Many elderly people experience leg pain in winter or rainy days, and in severe cases, it may even affect walking. This is the cause of “old cold legs”.
Is the old cold leg caused by not wearing long johns? Why do some people’s knees hurt when it’s cold? Regarding old cold legs, the following knowledge you need to know.
What are old cold legs?
Old cold legs are actually knee osteoarthritis, a common chronic joint disease, not caused by rheumatism.
What is the cause of old cold legs?
Aging and wear of articular cartilage is the real cause of old cold legs. At present, it is believed that aging, obesity, trauma, strain and other factors will accelerate the wear of cartilage on the surface of the knee joint.
The following types of people are more likely to suffer from old cold legs:
Obese people
Obesity increases the load on the knee joint, increases the pressure on the articular cartilage, and makes it more prone to knee cartilage damage.
Menopausal women
In menopausal women, bone strength and articular cartilage nutrition decrease, and articular cartilage is prone to wear and degeneration, which increases the incidence of arthritis.
People with knee injuries
Knee articular cartilage may also be damaged when injured, especially in patients with knee joint fractures. Most of the articular cartilage is also damaged to varying degrees during the fracture.
People with special occupations
For example, heavy physical workers, models, athletes, or people who usually exercise excessively or improperly.
Will you get “old cold legs” if you don’t wear long johns?
Old cold legs are not because of cold! Cold is not the direct cause of knee osteoarthritis. Although there is no direct relationship between cold and old cold legs, cold will aggravate the symptoms of old cold legs.
In winter, it is recommended to strengthen the warmth of the legs. Don’t carry it hard. Wearing long johns is a good choice when you feel cold. You can also wear knee pads to keep warm.
How to properly protect the knee joint?
0 1 “Reduce the burden” on the knee joint
It mainly refers to weight loss, which is an effective way to relieve knee joint pain. If the BMI index exceeds 24, then weight loss is particularly important to protect the patient’s knee joint.
02 Exercises to strengthen the muscle strength of the lower limbs
Strong thigh muscles can significantly improve knee pain. It can strengthen the exercise of lower limb muscle strength in daily life.
03 Pay attention to keeping the knee joints warm
Strengthening the warmth of the knee joints in daily life can reduce knee joint pain and prevent knee joint pain from recurring.
04 Timely use of auxiliary braces
Elderly patients who already have knee pain can use crutches to share the stress on the knee joint.
05 Avoid climbing mountains, reduce squatting and going up and down stairs
Climbing, squatting and going up and down stairs will significantly increase the burden on the knee joint. If you have knee joint pain, you should try to avoid such actions. It is recommended to take jogging, brisk walking, Tai Chi and other methods to exercise.
Source: Science Popularization China, National Healthy Lifestyle Action, Guangdong Health Information
Post time: Feb-16-2023
