Health Check
Arthrosis check
With increasing age, the risk increases of developing arthrosis. For example, only 4 % of 20-year old people have arthrosis, but 70 % of 70-year olds. Women are more frequently affected than men
| Questions | yes | no |
| 1. Are you overweight? | ||
| 2. Are you older than 50? | ||
| 3. Are you bandy legged or bow legged? | ||
| 4. Do you mostly work bent? | ||
| 5. Do your joints hurt when you are resting? | ||
| 6. Do your joints crack during specific movements? | ||
| 7. Do you have chronic problems with feelings in your arms or legs? | ||
| 8. Have you ever suffered a bone fracture with joint damage? | ||
| 9. Are your thigh muscles weak? | ||
| 10. You smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day? | ||
| 11. Are your fingers stiff in the morning? | ||
| 12. Is there hereditary malformation or stiffness of the finger joints in your family? | ||
| 13. Do suffer from club foot, splay foot or flat foot? | ||
| 14. Did you have ballet lessons as a child? | ||
| 15. Do your feet hurt when you go barefoot? | ||
| 16. Do you occasionally suffer from swollen joints? | ||
| 17. Were your joints ever immobilised for an extended period? | ||
| 18. Have you ever had cortisone treatment(s) (on your joint)? ? | ||
| 19. Do you suffer from backache? | ||
| 20. Is your spinal column bent? | ||
| 21. Have you ever suffered a slipped disc? | ||
| 22. Have you ever had an operation on your spinal column? | ||
| 23. Have you ever had a meniscus operation? | ||
| 24. Do any of your close relatives have artificial joints? | ||
| 25. Have you ever been diagnosed as having weak ligaments in the knee joint or in the ankle? | ||
| 26. Have you ever suffered from purulent disease of the joints? | ||
| 27. Do your knees hurt when you are climbing the stairs? | ||
| 28. Is it difficult for you to split your legs? | ||
| 29. Is your concentration of uric acid raised? | ||
| 30. Do you suffer from a disorder of fat metabolism? | ||
| 31. Do you often suffer from piercing pain in the hip? | ||
| 32. Do your joints hurt when you walk? | ||
| 33. Is your connective tissue weak? | ||
| 34. Do you suffer from diabetes? | ||
| 35. For women: Are you in the menopause? | ||
| 36. Do you suffer from paralysis of the arms or legs? | ||
| 37. Did you participate in high performance sport for several years? ? | ||
| 40. Do you have to knee when working? | ||
| 41. Have close relatives suffered from chronic rheumatism? | ||
| 42. Has a loose body (joint mouse) been diagnosed in your joints? |
Our recommendation
Each question answered with “yes” is a risk factor. If the completed checklist indicates that you are at increased risk of arthrosis, you should ask your doctor for advice. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs only combat the symptoms of arthrosis, but not its cause. Drugs to protect cartilage or to enhance cartilage growth may help in the initial stages of arthrosis, when living cartilage tissue is still present. Functional therapy with bandages and orthoses is one component of successful overall treatment. Careful nutrition and adequate exercise are also helpful in avoiding overweight and thus decrease another risk factor for joint diseases. You can reduce damage to your joints by habitually moving in such a way that the stress on the joints is well balanced. It is advisable to ask the advice of a physiotherapist. A variety of operations may be performed, ranging from minor diagnostic operations to the replacement of destroyed tissue with an artificial joint, such as a hip or knee.
If you suffer from acute or chronic symptoms, please consult your doctor!
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