure. Glucosamine sulfate takes a long time to take effect, but it has good safety and is suitable for long-term use as a basic treatment.

2. Arthroscopic treatment of knee arthritis is to insert a 5mm diameter rod-shaped optical endoscope into the joint cavity through the joint space, and magnify the diseased area and tissue 4 to 6 times and display it on the monitor. Tiny tools are used to repair the articular cartilage and clean the joint cavity.

prevention

To prevent knee arthritis, you should start from your daily life. Avoid staying in one posture for a long time, and don't blindly flex and extend the knee joint or massage the patella repeatedly. Pay attention to prevent cold and dampness, keep warm, and avoid excessive fatigue of the knee joint. Try to reduce going up and down stairs, and other exercises that cause the knee joint to flex and bear weight, so as to reduce wear of the articular cartilage.