Episode 10 Part 1- Osteoarthritis.
How do you look after a vintage car? You put it in a garage, cover it with a dustcover, drive it sparingly and slowly. And don't crash it.
Well, apart from not crashing, this is exactly the wrong way to look after an old joint - present thinking is that you are much better off taking your old worn joints out for a spin to preserve them.
In this episode I look at some recent research about osteoarthritis, that reinforces the old maxim, use it or lose it.
Brisk walking may delay knee replacement surgery.
Here is a link to a summary of the research by Hiral Master from the university of Delaware. ( It has not yet been published in paper form).
And runners have better knees than non runners.
From the American College of Rheumatology.
Special thanks today for the photo that comes from the VW club website and was by Phil Mathews.
And to Dr Theo DeMalmanche, my dear friend who happens to be a rheumatologist and gave me some ideas and checked this podcast over.