When I was younger we were a lot more grounded than what we are now. Now before you label me as a snob, hear me out. I meant we were a lot closer to the ground in our interactions. I used to sit on steps while reading a book, homework was done on the floor mat, we used to sit cross legged at school during lunch times and could easily jump up to get up. Now it’s almost second nature for me and I’m sure for you as well to sit only on chairs and couches. Mats are non existent at homes. I need at least one person to assist me up if at all I sit down crossed leg. In fact there are numerous studies which linked the ability to stand up unassisted from sitting on the ground with ‘longevity’. Makes sense because the commonest grouse that I get to hear from elderly people that I get to meet are that their knees are troublesome and painful. They cannot get up easily from sitting posture. Cannot walk like how they used to because of the pain. Osteoarthritis could be the major reason for the issue concerning the elderly.
October 12th is World arthritis day and let’s commemorate this day by taking note of our knees and it’s needs!
What is osteoarthritis?
The term osteoarthritis is a very common age related condition. More than 80% of people above 60 years of age have this condition and it is the number one reason for the progressive decline of their health and well being. It can confine a person to their homes, limit their ability to move around and reduce outside interactions thereby greatly affecting their mental health as well. Osteoarthritis simply means that the bones around the joints have undergone changes due to the breakdown of cartilage supporting them. The cartilage is a protective cushion keeping the two bones in a joint away from each other. Without the cartilage cover, the bones tend to touch and grind against each other with every movement causing immense pain and inflammation of joint. Commonly seen in the knee joint it can also be seen in the hands or even the hip joint. In this context treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis becomes very important
How do you know if you have arthritis of the knee?
The commonest symptoms seen in a person suffering from arthritis are the following:
1. Pain in the joint
2. Swelling and redness around a joint
3. Stiffness around the joint
4. Reduced range of movements around the joint
5. Grating sensation when moving the joint- a feeling like the two bones are grinding against each other.
A simple X-ray can help diagnose this debilitating condition.
Needless to say these are very painful for the elderly people but unfortunately there are not many options to completely relieve them and there is no magic cure for it.
Who is at risk for osteoarthritis?
Everyone can get it at some point in their life but some people are more prone to do so:
1. People above 60 years of age
2. Overweight or obese individuals
3. Women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis maybe because of their reduced bone density after menopause.
4. Repetitive injuries- if you have experienced repetitive sports injuries around the knee chances are you might develop osteoarthritis at a later age.
5. Genetics- if your parent or grand parents have osteoarthritis your risk to develop them are higher.
TGUG test– Have you heard of the ‘timed get up and go test’? It’s a very sensitive test to check for stability and risk of falls in the elderly. All you have to do is to ask the person to sit comfortably on a chair with the arms to the side. Mark a point ten feet away and instruct them to get up and go to this mark and return to sit back on the chair. The time taken to do this should be under 15 seconds for a normal person. If taking longer than 15 seconds an individual is at a high risk of falls due to instability issues. An elderly person taking longer time needs to be evaluated for multiple issues like their eye sight and joints and also be given assistive walking devices like a walking stick to prevent falls and injuries. A medical check can detect signs of osteoarthritis. For details about the health checkup packages and how to choose and prepare for the right one click here.
Exercises for the knees-
The quadriceps muscles or the ‘quads’ for short are an important group of muscles keeping the muscles around our knee taut. It is especially helpful to keep the arthritic bones away from each other to avoid them touching and causing pain, this tremendously improves mobility. Here are a few exercises which you can start doing everyday to keep your knees hale and healthy:
1. Straight leg raising- when seated on a chair either watching television or cutting vegetables try raising your leg parallel to the ground. Make your patella(knee cap) tight and hold this position for at-least 10seconds. Then relax. Do this for at-least 20times in a day to strengthen the muscle around your knees.
2. Straight leg raising on the bed- just before you wake up for the day or go to sleep do the same version of the straight leg raising where you should raise the legs while lying down. Raise your leg parallel to the ground as much as you can and keep them taut for 10 seconds. Repeat this exercise at least 20 times a day.
3. Lateral stretch- while standing straight lift one leg to the side in swinging motion keeping the toes pointing forwards. Hold this position for 10seconds and then bring back the leg to the ground. Repeat with the other leg. This exercise specially helps to strengthen the ‘glutes’ and improves stability and balance. These are especially very important as you grow old to avoid falls. Older people can try this while holding onto the back of a chair for support.
