Arthrosis and arthritis are very unpleasant diseases which can considerably spoil your life. Fortunately, the modern medicine can cure us from different problems with joints. However, its power is limited, so you should start taking care of your joints right now in order to escape negative consequences. Special attention should be paid to your knee-joint as it is the most vulnerable one in the face of external factors.
If you had chance to have a look on your knee’s inside you would be surprised of how difficult the structure is. Your knee-joint is covered with a patella which presents a small round bone looking like a pancake. The joint contains two cartilage linings – meniscus. They support the thigh-bone and the big cannon bone of your shin. Meniscuses amortize strikes and provide the perfect fitting of joint surfaces. All this construction is supported by cords which allow the joints to bend and unbend. Due to this construction the knee joint can endure huge loads. With time, however, cartilage linings become thinner and break – the fragments of them move within the joint freely which causes strong pain. As result, the joint loses its mobility and begins to swell.
Pain in your knee is the main sign that something is wrong with it. If you feel pain when you walk up or down the stairs, put on your shoes or sit on the hunkers, you should visit an orthopedist. In case you suffer from pain at nights and your temperature rises, you should go to rheumatologist.
However, in order not to let the disease become too serious you should take some measures of prevention, the best of which are good nutrition and moderate physical activity.
Extra weight presents additional load on your joints. Every kilo of your extra weight produces sixfold load on your knee joints. It is also not recommended to carry more than three kilos with you.
Properly chosen physical activity can reduce the risk of receiving arthritis as well. Swimming, dances and aerobics will keep your muscles and joints toned.
Your daily ration should include dairy products which are rich with calcium. Eat also more fish as it contains omega-3 fat acids which decrease the risk of diseases of joints. Olive oil is another useful product which can prevent your joints from arthritis. It is also useful to drink more water as the sufficient amount of liquid in your body is essential for the state of your joints and bones. Your daily portion of water should be no less than one liter.
Smoking is a very unhealthy habit, as we all know, and there are pretty enough reasons to quit it. One more reason can be added – it produces a negative effect on your joints.
Il-fitting shoes or high heels also lead to the pain in your joints and to their destruction as well, so be careful when choosing shoes.
If you feel that medical interference is necessary, try using acupuncture as it often relieves pain better than different ointments and pain killers.