Knee problems are very common in older adults, due to lack of calcium or some injuries to the joint. This extremity is one of the most important in the body, because it is the one that allows mobility, however, over the years the tissues that compose them wear out and weaken.
According to several specialists, in general, knee pain tends to be localized in only one and the most frequent causes of this discomfort are meniscal problems, tendinitis or cartilage injuries, which can be associated with trauma due to a physical activity. When the pain occurs in both knees, it may be a problem of misalignment or patellar diffusion.
A study from the University of California, San Francisco, published in the February 8 issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research, demonstrated for the first time that knee instability and collapse are important causes of these problems in a large segment of the population suffering from knee pain.
“Falls, fall injuries and low balance confidence are extremely common and debilitating problems for older people,” said study author Michael Nevitt, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.
Along those lines, knee collapse is also often caused by muscle weakness and poor balance, which is more common in older adults and people with osteoarthritis. Similarly, weak knees can lead to serious trauma.
It is worth mentioning that the scientists who developed this study examined the association between knee collapse in older people along with the quality of life they had. More than 1,800 people whose average age was 67 at the start of the study.
In the results, knee collapse had affected almost 17% of the participants after five years. And after seven years, 14% were found to have experienced recurring falls. As a conclusion of the study, it was determined that patients who fell when their knees collapsed at the beginning of the study were more than four times more likely to have experienced repetitive falls in the following two years and were also twice as likely to be seriously injured in a drop.
To manage this joint problem there are many treatments that help improve the condition of the joint and strengthen it. That is why the AARP portal has revealed some ways to minimize pain, inflammation and stiffness in the knees:
Generally, overweight people tend to have weak knees because the knees must support a large part of the body. According to Dr. John-Paul Rue, an orthopedic/sports medicine specialist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, noted for the AARP portal that “for every pound of weight you gain, your knees will have four more pounds of force on them and even more of that when you go up or down stairs” and “For every pound of excess weight you lose, you’ll save your knees from having to carry an additional four pounds of force.”
Exercising or playing sports on a regular basis helps maintain joint function and give a good range to the movements of the knees. It is also advisable to combine exercise routines, so that if you run three times a week, combine it with a low-impact activity such as cycling.
As a person gets older, they tend to slouch their posture and this is a problem for the knees as more pressure is put on the knee joint and the hips. That is why it advises maintaining good posture and doing exercises such as pilates, yoga, tai chi to strengthen the trunk and back extensions.