As Korea enters a super-aged society, where the population aged 65 and older exceeds 20% of the total population, interest in senior health care is rising. Ahead of the Year of the Blue Snake (乙巳年) in just two days, domestic hospitals introduced health management methods as flexible as a snake.
On the 30th, the Oriental Medicine Hospital proposed health management methods to achieve a flexible waist like a snake. If the health of the waist, the body's central axis, collapses, the overall balance can be disrupted, leading to various musculoskeletal disorders. Especially since most important nerves pass through the waist, injuring it can result in extreme pain.
As can be seen from the way snakes glide, they are the most agile animals in terms of spinal mobility. While humans have 33 vertebrae, snakes can have between 200 and 400 vertebrae depending on the species, allowing them to bend and straighten their waists in various directions while moving. Additionally, all vertebrae in snakes have ribs attached, which protects internal organs and maximizes flexibility and mobility.
The Oriental Medicine Hospital emphasized that regular exercise is essential to prevent waist injuries. They introduced 'erector stretching' as an exercise that can be done regularly. Grasp a structure at waist height with both hands and slowly bend the upper body forward while pushing the hips back. It is important to engage the abdomen to prevent the upper body from rounding and maintain the contraction of the erector muscles. This helps relax the lumbar muscles, reducing the risk of waist injuries and making it suitable for waist management since it can be done anytime, anywhere.
On the other hand, it was advised not to open the jaw widely like a snake. Unlike human jaws, a snake's jaw is not composed of a single lower jawbone; instead, it is split in the middle into two pieces. These two pieces are connected by highly elastic ligaments, allowing for independent movement. Additionally, the upper jawbone is loosely connected to the skull, enabling wide movement back and forth. This is also why snakes can open their jaws up to 150 degrees to swallow prey larger than themselves.
Humans are unable to open their jaws as widely as snakes. Opening the mouth too wide can lead to jaw joint disorders due to the misalignment of the muscles, bones, and joints surrounding the jaw. Frequently eating tough foods or lying on one side while grinding teeth can also contribute to this. Major symptoms include a 'clicking' sound in the jaw when opening the mouth and the onset of pain. If not treated early, the pain can spread throughout the face, leading to facial asymmetry and tinnitus.
Hong Soon-seong, director of the Oriental Medicine Hospital, noted, "It is more important to make slow efforts to establish healthy habits rather than planning to drastically change lifestyle patterns for health management in the new year," and added, "I hope to celebrate a healthy Year of the Snake through individual management of areas such as the spine and jaw, like a flexible snake."
On the same day, Gangnam Bedro Hospital also emphasized knee joint health to move as freely as a snake. As the population of patients with knee arthritis increases in the aging society, interest and prevention for managing knee arthritis in daily life have become crucial.
Cold waves and heavy snow also pose obstacles to knee joint health. Cold and cloudy weather can exacerbate arthritis and pain. Under low-pressure environments such as snowfall or cloudy weather, pain can often worsen.
Kang Seung-baek, director of the knee joint center at Gangnam Bedro Hospital, said, "Many patients have confirmed the close relationship between changes in weather and joint pain," adding, "One reason arthritis patients' joints become stiffer and more painful in winter is due to decreased blood circulation." When the weather gets colder, the viscosity of the joint fluid increases, and the nerves and blood vessels in the limbs constrict, triggering a physiological response to keep major organs, including the heart, warm. In this case, blood circulation to the arms and legs decreases, resulting in pain.
Joint pain is also affected by changes in atmospheric pressure. In cloudy, low-pressure weather, tissues slightly expand, and especially the expansion of joint tissues compresses surrounding nerves. This is why sensitive arthritis patients can often sense low-pressure weather in advance. This phenomenon is actually referred to as weather arthritis.
Director Kang stated, "Many patients overlook or misinterpret symptoms of arthritis that worsen in winter," adding, "As the population of knee arthritis patients increases in an aging society, it is important to accurately recognize the symptoms of these conditions and effectively manage them in daily life."