Aunt Zhou just turned 60 years old, and she felt that her legs and feet were becoming more and more difficult.
The last time she went shopping for vegetables by herself, she was walking and her legs were weak and she almost fell on the road, and since then, she has not dared to walk too much alone.
On this day, her friend asked her to go for a walk, and she also made various excuses, and she only told the ins and outs after chatting: "When I walk, my legs are always weak, and it is useless to supplement calcium." ”
"You can't do this, you have to move around more when you're old, and experts say that walking more is the way to live longer. ”
In the face of her friend's persuasion, she also began to struggle in her heart, is it really so good to walk?
1. Walking is a "longevity medicine", and walking in this way can prolong life for 6 years!
At the end of last year, the Journal of the American Association of Medical Directors published a research report from Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, adding new evidence that walking can prolong life!
The study recruited more than 330,000 adults with an average age of 56 years and divided them into different control groups, and found that walking 90~720 minutes per week reduced the risk of death by 27%~31% and increased life expectancy by 6 years compared with the non-walking group.
And the longer you walk, the lower the risk of death.
In the physical activity group, the risk of death was reduced by more than 20% in both the moderate and high physical activity groups, and the life expectancy was increased by 3.4 years and 2.6 years, respectively, compared with those without physical activity.
The study also found that this phenomenon may be related to the extension of telomeres, and the length of telomeres may have a key impact on human lifespan, which is a potential mechanism for physical activity to promote longevity.
In addition to being good for longevity, walking also has many other benefits.
Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention has done relevant experiments, through the observation of 5005 people walking activity body test, found that after 100 days, the 5005 people lost weight significantly, the BMI index decreased by 0.47 kg / square meter, the body fat rate also decreased by 0.7%, the total weight was reduced by 1.28 kg, the waist circumference was also reduced by 1.86 cm, and the control effect of blood pressure was getting better and better.
Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, also publicly stated that it is recommended that the elderly walk and exercise every day, and he has insisted on walking and exercising 7,000-8,000 steps a day for 20 years to have such a good physique. He pointed out that the elderly can sometimes walk more, which is very beneficial to physical health.
2. What happens when your knees suddenly "soft" when you walk?
The knee joint is responsible for the most complex and heavy activities in the human body, so it is also the most vulnerable part of the body. Bad behaviors and postures such as sitting for a long time, stilting your legs, standing for too long, or exercising too much in your life can also lead to its wear and tear.
If your knees suddenly become weak while walking, it may also be a sign of illness:
1. Bone hyperplasia
Especially in old age, joints are most prone to bone hyperplasia, which is mainly manifested as joint pain and frequent spasms around the joints, which mostly appear in middle-aged and elderly women with long-term physical labor.
2. Patellar malacia
Due to the influence of aging, the patella appears aging and functional degenerative changes, and with the increase of articular cartilage wear, the patellofemoral joint sliding trajectory is not smooth, and it is easy to have soft symptoms when walking.
3. Meniscus injury
The meniscus is an important tool for maintaining the stability, shock absorption, lubrication, absorption, and transfer of energy in the knee joint. When this area is damaged, it will cause joint pain, swelling, and fluid accumulation, and as the course of the disease increases, it will evolve into soft legs and joint inflexibility.
4. Synovitis, synovial chondromatosis
Due to the congestion and hypertrophy of the joint capsule caused by repeated damage to the knee joint, the inflammatory reaction is manifested as knee joint pain, discomfort, edema, and weakness of the walking joint, and even normal activities may be limited in the later stage.
5. Cerebral infarction
After cerebral infarction, the brain's ability to control limb movement is limited, and there may be a lack of balance and uncontrolled joints when walking, and the ends of the limbs are most susceptible.
Experts remind that factors such as sitting for a long time, cold knees, eating too salty, and shoes that don't fit well can also cause knee damage and aggravate joint damage, so we must pay attention to correcting them.
Shi Zhanjun, director of the Department of Joint and Bone Disease Surgery of Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, also reminded that when the following two situations occur, it is necessary to pay attention to it, and it is likely that the knee joint is calling for help.
Signal 1: Unexplained knee pain up and down stairs
Usually walking does not hurt, only when going up and down the stairs do not feel comfortable, excluding the impact of trauma, it may be that the knee cartilage is worn excessively, coupled with the effect of aging, the joint fluid is reduced, the weight on the stairs and stairs is increased, the weight-bearing feeling of the joint is also increased, and frequent friction will stimulate the nerve endings and feel pain.
Signal 2: Pain in joint compression
Shi Zhanjun said that if you don't press it, it won't hurt, and the pain when you press it is also a sign of cartilage degeneration and joint damage, indicating that the joint has a reduced cushioning effect on external force and cannot form a protective effect on the human body in normal activities.
3. If the elderly want to walk without hurting their knees, keep in mind 6 key points
Someone asked, how can the elderly walk without hurting their knees?
Liu Qiang, deputy chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics and Joints of Peking University People's Hospital, summarized a set of "painless walking" tips, which can reduce the recoil force of activity on the knee joint through training, so as to avoid discomfort caused by joint damage.
1. There is an order for the soles of the feet and heels to land: when the legs land, the heels should first land lightly, and the angle should be able to show the soles forward.
2. Take a big stride: Stride forward when walking, waving your arms frequently.
3. Correct the "outer eight": keep the toes always facing forward, and the distance between the feet is the same as the distance between the pelvis.
4. Pedal the ground strongly: when the rear foot pedals the ground, it is necessary to exert force, and the support from the ground is stable.
5. Exercise leg muscles: At home, you can practice standing upright and raising your legs, which helps to exercise the muscles in front of your legs, which will protect your knee joints from injury when walking.
6. Wear "good shoes": In addition to walking posture, it is also very important to have a pair of suitable shoes, if your shoes have been seriously worn and collapsed to one side, it is best to replace them quickly to avoid uneven force on the shoes, resulting in unstable walking and affecting the knee joint.
Therefore, in daily life, not only to walk more, but also to walk the right way, pay attention to the above tips, scientific exercise can better play the benefits of walking, of course, but also to master the appropriate principles, if you feel uncomfortable during the walking process, please stop in time to avoid excessive exercise.
Resources:
[1] "Is it a disease to suddenly have weak legs when walking?Attention!These 5 behaviors "hurt the knees"→ Guangdong CDC.2023-10-12.
[2] "This action is often done every day, which will hurt both knees very much! These two signals are the knee joints calling for help!Tell your parents~".Guangzhou Daily.2017-08-08.
[3] "How are people who insist on walking 8,000 steps a day?Remember 6 points for walking without hurting your knees!", Health Times.2023-09-13.
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