Why Knee Pain Worsens with Age in Vacaville

Knee pain in Vacaville is very common in older people but there are some things that you can do to lower your risk of acquiring it. All it takes is to adopt a few healthy lifestyle habits and you can save yourself from experiencing this condition.

There is no doubt that some people, even at their earlier age, are becoming heavier. This means that as they age, knee problems are unavoidable.

According to research, knee pain is very common to people who are at the age of 65 and above. A recent British study has even found that about 2/3 of women aged 50 and above experienced incident, intermittent, or persistent knee pain. And in the United States, about 16.5% of men and 25% of women over age 70 have reported that they're experiencing knee pain.

Knee pain and advancing age: The connection in Vacaville

The knees are just like any other joint in the body. We always face gravity every single day, and with each step, wear and tear is inevitable for our joints. This means that the more steps you take, the more wear and tear that's going to happen.

However, getting older is not the only thing that increases your chances of knee pain, but there are several other factors as well.

• Obesity: It is common for people to gain weight as they age. The adding of these extra pounds will put more load on your knees. Your knees will start to feel the effects of the extra wear and tear from carrying all that excess weight. The combination of age and being overweight can increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis.
• Osteoarthritis: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 14% of Americans that are aged 24 and above have osteoarthritis. This form of arthritis is very common, wherein the cartilage protecting the knees in your bones start breaking down. It could leave you more vulnerable to knee pain. After reaching the age of 65, the number of those affected rises to nearly 34%. In most cases, the cause of knee pain in older people is due to osteoarthritis.
• Muscle Changes: Between the age of 20 and 60, your muscles start shrinking in size by nearly 40%. This results in you losing some of your strength. Your hips and legs muscles will take up some of the force on your legs that results from waking and other activities. When you lose this kind of muscle support as you age, it could make you more vulnerable to knee pain.

Knee pain and advancing age: Stay strong and healthy

Even when you reach a certain age that this problem becomes more probable, there are still some preventive measures that you can do to avoid knee pain:

• Lose Weight: Overweight people with knee osteoarthritis have noticed an improvement from their disability when they lose 5% of their weight. This could be a big help in reducing all the load that your knees have to burden.
• Exercise Regularly: Land-based exercises like walking or strength training is good for knee osteoarthritis. Exercise can help reduce knee pain and allows you to move around more easily.

One final point to keep in mind if you're worried about age-related knee pain: Even though that a sizable portion of the older population have knee pain, the majority don't. So, if you don't develop knee pain with age, take the necessary steps to ensure that you remain pain-free.