Elderly people are prone to bone diseases
[Introduction to Osteoporosis]
Osteoporosis, or osteoporosis, is a group of bone diseases caused by various reasons. The bone tissue has normal calcification, and the calcium salt and matrix are in a normal proportion. It is a metabolic bone disease characterized by a decrease in bone tissue volume per unit volume. In most cases of osteoporosis, the decrease in bone tissue is mainly due to increased bone resorption. It is characterized by bone pain and susceptibility to fractures.
Osteoporotic fractures are not only severe, but the incidence also increases with age. Osteoporotic fractures are serious because they are prone to complications and even death.
1. "Frozen Shoulder" - Adhesive Capsulitis
Age: 50 years and above
Frozen shoulder, as the name suggests, refers to the condition of shoulder joint pain or movement disorders in people aged 50 and above. This is mainly because the upper limbs are suspended at the shoulder joint, relying on soft tissues such as tendons, ligaments, or joint capsules around the shoulder joint. Any movement or activity of the upper limbs relies on these tissues. After years of labor, the tissues begin to degenerate.
If the shoulder joint is sprained or injured due to heavy lifting or trauma when the person is over 50 years old, it may cause inflammation of the shoulder joint tendons or ligaments. Generally, there will be pain in the shoulder joint, difficulty in joint movement, inability to lift the arm or raise it behind the back, and more pronounced symptoms at night.
Treatment: Take analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, local injection of corticosteroids at the lesion site, and do appropriate exercises for the shoulder joint.
Daily health care: Try these exercises: 1. Wall climbing exercise: Stand facing the wall, raise both hands and place them on the wall, and slowly climb up the wall with your hands, trying to climb higher than the previous day. 2. Shoulder rotation exercise: Sit upright, place your left palm on your right shoulder, rotate your right shoulder 50-100 times, then switch hands. 3. Head-hugging exercise: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, cross your fingers behind your head, stretch your elbows apart parallel to your body, then bring your elbows together as if squeezing your head, and repeat the exercise.
2. Osteoporosis - Fractures
Age: 50 years and above
Osteoporotic fractures are not only severe, but the incidence also increases with age. Osteoporotic fractures are serious because they are prone to complications and even death.
When falling, if the elderly person falls to the ground, most fractures will occur at the junction of the chest and waist, causing compression fractures of the thoracic vertebrae, specifically the eleventh and twelfth segments of the lower thoracic vertebrae and the first and second segments of the upper thoracic vertebrae. If the elderly person falls and supports the ground with both hands, it is likely to cause fractures in the distal radius, which is equally harmful.
Treatment: For elderly people with fractures in the femoral head or greater tuberosity of the humerus, surgical treatment should be taken to allow them to get out of bed and move as early as possible to avoid complications such as pneumonia and bedsores that may lead to death. For compression fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine, conservative treatment with thoracolumbar brace fixation is mostly used. However, in the case of extremely unstable fractures or compression of spinal nerves, surgical treatment should be adopted. For fractures in the distal radius, plaster fixation is commonly used.
Daily tips: Fractures mostly occur in the femur, femoral head, or greater tuberosity of the humerus, and they are mostly caused by accidental falls. They often occur in places such as living rooms, bathrooms, and stairwells at home. Therefore, the floor in the living room should not be too slippery, and wooden floors are more suitable. Grab bars should be installed on the bathroom walls, and sitting showers are safer than tub baths to prevent the elderly from slipping when entering or exiting the bathtub. They should wear shoes with fabric soles at home, as leather slippers are prone to slip and fall.
3. "Sixty Knee" - Degenerative Knee Osteoarthritis
Age: 60 years and above
Degenerative knee osteoarthritis is arthritis caused by aging joints. The general symptoms are knee joint pain, swelling, deformity, and difficulty in walking. All joints in the body can be affected, but the knee joint is the most common. It is more common in women than men, and it is more common in people over 60. If shoulder adhesive capsulitis is called "frozen shoulder," then degenerative knee osteoarthritis can be called "sixty knee." The process of knee joint degeneration can cause different manifestations. At the beginning, there is knee joint pain, pain after going up and down stairs; later, joint swelling, fluid accumulation, movement disorders, and in severe cases, joint deformity, making movement more difficult.
Treatment: The treatment of degenerative knee arthritis varies depending on the severity of the arthritis: for early patients, conservative treatment methods such as anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, physical therapy, or intra-articular injection of corticosteroids can be used. If the condition is severe, such as severe cartilage wear and joint deformity causing difficulty in walking, surgical treatment should be taken, such as total knee replacement surgery.
Daily health care: 1. Avoid vigorous exercises such as playing tennis or climbing mountains, and engage in activities such as walking or swimming; 2. Avoid squatting for household chores, such as mopping the floor or doing laundry; 3. Reduce weight, as overweight people can reduce pressure on the knee joints by losing weight; 4. Use crutches or assistive devices to reduce pain when walking.
4. "Invisible Killer" - Osteoporosis
Age: 50 years and above
After the age of 50, various organs in the body gradually age, including the skeletal system. Calcium and mineral content in the bones gradually decrease, especially in women. Women over 50 who enter menopause will experience accelerated loss of calcium due to hormonal imbalance. The bones become thinner and form many small gaps, resulting in osteoporosis, which means the body is no longer able to withstand external or internal loads. As a result, pain in various joints and bone fractures are more likely to occur in the body.
