Right now, roughly 25% of Americans aged 65 and above suffer from knee pain. For them, squatting is near to impossible. If they do succeed, they need support to get back up and not without a jabbing pain in the knees.

Standing for long periods of time is an ordeal and moving about can painfully twist a ligament. A handrail is a must in going up and down staircases – one painful step after another.

Are you one of them Then you know how it feels. I know (I am not American) because I have osteoarthritis in both knees – the most common form of arthritis and the major cause of knee pain.

So let’s strip down osteoarthritis naked to know what it is and how to cope with this health issue that has caused so much misery among elderly people like us.

What is Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a joint disorder caused by the wear and tear of the cartilage that cushions the  knee joint. It can affect any joint of the body like the hips, hands, and spine. But it is more common in the knees because they support the full weight of the body.

This knee disorder comes in two forms: primary and secondary.

Primary osteoarthritis is due to aging. Aging causes the water content of the cartilage to increase and the degeneration of its protein make-up. In effect, repetitive flexing of the knee joint can cause pain and swelling.

Secondary osteoarthritis is caused by diseases or other conditions such as obesity, repeated trauma, or surgery on the joints and abnormal joints at birth. Obesity is the most common because it induces more mechanical stress on the knees.

Health conditions like gout, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and other hormone imbalance can also cause secondary osteoarthritis.

How to cope with Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease and worsens over time. It causes chronic knee pain that may affect your daily tasks. In severe cases, it can result to sleep deprivation or depression.

Despite the ads you regularly see on FB and other social media outlets, there is no known cure for the disorder other than surgical implants. If there is any out there, the best it can do is to alleviate your suffering.

So if you are suffering from knee pain, see your doctor or rheumatologist. I just did – after five long years of suffering

Other than confirming that my knee pain is due to osteoarthritis, she also gave me some tips in coping with it.

Here are some of them:

1.  Have a knee x-ray

A knee x-ray may seem redundant but it is the only way your doctor can assess  the degree of degeneration of your knee cartilage.

2.  Pain-alleviation strategies

Osteoarthritis can greatly affect your mobility. It slows you down and forces you to take extra care in your movements. A misstep can send a bolt of searing pain in your knees. So here’s a short list of things to be careful about to avoid that:

• Avoid squatting;
• Avoid standing for long periods of time;
• As much as possible, use the elevator, not the stairs;
• While walking, take care not to make sudden twists or turns, or sudden change in direction which can stretch your knee ligaments;
• Watch out for abrupt changes on surface elevation. An unexpected step on a low-level surface can give your knees a jolt;
• Avoid carrying heavy loads.

3.  Be active

Ironically, one of the best ways of coping with osteoarthritis is to keep active to prevent joint and ligament stiffening. However, you must avoid high-impact exercises and use a pair of sneakers with soft soles to cushion your weight.

Knee and leg-strengthening exercises like hiking, stationary biking, and water sports are good activities in coping with osteoarthritis. For a more comprehensive list of activities visit the Arthritis Foundation site.

4.  Use hot or cold compress:

Hot or cold compress is a good way to relieve sore on inflamed knees. Hot compress increases blood flow while cold compress reduces inflammation of the joints.

When to use either is your call. I find cold compress easier to prepare and bring along when I am doing outdoor sports like tennis.

5.  Use canes, braces, supports:

Walking canes are cheap and convenient to take some of the weight off your knees. But prolonged use can alter the way you walk. If you don’t want to develop a limp, keep away from them.

Splints, braces, and supports won’t affect your gait but you have to consult your doctor so you can get the right one. I am using a knee brace – after consulting with my doctor. It works fine.

6.  Lose weight:

This is a no-brainer. Excess weight is a lot to carry for old knees which have seen better days.  However, obesity as a cause of knees pain may not hold true in all cases. For example, I have an ideal BMI (body mass index), yet both my knees have osteoarthritis. But it does pay to lose weight to avoid other obesity health-related issues.

7.  Eat well:

Eating well means having the right amount of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your diet. It must also have low-fat or fat-free dairy, lean meat, poultry, beans, eggs, nuts, and fish. Omega 3 fatty acids from fish may relieve pain.

Minimize or keep from food full of saturated fats and trans fats like butter, whole milk, baked goods. Also, minimize your consumption of sugar and salt.,

8.  Use pain relievers::

If all of the above fails, use drugs – as a last resort.

It should be the last resort to avoid dependency or, worse, develop other health issues from prolonged use.

Over-the-the counter drugs like acetaminophen (Tylenol),  ibuprofen (Advil), or naproxen (Aleve),etc., may provide short and temporary relief from pain but should not be taken for long periods of time. In fact, they should not be taken for more than 10 days without running the risk of developing complications stomach irritation, bleeding, and possible liver problems.

When I started having knee pains, I consulted our company doctor. As if on cue, she said that my cartilage is starting to wear out. “But can’t my body rejuvenate them,” I asked. Her answer was as curt and direct as a slap on the face. “At your age, that’s as impossible as growing another tooth,” she said.

If you spend a little time on FB each evening, you can’t fail to notice a lot of ads to cope with knee pains – from simple to hi-tech braces, to ointments, tablets, or liquids that promise to get rid of your osteoarthritis. Don’t fall for any of them unless you want to throw good money away. Consult your doctor to be on the safe side.

