Is Knee Arthritis Inevitable With Aging

This is a common perception of Knee Osteoarthritis in our country where Hip Hip Osteoarthritis is rare. However, in the past, it has come to light that not only elderly people with definite risk of osteoarthritis but more than the middle-aged and even younger. Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis and is the leading cause of disability in older individuals in India and many countries. The general perception that wear and tear is inevitable with aging alone leads to Osteoarthritis, but this is not the whole truth. As we have seen not only parents, but others are also exposed to Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) in the peripheral joints, most commonly involving the knee joints, and the disease can affect one or more of the knee joints. The knee joints act to transfer the force from the thigh muscles to the legs to move the body. The load on the knee surface during normal daily activities is two to seven times the weight. Therefore, it is not surprising that the knee is very vulnerable to wear and tear (Osteoarthritis). Osteo-arthritis changes in the joints decrease the effectiveness of the load transfer during this activity. Overall health is affected and OA knees have been shown to address more restrictions on walking, stairs or other daily activities than other illnesses. The form of the disease in the elderly is called primary osteoarthritis, while the younger and middle class sufferers are called secondary osteoarthritis. Let's look at the risk factors for developing secondary osteoarthritis, which include other age groups in the general population.

It consists of two categories, General or systemic and local risks.

General risk

Evolution

Man with two mammals, Elephant and bear are the only animals with straight knees. Smoothly straight knees are priceless to minimize energy expenditure while walking so that the body is not tilted from side to side as it would be if the knees were bent in two-legged beings. The price or side effect of upright posture is the heavy delivery that occurs through the inside of the knee joint. Therefore the inside of the knee is easy to wear at normal times.

Genetic factor

This plays a major role in the common form of the disease known to affect some communities and families. Research is underway to identify the exact genetic location that increases susceptibility to OA.

Diet

Many degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis are due to tissue damage from oxygen-free radical attacks. Chronic cells are known to reduce free radicals. Anti-oxidants such as Vitamins A, C and E have the potential to protect against tissue damage. It was found in one study that people taking high Vitamin C had a 60-70 percent reduction in risk for progressive OA. High levels of vitamin C intake were also found to be associated with a decreased risk of knee pain according to the same study.

Vitamin D plays an important role in bone mineralization. The results from the above study indicate that high levels are protective against disease progression.

Bone mineral density

About three decades ago, a surgeon removed the upper part of the thigh bone from an elderly patient with a partial hip fracture, finding that the spinal cord rarely showed arthritis changes. Since then, many studies have confirmed the inverse relationship between osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Currently the research is to determine whether medications prescribed for osteoporosis such as Calcitonin and Bisphoshphonates prevent OA x-ray changes and prevent cartilage damage.

Female hormone deficiency (estrogen)

Increased knee OA incidence in Postmenopausal women suggests that estrogen deficiency may be a risk factor and post menopausal women are more prone to osteoarthritis. Although there is a clear correlation, more studies are needed to understand the relationship between bone mineral density, estrogen and OA. While women are extremely sexually active for knee OAs, Women's Specialized knee implants or Prostheses have been developed for Total knee replacement as the majority (two-thirds) of those who undergo knee replacement are women.

Local risk factors

Obesity

Increasing weight contributes to the increase of the load transmitted throughout the knee of the bearing by a factor of three to seven times the weight and results in accelerated use of articular cartilage. The relationship between obesity and osteoarthritis is stronger for two-way unilateral diseases and higher in women than in men. Because the load transmitted to the knees varies between three and seven times the weight, one weight reduction leads to three to seven times the downward pressure on the knee. In addition the knee alignment can affect the weight of the knee joint. The knees with the lower legs are emphasized by the weight which results in the severe compartment arthritis.

Physical activity

There is no evidence that participation in light physical activity (light, moderate, walking, walking, dancing, biking, gardening and outdoor sports) throughout the life cycle increases the risk of individuals developing knee OA. This means that middle-aged people can safely participate in this activity without the risk of developing osteoarthritis.

However participation in high-intensity relationship sports is strongly associated with the development of knee OA in elite athletes. Many tennis players, runners, and professional footballers are more likely to suffer from knee arthritis and Patello-femoral OA than age-matched controls.

Work activity

Men in occupations who require excessive repetition of knee joints for example, carpenters, painters, miners, dock workers are at increased risk of developing OA knees. Crouching, kneeling, crouching, climbing stairs and lifting weights all cause abnormal joint loads across the knee joint and cause cartilage damage. Risk factors are similar in men and women.

Injury

Several European and American studies have confirmed that knee injuries are a strong predictor of knee OA development. Knee injuries most commonly involve ACLs (Cruciate anterior ligaments and ACL ruptures are often associated with meniscal or tear damage in the medical grip. ACL injuries occur after two-wheel accidents, domestic and external accidents.) Both ACL defects and meniscal rupture are highly relevant although At present it is not clear how general surgery for ACL reconstruction can slow the onset of arthritis, some studies show that early ACL recovery with meniscal maintenance rather than mensectomy provides the greatest protection after knee injury seen in patients who have undergone partial or complete menstrual surgery. Meniscal stitches and Meniscal transplants are a way to protect against osteoarthritis.Other surgeries are available but they have not yet begun Early meniscal transplantation was announced in Chennai last year graph supply supply is unexpected.

The mechanical environment of the knee

It's easy to understand how any connection or pad can get worn out quickly by understanding what happens to your car's tires if the alignment and balance are not perfect or if the pressure is more or less. Treads on the tire load side wear more. The same analogy applies to the knees. The crooked collar as shown in the picture will finish faster. Increased relaxation along with age decreases contributing to OA.

Muscle strength

It is a known observation that people with OA have quadriceps muscle weakness. It is estimated that decreased muscle strength is a result of secondary atrophy for knee pain; however, it has been noted recently that many patients with symptomatic knee arthritis have weak muscles. Therefore, it makes sense to develop muscle thighs to prevent arthritis or improve symptoms after development, but it should be noted that increasing muscle strength will not arrest the progression of the disease.

In brief, Knee Osteoarthritis was once considered the inevitable consequence of aging now recognized as multi-factorial, as a result of the interaction of many common and local factors such as age, genetic predisposition, obesity, trauma and mechanical properties of joints. The traditional "total knee replacement" OA traditional treatment is the best long-term cost-effective solution. However other surgeries such as osteotomy to correct the alignment of the bone around the knee, ACL reconstruction, cartilage surgery, medications are available for the affected patient group. They will not condemn patients to develop Osteoarthritis at an early age and become a potential replacement for the whole knee.

------------------