Don’t be pushy when exercising for the elderly

　　Aunt Yang, who is in her early 70s, became a "sports fan" after she retired. There is a reason why she is obsessed with exercise. Aunt Yang has high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids, which are the typical "three highs"; she also has arthritis, and her pain symptoms are significantly aggravated when the weather is cold or humid. When I went to the internal medicine department to see high blood pressure, the doctor suggested that Aunt Yang take more exercise Exercise, preferably to lose weight, has a certain auxiliary effect on the treatment of "three highs". So, Aunt Yang began the process of striding: she wore a pedometer in her waist every day and followed the old sisters in the community to walk quickly around the community. She walked at least 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day and would not give up until she reached her goal. But every time she didn't walk for long, her legs would hurt. My daughter heard that walking too much would damage her joints, and she was advised to swim more. However, Aunt Yang felt that the pain in her legs was nothing to worry about for a person like her who was once an "iron girl". "She gritted her teeth and persevered and faced the difficulties. ”

　　After gritting her teeth and persisting for more than three months, Aunt Yang's knee pain became unbearable and she had to follow her daughter to the hospital. Hospital examine. The doctor recommended a CT scan, and it was only after this examination that he found that the cartilage layer of her knee was basically worn away. The doctor said with great admiration: "How painful your joints must be when you walk every day. ”Since the knee cartilage has almost worn away, it is difficult to improve the symptoms through other treatment methods. In desperation, Aunt Yang underwent double knee replacement surgeries within six months.

　　There are many elderly people like Aunt Yang who are "brave to overcome difficulties". The deputy chief physician of Beijing XX Orthopedic Hospital said that he often sees patients who exercise excessively and exercise inappropriately in the outpatient clinic. elderly . “An uncle had leg pain, especially when going up and down stairs. ”Li Rui said that the old man's friends gave him advice and asked him to "fight fire with fire." "Don't your legs hurt when you go up and down the stairs? Then practice every day and you will be good at it after a while. ”The old man insisted on "fighting fire with fire" for three months. Later, the pain in his legs became unbearable. After coming to the hospital for examination, the doctor determined that the knee joint must be replaced.

　　Swimming and cycling are suitable for people with poor joints

　　Nowadays, many elderly people are obsessed with sports such as mountain climbing or brisk walking. In fact, there is no good or bad way to exercise, only suitable or unsuitable. From the perspective of protecting the knee joint, climbing mountains and going up and down stairs are not suitable forms of exercise. Especially when walking down mountains and stairs from high to low, the load on the knee joint is the highest, which is 4 to 6 times the usual amount. “many knee joints disease The early symptoms of patients are often knee joint pain when going downstairs. In fact, this is the most typical symptom. ”The load on the knee joint changes greatly with the movement and gait of the human body. The static force on the knee joint in the standing position is 0.43 times the body weight, while it can reach 3.02 times the body weight when walking, and can reach 4 to 6 times the body weight when climbing. Some elderly people stand on the steps and dare not walk when going down the mountain because the joints bear a heavy load and are difficult to bear when going down the mountain. When going down a mountain, the knee joint is always in a state of alternating knee flexion and weight-bearing. The loose ligaments make the joint very unstable and rely entirely on the retinaculum to maintain it. When the joint is displaced laterally, it is easy to damage the retinaculum, causing tiny fiber breaks and capillary bleeding. Some elderly people now insist on walking more than 10 kilometers a day. Although the load on their joints when walking is smaller than when walking up and down stairs or climbing mountains, some people still find their legs unbearable after walking for a year and a half.

　　Elderly people with poor joints are best to choose non-weight-bearing exercises when exercising. Swimming, cycling, etc. are beneficial to the joints of the lower limbs without damaging the joints. If the elderly have poor balance and coordination and are worried that it is not safe to ride a bicycle on the road, they can buy a stationary bicycle and keep it at home for exercise. “Don’t stop exercising if your joints are not good. ”It's no good if your joints are not good and you don't exercise at all, because joints need synovial fluid to supply nutrients and metabolize waste. But synovial fluid needs to be squeezed to enter the cavity, so it won’t work without exercise. He suggested that elderly people with poor joints can also walk 1 to 2 kilometers outdoors every day. But before exercising, you must warm up; do not be competitive when exercising. "Make it clear that the purpose of your exercise is fitness, and the focus is participation. ”