Image: dreamstime.com

~oOo~

The post Are You Suffering from Knee Pain Then This is For You first appeared on Age With Charm.

How much do you know about arthritis? Not much, maybe, except that it is painful. As if a thousand needles are plunged into your big toe, foot, ankle, wrist, hands, or any joint in your body.

The pain may range from mild, to severe, to crippling and can last for a day or two, a week, months or years.

When arthritis attacks, you immediately blame it on the food you ate. But is food the only cause of arthritis flare-ups?

Read on and learn the basics of arthritis before you plop a tablet or two o painkillers down your throat when you will have another flair-up.

This will give you bits and pieces of useful information about the disease, and help you ward it off or how to cope with it.

What is arthritis

Arthritis is not a single disease but a common term for any disease affecting the joints. It can affect people of all ages, sex, and race.

There are more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions but they share the same symptoms, i.e., swelling, pain, stiffness and decreased mobility. Some types of arthritis may also affect the heart, eyes, lungs, kidneys, and skin.

More than 50 million people in the U.S. have arthritis, with more than half of them are people aged 65 and above. – mostly women and elderly people. They are prone to arthritis because of stress and strain of their joints over the years.

Arthritis types among seniors and how to cope with them

If you never had any bout with arthritis before then start feeling any of its early symptoms )shown below), consult a doctor. It’s better to be sure than suffer pain and agony later.

Early symptoms of arthritis:

• Joint swelling
• Joint stiffness
• Tenderness or pain when touching a joint
• Problems moving the joint
• Warmth and redness of a joint

Seeing a doctor will let you know if you have an early onset of the disease, what type, and possible treatment options.

There are four types of arthritis common to elderly people. These are:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis afflicting about 54 million adults in the U.S. aged 65 and above.

This type is not triggered by the food you eat but by torn and worn-out cartilage between the joints of the hands, neck, lower back knees, and hips.

Note: The author has osteoarthritis on both knees.

How to cope with it

There is no cure for osteoarthritis. Nothing can repair worn out cartilage despite claims by glucosamine food supplement suppliers. You can only minimize the pain by taking acetaminophen (Tylenol). But don’t take beyond the recommended dosage because it may cause liver damage.

Another is by having steroid injections on affected areas. This is done twice a year and is a bit expensive.

Or you may opt for surgical interventions, like a titanium implant, if the pain becomes chronic and unbearable.

There are also non-medical treatment options like:

• Exercise – to boost your energy, strengthen your muscles and bones, and keep your joints flexible.
• Eat a balanced diet – foods rich in vitamin C, Omega 3 fatty acids, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean meat are known to ease symptoms of the disease.
• Lose weight – to minimize pressure on the knees, spine, hips, ankles, and feet.
• Use hot or cold packs – to increase blood flow and ease pain and stiffness. Cold compress reduces swelling.
• Use splints, braces, and other aids – so you can move around with less pain on the joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis

RA is an autoimmune disease – meaning the body attacks the lining of the joints like it should, to protect it from diseases – even if they are healthy. This abnormality results in the swelling and inflammation of the affected joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis mostly affects the fingers, wrist, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles, feet, and neck. It may also affect the heart, blood vessels, and the nervous system.

One peculiar trait of RA is that if it affects one side of the body, it will also affect the other side. And it occurs mostly among women.

People with RA gets tired easily, and sometimes run a fever.

How to cope with it:

There are several prescription drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, like Azulfidine, Aralen, Plaquenil, etc. But like any prescription drug, there may be negative side-effects. So consult your doctor before trying any of the above.

You may opt for other treatment options like a therapist (physical or occupational),  surgery, or lifestyle change.

Gout

This is triggered by the foods you eat – foods rich in uric acid like shellfish, liver, dried beans, peas, nuts, anchovies, or gravy.

Gout is caused by excessive deposits of uric acid crystals on the connective tissues or joint spaces, causing swelling, pain, and heat in the affected areas.

This is considered one of the most painful types of arthritis. It mostly affects the big toes, ankle, wrist, knee, or hand.

How to cope with it:

Mild cases of gout can be washed away after a day of urination. The more serious ones need medication.

There are several over-the-counter and prescribed drugs to ease the pain of gout but never buy any without prior consultation with your doctor. Different people react differently to drugs.

Like the other types of arthritis. there are things you can do to minimize the pain such as:

• Use ice packs to help ease the pain and inflammation
• Drink plenty of fluids to flush out excess uric acid crystals from the affected joints and prevent kidney stones (from excess uric acid crystals)
• Avoid food rich in uric acid like seafood and shellfish, sardines, anchovies, herring, liver, bacon, turkey, veal, etc.,
• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
• Avoid alcoholic beverages at all costs.

Reactive arthritis

This is type of arthritis is caused by an infection in other parts of your body. It causes joint inflammation and swelling just like true arthritis.

How to cope with it:

Treating the infection will make this go away. Hence, the importance of seeing a doctor when you detect any symptoms of a flair-up.

Arthritis is the number one medical issue faced by the elderly because it affects so many of them. It is chronic and incurable and flare-ups can cause so much pain and misery at a time when they are supposed to enjoy the best time of their lives.

But this need not be, provided you equip yourself with the knowledge of what you are up against and how to cope with it.

~oOo~

The post Easy Ways to Minimize Painful Arthritis Attacks first appeared on Age With Charm.