April 28th Arthritis Day… How to keep your joints healthy?: Health and Welfare News

【Health News】 The bones and muscles that support our bodies are essential tissues for carrying out basic daily life. In particular, joints where two or more bones are connected are where they are firmly connected to each other and enable movement. The ability to freely move fingers and limbs is all thanks to joints. Joints also help keep the body stable. If your joints do not work smoothly, you may lose your balance or put strain on other parts, which may cause other diseases or diseases. However, as we age, our joints can naturally wear out. If frequent shocks to the joint continue without awareness, inflammation occurs within the joint, and if this situation continues, cartilage is lost and pain occurs due to bone friction. April 28th is ‘Arthritis Day’ designated by the Korean Orthopedic Society to raise awareness of arthritis and promote the correct treatment. Let’s learn more about representative joint diseases with the help of Professor Jeon Sang-hyeon of the Department of Orthopedics at Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital of the Catholic University of Korea.

▶ Disease that freezes the shoulder, frozen shoulder

The correct name for frozen shoulder is frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis, a disease that causes inflammation in the shoulder joint and reduces shoulder range of motion. It is called frozen shoulder because it mainly occurs in people in their 50s, but it is actually a common disease that can occur in all age groups.

Because it is not a disease that develops immunity like an infectious disease, it can recur at any time depending on management.

Causes of frozen shoulder include trauma, lack of exercise, stress, other shoulder diseases, and cervical discs. It may appear without any specific cause. It is known that it occurs more often in women than men, at 5 out of every 100 people, and that the incidence rate increases more than five times in diabetic patients.

Frozen shoulder usually causes extreme pain along with limitation of shoulder movement. There may be significant limitations in performing daily activities such as sleeping at night, washing your hair, taking out objects, or carrying a bag. It is definitely recommended to receive professional treatment.

Pain can be improved through inflammation treatment such as drugs or injections, but eliminating pain is not the fundamental treatment for frozen shoulder. To treat frozen shoulder, consistent stretching is essential. The ultimate goal of frozen shoulder treatment is to restore the normal range of motion of the shoulder joint through stretching.

Professor Jeon Sang-hyun said, “If the range of motion is restored to the normal level without pain, you can work hard, but if you exert effort just because the pain is gone when the range of motion has not returned to normal, inflammation often recurs.” “To prevent deterioration and recurrence, consistent management is important, such as maintaining correct posture and making light gymnastics or stretching a part of your daily routine,” he said.

▶ Knee pain that cannot be ignored, degenerative arthritis of the knee joint

Knee degenerative arthritis is a disease that occurs when the cartilage in the knee joint area is damaged. Various structures, including the cartilage that forms the joint, are damaged, causing inflammation and pain.

It is divided into ‘primary degenerative arthritis’, which occurs due to gender, age, family history, obesity, etc., and ‘secondary degenerative arthritis’, which occurs due to trauma, disease, and deformity. It is a disease that mainly appears in people in their 50s and older, and is known to occur about 9 times more often in women than in men.

In the early stages of the disease, pain is felt only when the joint is moved excessively, such as walking for a long time or going up and down stairs, and the symptoms decrease during rest. However, as arthritis progresses, the pain gets worse, and in the evening or in cold weather, distinct pain appears, causing the joints to become sore and sore.

Knee degenerative arthritis can be diagnosed by determining the degree of joint space reduction or joint deformation using radiographs alone. When there is little deformation of the joint and the pain is not severe, medication or exercise therapy is possible.

On the other hand, artificial joint surgery is recommended for relatively elderly patients who do not respond to drug treatment and have severe pain. At this time, the patients’ chronic diseases other than degenerative arthritis are thoroughly managed to minimize the risks that may accompany the surgery.

Professor Jeon Sang-hyeon said, “Degenerative arthritis of the knee joint requires simple exercise and improvement of lifestyle habits.” He added, “Instead of exercise that puts strain on the joints, exercise such as swimming or walking in water is good. In particular, lifestyle habits such as sedentary lifestyle and cross-legged lifestyle are recommended. “It can be hard on your knees, so it’s best to avoid it as much as possible,” he said.

▶ Hip osteoarthritis, difficult to detect early

The hip joint, also called the hip joint, is the second largest joint after the knee joint and connects the pelvic bone and the femur.

It is a ball-and-socket structure surrounded by a thick joint membrane, so it is very stable and has a wide opening angle and range of motion, allowing for a variety of movements. The hip joint is an essential joint for walking. Damage to the hip joint can make basic activities such as walking and standing difficult, and the quality of life can be greatly reduced.

The hip joint is located deep within the body, so early detection is difficult even if microscopic damage or inflammation occurs. Even if it is swollen, it is not easy to see with the naked eye and the pain is also difficult to pinpoint.

In general, pain in the groin area or the side of the buttock is more common than pain in the back of the buttock. Sometimes pain may appear in the knee area. This type of pain is characterized by worsening when walking or moving.

Pain is usually relieved with rest. Pain may occur in both hip joints, but pain is usually felt on only one side. However, when you feel pain, the disease has already progressed to some extent and caution is needed.

As the disease progresses, limping or walking becomes more difficult, so it is important to consult with a specialist and receive prompt medical attention and treatment.

People who are middle-aged or older, overweight, athletes, people who frequently carry heavy objects, and people who work while standing for long periods of time are at greater risk of hip osteoarthritis. In the beginning, it is best to avoid excessive use of the hip joint through rest, and pain can be reduced through medication and physical therapy. Efforts to improve lifestyle habits, such as regular exercise and appropriate weight management, are also necessary.

If pain reduction or recovery of motor function is difficult despite these treatments, surgical treatment is considered. Pelvic osteotomy is attempted in relatively young patients.

The progression of degenerative changes can be prevented through surgery to relieve pain by changing the position of the weight-bearing femoral head to position a new bone head surface. However, if the disease has progressed so much that it is difficult to use the original joint, artificial joint replacement surgery may be performed.

▶ Lifestyle habits that can prevent various joint diseases

To prevent osteoarthritis, you must first maintain a normal weight. The more you weigh, the more strain it puts on your joints. There are also studies that show that people with severe obesity are more than four times more likely to develop arthritis than people with normal weight.

Appropriate exercise keeps bones and joints healthy. Regularly perform movements such as bending and straightening your knees while sitting on a chair, or slightly bending and straightening your knees while standing. Swimming and indoor cycling are also good for your joints. However, since hiking, running, and jumping can put a strain on the joints, it is best to do them in moderation.

In addition, adopt a correct posture that maintains the natural inclination angle of the spine. It is a good idea to pull in your chin, straighten your back muscles, keep your left and right shoulders at the same height, and keep your neck vertical.

When you have to stay in the same position for a long time, it is a good idea to do light exercises or stretching to relax joints such as shoulders, waist, knees, hands and ankles. Also, avoid lifting heavy objects with one arm, and avoid cross-legged posture or cross-legged posture where you place your weight on one leg when standing.

In particular, it is best to avoid postures such as sitting, cross-legged, or kneeling, as these can put strain on the knees and hip joints.

Professor Jeon Sang-hyun emphasized, “No matter how well you treat osteoarthritis, it is not easy to regain healthy joints,” and added, “Preventing arthritis through proper lifestyle habits is the best way to prevent it.”