Wednesday Brief

Friends, Corona Virus Covid 19 has started affecting India slowly, Yesterday was the worst day till date as the number of positive patient increased maximum in a day, thanks to the happenings at  Makraj  Nizamuddin. I am not going into the details of the same, but can only comment that what ever has happened was  very bad, and it should  not happen again.

Today again, I am back with health related topic and today I am going to write about the aching Knees due to advance age. Now whether it is  sharp pain or dull ache, the joint pain is a common problem these days and one of the main problem is Early Osteoarthritis of Knee.

Osteoarthritis, in layman’s language is known as wear and tear arthritis , is a condition in which the natural cushioning between joints—known as Cartilage- wears away. The knee is the most common joint of the lower body, and knee pain is common problem for the people who are affected by Osteoarthritis of knee.

Now if you have stiffness, pain and swelling in your knees, that is worse in morning, then you can suspect Osteoarthritis. Most often, Osteoarthritis affects people of 50+ age group, but it can be problem with younger people. Women are more likely to be affected by this disease.

The earl stages od Osteoarthritis may show the following symptoms

• Pain-Especially on bending and straightening the joints with weight bearing.
• Swelling– Caused by build up of fluid in the joints.
• Tenderness-When pressing down on the joints.
• Stiffness– when moving the joint, especially first thing in the morning or after a period of inactivity of walking.
• Creaking or Cracking of joints on activity such as bending.

Presently there is no cure for early Osteoarthritis (OA), but one can lessen the problems by keeping good health, exercising  etc.

Following are the few points, which can help to manage the symptoms:

• Loose Weight- Being overweight puts extra stress on your knees. Doctors generally say that for every 5 Kg loss in weight can reduce the pain by 20%.
• Exercise- To help your joint to work better, try a lighter workout like cycling or swimming. It will increase thev range of motion of joints and make them stronger.
• Rest as well- Make sure to get enough rest. While it is important to stay active, give your joints off time when they are paining.
• Medications-while medication is part of pain management, with the cases of Early OA, the side affects can burden the body.
• Herbal supplements-turmeric and Boswellia are two natural remedies provided by the nature to help relieve the joint pain associated with various ailments such as Arthritis, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

While Turmeric is easily available in the market but it is not easily absorbed by the body. So many Ayurveda  experts advise the combination of 4 herbal products to relieve this problem, and these herbals are Turmeric, Shallaki (Bosewellia serrata) Ginger and black pepper. In the market few ayurveda drugs with the combination are available, and this may provide nutrients to support joint function and vitality in bone cartilages. These type of drugs

• Supports in maintaining musculoskeletal health.
• Supports joint’s health and flexibility.
• It possesses anti inflammatory properties.
• Possesses antioxidant properties.

So these are the few tips for reducing the knee pain in the early stages. One must take care in the early stages to avoid the complication afterwards, which may lead to surgery for knee cap replacements.

Friends, I hope this information will be useful.

Awaiting your feedbacks/views/comments.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

1^st Apr 2020