Wednesday, June 03, 2009

My knee joint

kind of ached during the year end last year. It's the 'sour' feeling at the joint areas; it's the articular cartilage to be exact.
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At first, I attributed it to the cooler weather we experienced during the year end but a colleague's advice does make me realize that if aches are left untreated, it'll result in more dire consequences.
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She's an active person. My colleague joined kick-boxing classes; those with the vigorous movements involved. She found herself trying to cope with knee joint aches not long after attending the classes and at the advice of another mutual friend, she began to supplement joint tablets to help in her joint aches.
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In fact, we saw both famous golfer Tiger Woods and two-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady underwent knee surgery due to significant knee pain
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After a serious thought over what could have caused by 'aching' knees, it's likely due to prolonged carrying my over 15Kg dear son every morning to the car for sure. To add to my burden, I'm carrying his school bag and my own haversack.
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The knee is the largest joint in the body and is very complex. Research shows that carrying even a little extra weight triples our chances of developing arthritis. Every pound we carry puts an average of five pounds of added stress on our knees when we move, so being just 10 pounds overweight is like having 50 extra pounds of pressure on our joints. Research also has shown, however, that for a woman of average height, losing as little as 11 pounds may cut the risk of osteo-arthritis of the knee by up to 50%.
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Motion is lotion for our knees. Strengthening the front and back muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings, respectively) of the thighs can help prevent knee trouble—especially in women, who are five to seven times more likely to suffer a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which is among the most serious knee problems. One way to reduce risk of such an injury is to practice jumping and landing on a slightly bent knee. Walking is good to help keep our weight down, but it won’t build the thigh muscle that we need to stabilize our knees. The advice is aim to strength-train our legs two to three times a week to build and keep from losing muscle mass.
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Always warm up before we exercise, and choose our workouts wisely. Know our limits. Give ourselves time to get in shape, and don’t try to do too much too soon. Follow the 10% rule: Never increase the duration or intensity of our exercise or activity by more than 10% in a week. Train for at least two months before beginning stressful activities such as skiing or running in a race. Strength, flexibility, aerobic, and core exercises will help prevent knee and other injuries.
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At the end of trying everything, don't wait too long to consult a Doctor if the ache still persists - with new technologies like MRI scans and arthroscopy, knee problems may be diagnosed and treated quicker, easier, and better.
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