Because of the old belief that “knee osteoarthritis” usually occurs only in the elderly, many people overlook it… and live carelessly! This leads to premature knee osteoarthritis. To keep your real knees with you into old age, reducing risky behaviors should start today, while you are still young!!
Causes of Rapid Knee Osteoarthritis
- Body Weight: Normally, each knee of a person has to bear about 3 times the body weight, and it increases to 4 times when walking up and down stairs. Therefore, when body weight increases… it means the knees have to bear a significantly increased load, causing premature wear or damage to the joint surface.
- Injuries: Playing heavy-impact sports that often cause knee joint impact, tearing of cartilage or ligaments inside the knee, weakens the joint strength from a young age, resulting in joint surface degeneration even before old age.
- Diseases: Some diseases cause chronic inflammation of the joint lining, leading to faster joint surface degeneration than normal, such as gout and rheumatoid arthritis.
How to Prevent Knee Osteoarthritis
- Lose Weight: Because body weight is a common cause… but the risk can be reduced by controlling body weight within the standard range. Do not let yourself become too overweight.
- Muscle Exercise: The muscles around the knee are the first line of defense in bearing the weight passing through the knee when we walk or run. Before the remaining or excess weight beyond the muscle’s capacity passes into the knee joint, the cartilage or joint surface acts as the second line of defense. Therefore, if the muscles are weak and can bear little weight, more weight will be transferred to the joint surface, making the knee joint more prone to degeneration.
- Avoid Risky Behaviors: Some behaviors cause excessive pressure or friction in the knee joint, such as squatting, kneeling, sitting on the heels, or sitting cross-legged.
Does Running Strengthen the Knees or Cause Faster Knee Degeneration?
When we want to strengthen the knee muscles, running is considered a suitable exercise and does not harm the knees as many people think. Running strengthens muscles and reduces body weight. However, if your knees are already degenerated and painful to the point that you cannot run, you should see a doctor for advice on choosing appropriate muscle strengthening methods suitable for your knee health.
Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis with Knee Replacement Surgery
In cases where the knee is severely degenerated and cannot be treated with medication or physical therapy, knee replacement surgery may be necessary. This involves replacing the joint surface with a new one made of special metal and plastic materials. Nowadays, there have been many advancements and various types available. The success of the surgery depends on the surgeon’s experience and expertise, the condition of the patient’s knee before surgery, the patient’s cooperation after surgery, and all combined factors.
To ensure accurate positioning of the knee implant during surgery, computer assistance is now used in knee replacement surgeries. Additionally, efforts have been made to invent surgical tools to assist surgeons in performing minimally invasive surgery, which helps reduce postoperative pain and allows patients to use their new knees more quickly.
Prof. Dr. Thaninith Chotanaputi
Spine Surgery Specialist
Muscle, Bone and Joint Center, Phyathai 2 Hospital