4. Kickbacks- this exercise can be done while standing behind a chair and holding onto it for support. Raise one leg back and try to touch the back of the thigh or as far as you can go. Hold for 5 seconds and then bring back the leg to the ground. Repeat for the other leg. This exercises improves stability and reduces stiffness.
5. The hamstring stretch- while seated on a chair pull up one leg to the chest and hold this position for 10seconds. Relax and repeat with the other. Do this exercise at least 10-15 times a day.
These were an easy list of exercises which we commonly recommend to all people with knee pain. Again if you are up for it you can go ahead and do more difficult ones like cycling or swimming which are all excellent to strengthen the knees. However spending just 15 minutes in your daily life performing these simple exercises can greatly improve your future quality of life.
Also there are a variety of yoga poses like chair pose, bridge pose,camel pose,warrior pose etc are said to help strengthen the knees and reduce the pain. Please do a through research and identify the poses that works for you since many of these poses require good strength and balance. Some links are below that gives information on certain yoga poses.
1. https://greatist.com/move/knee-pain-relief#bottom-line
2.https://www.sportme.com/blog/8-yoga-moves-to-strengthen-your-knees
3.https://yogainternational.com/article/view/yoga-therapy-for-your-knees1
4.https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/health-and-wellness/treating-arthritis-yoga
If you prefer to perform exercises like jogging, running or cycling there are some things you need to keep in mind:
1. Wear appropriate shoes- walking or running shoes are an investment. They are not be compromised upon as an ill fitting shoe is bound to cause more harm than good for your painful legs. The right sole thickness, shape and heel height of your shoes will make a world of difference in your walking comfort and gait.
2. Watch where you walk- walking on grass and ground is completely different from walking on the pavement or on the treadmill. Walking outdoors offers additional benefits like sunshine and much needed vitamin D and breaks the monotony of being in a stationary room. However, the potholes on the roads can lead to serious injuries. Walking on a treadmill is more controlled and offers greater shock absorbent effect than on the pavement.
3. The most important ‘to do’ things- stretching, warming up and cooling down after a run is equally important if not more than the actual running. Lot of beginners experience pain and swelling when they directly jump onto the exercises without any warm ups. So remember to allot an extra ten minutes for this must do activity.
4. Hydration is key- carry a water bottle along with you when you are out exercising. Hydration is key and will help you weather out harsh environmental conditions and help you prevent fluid loss from body.
5. Consistency- all benefits of walking/ running is achieved only when you are consistent at it. Don’t overwork yourself, start slow and keep at it. Any form of exercise targeting the knees for 30 minutes in a day can keep stiffness and pain at bay!!
Is there a cure for osteoarthritis?
There is no magic cure for the condition. When told this blunt truth many patients feel cheated and upset. Popping pain killers for reducing the pain is not a long term solution and is definitely not good for your kidneys. So what can be done to reduce the inflammation?
1. Eat healthy- avoid foods like red meat, sugary foods and refined carbohydrates like refined wheat flour/maida. These foods can further irritate the joints and cause inflammation. Instead opt for foods like fruits and vegetables, nuts like walnuts and fish like salmon, tuna and mackerels.
2. Reduce weight- weight reduction will literally ‘take the weight off’ of your knees and reduce the strain on the joint.
3. Warm compresses on the inflamed joint will provide great relief- use a heat bag or dip a cotton cloth/ towel in warm water and give hot compresses to the inflamed knee for instant pain relief.
4. Wear a knee brace– this can help shift the weight off the most painful part of your knee and give you better stability and comfort while walking.
5. Stay active- even while having an episode of acute osteoarthritis let us remain as active as possible to avoid stiffness of joints.
6. Joint replacement- the only sure shot way to get relief from the pain is to undergo a joint replacement surgery. The surgery has a good success rate and many people are pain free for close to a decade after it.
7. Physiotherapy- if you are too scared to opt for surgery then even a good physiotherapy session can help provide great pain relief. Though it may seem to worsen the pain at first consistent Physiotherapy has shown tremendous benefits for an arthritic knee.
This World Osteoarthritis day let’s all pledge to take greater care of our knees and create awareness about this common disability affecting so many of our elderly population. Remember ‘prevention is always better than cure’ so take steps now to have a stress free life in your ‘golden years’.