The Hidden Joint Risks in Trendy New Meeting Trends Recently, one-time offline meetings among people with the same hobbies, especially games like ‘Cops and Robbers’ (known as ‘Geong-D’) and gatherings enjoying French fries (‘Fries Meetups’), have become a trend, centered around secondhand trading platforms. The participation of celebrities and shared SNS video reviews have further amplified the interest.
‘Geong-D’ is popular because anyone can enjoy it outdoors without special equipment, and since people meet without prior knowledge of each other, individuals can participate without pressure.
‘Fries Meetups’ bring together people who love the same food, fostering connections naturally through shared culinary experiences. Nationwide, there are about 99 posts related to Fries Meetups on secondhand trading platforms, and some newly established groups reportedly have over 500 members.
However, caution is needed with these gatherings. In Geong-D, during cold weather that drops below freezing, muscles and ligaments can easily stiffen, risking injury. The game involves sudden sprinting or abrupt direction changes, which can heavily burden the knee joints, especially for those not accustomed to regular exercise.
Repeated heavy strain on the knees can damage the cartilage and cause secondary damage to the bones, ligaments, and tendons around the joints, sometimes resulting in swelling or pain in the knees.
From a nutritional perspective, caution is also needed with Fries Meetups. French fries are a high-sodium food, with about 300-400 mg of sodium per 100g, which is roughly 18% of the WHO’s recommended daily sodium intake for adults (2000 mg). Consuming toppings like ketchup, cheese sauce, or seasoning powders can further increase sodium intake.
High sodium foods not only have high calories but can also worsen vascular health when combined with saturated fats. Excessive sodium intake thickens blood and raises cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of hypertension.
Hypertension is not just a metabolic disease but can also lead to musculoskeletal conditions, requiring careful attention. According to a study by Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital published in the international journal ‘PLoS One’, patients with diabetes and hypertension have a knee osteoarthritis prevalence 1.26 and 1.19 times higher, respectively, than those without these conditions.
If knee pain occurs after intense activity or high sodium food intake, professional treatment is recommended. In Oriental medicine, treatments like acupuncture and herbal acupuncture are used to improve injured knee joints. Acupuncture helps relax stiff muscles and facilitates metabolism, promoting the elimination of body waste and weight loss. Herbal acupuncture quickly alleviates inflammatory reactions and helps restore damaged tissues by injecting herbal ingredients into acupuncture points.
The effectiveness of acupuncture in treating knee osteoarthritis has been scientifically proven through research published in the SCI(E)-level international journal ‘Frontiers in Medicine’ by Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital. According to the paper, domestic knee osteoarthritis patients who received acupuncture treatment had a knee surgery rate about 3.5 times lower than those who did not.
Positive changes were also observed in all evaluation indicators after integrating Oriental medicine treatment, including acupuncture. The patients’ average pain Numerical Rating Scale (NRS 0-10) decreased from a moderate pain level of 6.1 before the treatment to a mild level of 3.6 after the treatment. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC 0-100) improved from 53.67 before treatment to 38.97 afterward.
Hong Soon-sung, director of Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital, advised, “Although the recently popular hobby activities are positive for social interactions, sudden physical activity and excessive sodium intake can burden knee joint health. Don’t forget that recovery and management afterward are as essential as momentary fun in maintaining a healthy daily life.”