It must be said that walking is a part of people’s daily lives. Because whether you go to work, go on vacation, or travel anywhere, you have to walk a little or a little. But in some people, when walking a lot I feel like I have pain or pain in my knee area. This may be a sign of “Osteoarthritis” is a condition of deterioration of the knee joints that is very common in the elderly. It causes pain in the knee joint when moving. And if left untreated, it can hurt so much that it affects your life.
side Dr. Somyot Piyaworakhun Orthopedic surgeon expert doctor Artificial knee and hip joints Orthopedic Center, Wimut Hospital will tell you about the characteristics of osteoarthritis. Ready to tell you how to take care of it so that everyone has good knee health. You can walk around freely as you please.
At any age, don’t ignore it. “Osteoarthritis”
Knee osteoarthritis means a degenerative condition of the knee joint. including the shape, structure, or function of bones, joints, and bones near joints including the tissues and tendons of the knee joint When there is no cartilage surface to cover it, the bones collide with each other while bearing weight. This causes knee pain, swollen knees, and joint stiffness. Over time, the symptoms will become more and more severe until the knee is deformed. Unable to perform normal daily activities
Osteoarthritis can be divided into 2 groups: Primary group occurs from various factors that have no clear cause, such as deterioration of the knee joint from increasing age. Which is often found in the age of 60 years and above. It may also be caused by genetics. excessive body weight Including the use of knee joints a lot. Another group is the secondary group. It is a symptom of osteoarthritis that has some cause as a trigger, such as an accident that affected the knee joint. Infections that cause the secretion of substances that destroy cartilage This group mostly occurs in young people. Dr. Somyot Piyaworakun explains further: “Patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, such as autoimmune diseases (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis, may cause their knee joints to deteriorate faster. Because repeated inflammation that comes and goes will accelerate the degeneration of tissue in the knee joint.”
What kind of symptoms are the signs? “Osteoarthritis”
In general, people with early symptoms of osteoarthritis will experience only minor pain from everyday activities. Or there may be symptoms of knee joint stiffness. Can’t fully stretch legs “There are also other symptoms, such as the knee starting to make a rustling sound from the wear and tear of the knee joint. In some groups, it may cause the knee joint to change shape. Most of them will have bowed knees. And in a small number of cases, the knee joint will turn inward. Every symptom is accompanied by pain. And it will hurt more and more, so if you have these symptoms to the point of interfering with your daily life, you should see a doctor to find a treatment strategy,” Dr. Somyot Piyavorakun explained.
Look at the treatment methods “Osteoarthritis”
For those who have symptoms that are considered osteoarthritis The doctor will examine the body using x-rays. and may also be examined with an MRI machine in some cases Additionally, additional blood tests may be done to check for risk factors that may cause knee joint deterioration to occur faster. Dr. Somyot
Piyaworakun explains the treatment method that “Treatment of this disease can be done in many ways. The first is to change behavior in daily life, such as losing weight, exercising, and exercising the joints. The next is treatment by taking medicine or injecting painkillers such as steroids. Another method is injecting fluid to lubricate the joints. knee Both types of injections help reduce symptoms for a period of time. But when the effect wears off, the pain will return as before. Therefore, both methods are more like relief than cure.”
Change your life too. “artificial knee joint”
One of the current treatments for osteoarthritis is knee replacement surgery. which is a highly effective surgery low risk and patients can recover quickly The artificial knee joint is now more similar to the real knee joint. and can be used for more than 20 years in most patients Knee replacement surgery can be divided into two types: the full knee type, which involves changing both sides, both the outside and the inside. The second type is the half knee type, which involves replacing only the half that has problems. This method can preserve the tendons in the knee joint. Makes movement more natural “The artificial knee joint can be used similarly to the real knee joint. But be careful of activities that involve bending your knees for a long time, such as kneeling. And avoid sports that require a lot of use of the knee joint because artificial knee joints can wear out like real knees,” Dr. Somyot Piyavorakun explained.
“Many people worry that if they have osteoarthritis, the symptoms will continue to worsen to the point where they cannot walk. But in reality, we can treat it better with appropriate methods. You may need to adjust your behavior in daily life. Physical therapy, medication, or knee replacement surgery are also possible. Our knee joints will become strong and fit for our age. You don’t have to worry about getting hurt when walking around,” Dr. Somyot Piyaworakun concluded.