　　Even if you have a heart stent installed, don’t sit still”

　　Unlike the elderly with joint diseases, heart disease patients, especially those who have had stents installed or bypass surgery, are often very "squeamish" and "cannot go out of the door, nor take a step forward in the second door." ”The chief physician of the Department of Cardiology at Beijing Anzhen Hospital found that there are particularly many elderly patients with cardiovascular disease who dare not exercise and “want not to go out every day. ”

　　There are many people with heart stents, including many celebrities. Former U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton all had heart stents installed, but they were still active in the public eye and were not completely closed at home. Sometimes I ask patients who have had stents installed in the clinic: "Can I go up three floors by myself now?" Before the patient can answer, the patient's family members will rush to say, "How can he go upstairs by himself? I don't dare to let him go out." ”“I'm afraid that he is tired. What will happen if he gets sick again? ”

　　In fact, moderate exercise every day is good for the heart; sitting at home every day is not conducive to recovery. The vast majority of patients with cardiovascular disease do not have simple cardiovascular disease, but are accompanied by abnormalities in blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, etc., and some people are overweight. “Patients with cardiovascular disease often have multiple risk factors, and exercise can significantly improve their physical condition. ”

　　You can go to the hospital to ask experts for advice on what kind of exercise is suitable for patients with heart disease and to what extent they should exercise. Patients with stable conditions can engage in moderate-intensity exercise. Generally speaking, you can exercise 3 to 5 times a week, for more than 30 minutes each time. Brisk walking, swimming, jogging and other exercises are all acceptable.

　　You should also consider your personality when choosing sports

　　Square dancing, shuttlecock kicking, softball, striding...these are all popular sports for the elderly. Some elderly people don't know what projects are suitable for them, so they just join in the fun with their neighbors. In fact, the choice of sports should not only consider physical conditions, but also consider one's own personality characteristics. Physical exercise for the elderly is not a hard exercise to temper the soul. Physical exercise should be a joyful activity. While exercising the body, exercise is also shaping a harmonious mind. healthy , cultivate a happy, cheerful and healthy character in comfort. “People's personalities are different, and their choice of sports should also be different. ”

　　How should people with different personalities choose sports? If you have a nervous personality, you can appropriately participate in highly competitive sports. Generally speaking, the situation on the court in basketball, volleyball and other sports is changeable and intense. Only by dealing with it calmly and calmly can you gain an advantage. If you can often accept the test in such fierce situations, you will not be too nervous when encountering problems, let alone panic, which will bring benefits to work and study. Considering the characteristics of the elderly, these more strenuous exercises should be chosen carefully.

　　For people with a timid personality, swimming, skating and other sports are more suitable. “Some people are timid by nature, often shy and blushing, and have a shy personality. These people should participate in more swimming, skating and other sports, because these exercise projects require people to constantly overcome timidity and overcome difficulties and overcome obstacles with a brave and fearless spirit. ”The more timid people exercise, the more courageous they will become, and their behavior will become calm and natural. Some people are withdrawn, introverted, unsociable, not good at interacting with others, and lack competitiveness. Especially when people reach old age, some people who are not withdrawn also become withdrawn. These people should choose more team sports and exercise with a group of old friends. In group exercise, they can enhance their own vitality and spirit of cooperation with others, and appropriately change their personalities. Some people have a suspicious personality, lack trust in others, and are not decisive in handling things. It is recommended to choose table tennis, tennis, badminton and other exercise programs. These programs require athletes to be calm-minded, quick-thinking, accurate in judgment, and decisive. Long-term exercise will help people get rid of suspicious thinking patterns. Some elderly people become more vain as they get older and tend to be more aggressive when things go wrong. These people can try more difficult or complex sports, such as running a marathon or playing chess, table tennis or badminton with opponents whose strength exceeds their own. Constantly remind themselves that they must not be proud. For people with an impatient temper, they are not calm enough in life and are easily impulsive and irritable. It is recommended that people with an impatient temper can choose to play chess, Tai Chi, practice health qigong, long-distance walking, swimming, etc. This type of activity is mostly static and independent exercise, which will not cause excessive emotional fluctuations and helps regulate nerve function to enhance self-control.