“Investing” in Knee Health: A Strategy to Prevent Knee Osteoarthritis for Investors

Hello, dear readers. This month, I will invite you to invest in ““Health Assets” What doctors consider to be invaluable to our quality of life are our knees. Similar to investing in financial markets, investing in knee health requires long-term planning, risk management, and consistent monitoring. For investors and executives who spend long periods of time sitting at work, knee pain or stiffness can be a warning sign of the depreciation of our most important health asset. 

knee : “Health assets” that need to be taken care of

Knee osteoarthritis, or in medical terms “Knee Osteoarthritis,” is like an asset losing value due to wear and tear over time. The cartilage that covers the ends of the bones in the knee joint “deteriorates,” causing the bones to rub together, causing inflammation, and affecting the “return” of movement and quality of life.

Statistics show that osteoarthritis is not only a “risk” for the elderly, but is increasingly affecting the “investment portfolio” and health of working-age people, especially executives and investors with risky lifestyles.

Risk factor analysis
Like an assessment Risk Profile

As with investing, osteoarthritis has both “uncontrollable” and “manageable” risk factors.

Uncontrollable risk factors (Systematic Risk) :

• Increasing age, especially after the age of 40
• Women: Risk increases 50% after menopause.
• Genetic factors are like unavoidable market risks.
• History of previous knee injury

Controllable risk factors (Manageable Risk)

• Overweight: Every kilogram added = 3-6 times more knee pressure.
• Lack of exercise is like not diversifying your investments.
• A lifestyle that involves sitting in a position where the knees are bent for a long time, such as sitting cross-legged, sitting on the floor, or sitting on a low chair for a long time.
• Regular use of high heels increases the risk by 30%.
• Work stress affects inflammation in the body.

Early Warning Indicators
Warning signs that should not be ignored

And just like economic indicators that help predict market trends, osteoarthritis has some “leading signs” to watch for:

First stage (Early Stage Indicators:

• Knee pain upon initial movement after waking up (Morning Stiffness)
• Knee stiffness after sitting in a long meeting
• Pain when going up and down stairs
• Feeling unwell when getting up from your desk

Progressive phase (Advanced Warning Signs:

• Knee pain even while resting is like an underlying risk.
• Knee swelling, abnormal accumulation of “liquidity”
• You hear a crackling sound in your knee joint, similar to Market Volatility.
• ROI Decreased movement-leg arch, knee flexion-incomplete extension

Now that we know the warning signs and risk factors, let's start managing our health portfolio.

1. Life portfolio allocation (Asset Reallocation:

• Reduce “debt” and control your weight to a BMI of 18.5-22.9.
• Divest from activities that negatively impact the knee joints, such as high-impact sports.
• Invest in walking aids (Capital Investment) such as canes when needed.

2. Proactive management (Active Management) :

Exercise therapy is like Active Fund Management.

• • Stretch to increase flexibility
  • Strengthen your quadriceps muscles like building a strong foundation.
  • Exercises that reduce impact on the knees, such as swimming, cycling, and walking in water.
  • Exercise to increase balance ability (Balance Exercise) to prevent "fluctuations" and falls.

3. Investment in pharmaceuticals (Pharmaceutical Investment) :

• Short-term Investment: NSAID pain relievers for Crisis Management or when there is severe pain.
• Topical Investment: Ointment for people with high-risk digestive problems such as gastritis or acid reflux.
• Speculative Investment: Provide knee joint lubrication supplements such as Glucosamine.

4. kāyp̣hāphbảbạd (Physical Therapy Portfolio) :

Physical therapy such as heat compresses, pain relief devices such as ultrasound or laser, combined with muscle relaxation massage (Manual Therapy) to relieve pain.

 Additional advice

For investors and executives who often have to sit still for long periods of time

During work (Work-Life Balance)

• Set the Workstation so that the knees can bend 90 degrees (Optimal Position).
• Create an Alert System: Get up and walk every 30-60 minutes (like a Stop-loss Strategy).
• Invest in a footrest for Long Positions
• Avoid sitting cross-legged for long periods of time (High Risk Position)

exercise ROI High

• Walking Portfolio: Walk briskly for 30 minutes x 5 days/week
• Aquatic Investment: Swimming 2-3 times/week (Low Risk, High Return)
• Cycling Strategy: Cycling for exercise
• Flexibility Investment: Yoga to Increase Range of Motion

Equipment Investment Strategy

• Soft-soled shoes = Long-term Infrastructure Investment
• Heel no more than 2.5 cm. = Risk Management
• Avoid high-risk shoes, such as shoes with hard soles or very flat soles, because these types of shoes will not help absorb the impact transmitted to your knees, causing your knees to deteriorate faster in the long run.

When to cut loss?

Cutting Loss for osteoarthritis here means consulting a doctor. If you have any of the following warning signs, consult a doctor immediately.

• Knee pain that lasts for more than two weeks and does not go away on its own or that keeps getting worse
• Symptoms of knee swelling, redness, heat
• Unable to walk normally, unable to bear weight, or have no strength to walk
• Have symptoms of locked knees, loose knees, or frequent knee collapse.
• Pain that interferes with sleep
• Fever with joint pain

If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above, the doctor recommends that you consult a specialist, whether it be a rehabilitation physician or an orthopedic surgeon. Do not ignore it.

Knees are like long-term assets we've had since birth, and we are our own best portfolio managers. Investing in strong knees today will yield "rewards" in terms of mobility, improved quality of life, and long-lasting health, just like a financial portfolio that will grow steadily into the future.

I hope this article will be of some use to all my lovely readers. If you have any special suggestions you'd like me to write about, please feel free to do so. See you next time! I wish you good health, both financially and physically.

Dr. Monthonlee Sutthitham
Rehabilitation Medicine Specialist
Thonburi Hospital

educational record

• Doctor of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, 2555
• Certificate of Rehabilitation Medicine, Khon Kaen University, 2558