Knee pain in elderly people is more common in women than in men. This is because the menopause causes hormonal imbalance due to which the bones get weaker, overweight, frequently sitting on the floor, as well as climbing stairs. Knee pain occurs because the tissues and the muscles degenerate as we get old. The tissue prevents the thigh bone and leg bone from coming into contact. This is like a protection. The medical term for this is Meniscus. This acts as a shock absorber while stretching and folding the leg by supporting all the pressure.
After 30 – 35 years for women the muscles get weaker and the pressure increases. When the pressure increases, it is called the first stage of Arthritis. When the tissue becomes weak and the two bones come into contact and becomes red. They might find difficult while getting up from the floor, difficulty in using Indian toilet, this is the next stage. In the next stage, the degeneration of the tissues gradually increases both the sides. This is the third stage. In the third stage, pain increases while walking on the mounds, frequent swelling in the knee, finding difficult to walk after 4 -5 hours of travel, crackling sound while climbing stairs. In the final stage, the knees will totally get weak and the bones will start to grow around. When the bones grows you may get severe pain after walking for 10 feet, the knee will begin to crook.
In many old people the bending of the knees will be visible and they begin to walk with a bearing. It is very difficult to control the degeneration. We can only control the progression rate of the damage. So it is good to have a general check-up and start the exercise for the knees initially. And also start the treatment if there are any Calcium deficiency or Vitamin D deficiency.
If you have a knee pain while playing, while getting up you can control it in the first two stages itself. If you find out the weakening of the knees at the initial stages you can avoid the surgeries and injections. If you have severe pain you have take steroid injections or Hyaluronic acid or create an artificial fluid and injecting it into the knee will also be effective. You will have do exercises regularly to increase the lasting of this effectiveness and control the weakening of the knees. You can even start oil massages or physiotherapy for the knee. When the next stages start, you will have pain when you walk for 4 – 10 feet. In this stage you should go for Total Knee replacement surgery.
Before 10 years, Total Knee Replacement Surgery was a very complicated procedure and people had a perception that they can’t walk after the surgery. Nothing like that exists anymore. We can make them walk the second day of the Total Knee Replacement Surgery. Within two weeks, they can walk without any support of the walker like a normal person. Total Knee Replacement Surgery have been advanced that they can sit on the floor and get up after 3 months of the surgery
