Know anything about our knees, our joints?

I know of 2 students who are now living with their grandparents. Their parents are working outstation, quite far from Sibu. Every time, they came, it was their grandparent who send them over to my place for their extra classes.


Yesterday afternoon, when their grandmother climbed the stairs, I noticed that she was limping and was holding onto both of her knees.. I know that she is having pain, so I intervened and asked her what's the limp was all about. She showed me her swollen knee which was stuck with lots of 'medicated stickers' that she thought could lessen and ease its pain.


Seeing such a painful knee, I feel that I am obliged to blog on some of my tips towards maintaining a healthy joint even to the age of 97. I sometimes joke with my friend about daring him to live 100. He jokingly replied 97 can do. Well, we cannot determine how long we can live. It is not our choice or will to how long one can live. But one thing for certain is that we can live a healthier and happier life if we do take care of our health as one should.


As one advances in ages, various tissues within the joint begin to break down. Loss of flexibility is due to the combined deterioration of tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Degenerative changes are usually associated with advancing ages, that is why we see disabilities and complications among the elders everywhere. Most of them have difficulties in walking and climbing staircases.


First of all, we should understand that our joints are made up of synovial fluid which is used to cushion the force of movement between bones. The fluid gets 'thinner' with age. This change has a dramatic negative effect on joint flexibility.


The articular cartilage are clear structures normally providing a protective coating against friction when our bones rub each other. This cartilage becomes opaque, cracks and frays as the joint ages. These changes will cause increased joint pain and decreased mobility.


The tendons and ligaments are another protective shield for our bones. Changes in collagen and elastin production result in fragmented tissues. This degeneration is augmented by scar tissue deposition and calcification primarily due to age-related injury. The resulting structures are less resilient, with increasing loss of flexion and extension.


Talking about injury, all joints are subjected to extreme daily trauma, increasing age results in cumulative injuries. Repairs are generally detrimental to optimal function. Fibrous and calcified new material replace elastic and resilient original tissue. It will result in archness, stiffness and reduced effective mobility.


The flexibility of our knees and elbows should be maintained so as to prevent further damage, but worst of all, is this incessant discomfort and pain that is most unbearable, throughout our whole life.. We can't see with our naked eyes the degenerative damages inside our joints and bones, but unseeing doesn't mean that it is not happening.


The best answer towards solving the above is going into preventive measures. Don't feel that one is doomed to face those inevitable miseries, fear not, the answer is just be wisely prepared to prevent it from happening at the first place! Don't wait until it is too late.


to be continued, the next article will be 'Tips on how to maintain a healthy knee'