4.5 Million Knee Patients: The Crisis of Old Age Caused by 3mm Cartilage Damage

* Broadcast: September 20 (Sun) 7:40 AM

South Korea has the highest prevalence of knee arthritis in the world! As of 2025, the number of patients suffering from degenerative arthritis reaches as many as 4.5 million. Degenerative arthritis, the number one chronic disease among Koreans, is accompanied by extreme pain and causes walking impairments along with bone deformation. Research also shows that chronic inflammation can lead to vascular diseases as well as degenerative brain diseases such as dementia and Parkinson's disease. The knee joint is the driving force that allows one to walk and move freely, and the strength that supports life! We explore joint health, which determines the health of seniors in the age of a hundred-year lifespan.

- Threatening senior health! Emergency for degenerative arthritis

Degenerative arthritis affects 1 in 3 seniors aged 65 and older. The main causes of arthritis are the damage to cartilage, which is only 3mm thick, and inflammation within the body. According to recent studies, inflammation in the body attacks the synovial membrane of the joint first; when inflammation occurs in the synovial membrane, fluid accumulates in the knee and accelerates the decomposition of cartilage, causing it to wear down quickly. The problem is that cartilage has no bones or nerves, so damage cannot be detected early, and once cartilage is worn away, it does not regenerate. Therefore, by the time patients visit a hospital due to pain, the degenerative arthritis has often already progressed to stage 2 or higher. Degenerative arthritis is divided into stages 1 through 4 based on the narrowing of the joint space and the presence of osteophytes and bone deformation... By stage 4, the cartilage is completely worn away, causing bones to collide and resulting in extreme pain, accompanied by O-shaped joint deformation and walking impairments. Generally, arthritis progresses over several years to decades... As arthritis worsens, activities such as housework, driving, going out, and exercising become difficult, and the prevalence of physical diseases such as obesity, metabolic diseases, and sarcopenia, as well as mental illnesses such as isolation, depression, and suicidal impulses, increases alongside it.

- 3mm cartilage damage makes daily life a terrible pain

Moon Suk-ja (68), whose daily life has become difficult due to worsening joint pain after being diagnosed with stage 2 degenerative arthritis five years ago. Because she cannot bend her joints, she walks awkwardly with her legs extended and dragging her feet, which frequently leads to falls and injuries. She deeply regrets that overworking her joints while running a business in her youth seems to have caused the arthritis... There is another person who realized the preciousness of joints too late. Han Su-yeon (69) suffers from knee and hand arthritis, Achilles tendonitis, disc disorders, as well as hyperlipidemia and diabetes. She says that as her knees collapsed, inflammation spread to all her joints, including her hands, waist, and ankles, and as her mobility became restricted, vascular diseases also arrived; because it is difficult to move and even simple housework is overwhelming, she is also suffering from depression. She tries applying medicated patches and massaging due to the pain that comes at all times, but these are only temporary measures. She regrets the years passed when she did not protect her health while she was healthy.

- Cartilage protector! Pay attention to bovine-derived chondroitin!

What should one do to escape the pain of arthritis and enjoy a happy old age? Kim Jae-jin (55), who boasts a slim and muscular, firm body. Having been diagnosed with stage 2 arthritis at the early age of her 40s, she has regained her joint health to the point of competing in Jecheon, South Korea, as a representative for Jokgu in South Chungcheong Province. Like Kim Jae-jin, Park Gwi-sun (65), a senior shuffle dancer living energetic days after escaping the threat of arthritis. Park Gwi-sun, who experienced joint pain and walking impairments severe enough to require crutches, is enjoying her second life to the extent of undergoing training to become a shuffle dance instructor. Kim Jae-jin and Park Gwi-sun, who know the preciousness of joints better than anyone! In the process of regaining joint health, the two not only changed their diets and combined them with exercise, but they also had something they made sure to take after meals... namely, bovine-derived chondroitin! Chondroitin plays a role in making joints flexible and reducing friction to slow down the rate of cartilage wear, and it is a key component of cartilage that supplies nutrients to cartilage cells which lack blood vessels.

In MBC Documantary Prime ‘Collapsing Joints: The 3 mm Cartilage Warning’, we intend to examine the causes of arthritis, analyze daily postures that accelerate cartilage damage, and seek ways to protect joint health, which is an essential condition for living an energetic old age!

◆ At a glance

· Publishing Institution: MBC

· Category: Documantary Prime

· Distribution: September 19, 08:00

Source: MBC Press Release

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