It is common for people to relate knee pain with age. And as a matter of fact, that’s true. Though knee pain is common with all age groups, as a person ages the chances increase for various reasons. The reasons can be any of the following, in most cases:
1. Obesity
Yes, anyone can be obese be it young or old but the risk of obesity is higher in older people. Older people are more passive than the young generation given that they don’t participate actively in the day to day activities which they used to do earlier. The reasons are obvious but might lead to obesity which leads your knee to carry the extra weight of your body, leading to constant or increasing knee pain.
2. Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is one of the common types of arthritis that breaks the cartilage that protects your knees otherwise. Even though it is being diagnosed in all age groups now, the chances that it grips people over 60+ years of age is much higher. Different studies across the globe have come to the conclusion that most of the cases of knee pain in older people are due to osteoarthritis.
3. Declining Muscle strength
By the time a person reaches the age of 60, the muscle size shrinks by almost 35-40%, losing its strength significantly. Losing muscular support in your leg/hip area might also be a major cause of knee pain, once you get older.
Whatever be the reason, it’s not inevitable to have knee pain with old age. Even if it gets hold of you, it’s not incurable either. Many people avoid treatment thinking it’s just an effect of the age and treatment won’t help. This ignorance can lead to serious knee problems leading to immobility in old age along with severe pain. If you or someone in your family is constantly suffering from pain or discomfort in the knee area, they must consult a good orthopaedic doctor to get the problem examined and treated.