Senior citizens visiting the Taipei International Flora Exposition have been advised to rest at regular intervals to ease acute arthritis symptoms after a doctor noticed an increase in patients seeking treatment after going to the fair.
“About 10 percent to 20 percent of elderly patients with stable chronic knee problems were coming back for treatment at the same time, which was quite unusual,” said Tung Fu-hi (董福義), chief of the orthopedics department at the Yang-ming branch of Taipei City Hospital.
“I was quite puzzled until I learned that they had all visited the Flora Expo,” Tung said.
Though taking a stroll in a flower garden is good exercise for seniors, continuous standing could lead to loss of fluid in the hyaline cartilage — which helps protect and cushion bones — and could even cause cartilage wear, Tung said.
“The patients said there weren’t enough benches to rest on and that waiting times were as long as one hour, especially for the popular Pavilion of Dreams,” Tung said.
The doctor said people needed to sit at least once for every 50 minutes of walking to replenish the fluid in their cartilage, and he also warned that pain might not be obvious enough to keep visitors off their feet during their visit, but would kick in a few hours later after they returned home.
For those who feel discomfort in their joints, the doctor suggested applying ice immediately to the sore area before seeking medical treatment.
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