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Osteoarthritis
How to reduce swelling in osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis often presents with swelling, most commonly seen in knee osteoarthritis. The swelling occurs because of inflammation. For example, if knee arthritis is accompanied by synovitis, it will become swollen and the local temperature will be relatively high. To reduce swelling, the first measure is immobilization, meaning you should avoid bearing weight or moving, and lie in bed without bending the joint, which can help decrease the swelling. Second, you can apply heat, using a hot water bottle or heated salt for heat therapy. Third, if there is fluid accumulation in the joint cavity, draining this fluid can also reduce swelling. Fourth, physical therapy, acupuncture, and massage can all help reduce swelling.
Is osteoarthritis easy to treat?
Osteoarthritis is a difficult-to-treat disease because currently, there is no complete cure for joint disorders in medicine. Therefore, the treatment principles are early diagnosis, early treatment, and early rehabilitation. Mainly, methods are used to delay the progression of the disease, maximally preserve joint function, and enable patients to live normal lives. The first approach is non-pharmacological treatment, which is the foundation for drug therapy and surgical treatment, primarily involving physical therapy methods such as heat therapy, hydrotherapy, traction, microwave therapy, acupuncture, and massage to alleviate joint pain and swelling during acute flare-ups. The second approach is pharmacological treatment, mainly including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and traditional Chinese medicine. The third approach involves considering surgical treatment if conservative treatments prove ineffective. Surgical treatments can involve procedures such as joint debridement to remove inflamed, loose cartilage and bone tissues, and smoothing rough joint surfaces. If these methods are still ineffective, the last treatment option may be needed for severe cases, which is artificial joint replacement. Thus, the treatment of osteoarthritis is a stepwise approach. However, regardless of the treatment method used, there is currently no cure, making osteoarthritis a challenging disease to treat.
Difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis
Osteoarthritis and arthritis are different. Firstly, osteoarthritis refers to degenerative changes in the joints, mainly caused by aging and chronic strain, leading to damage to the joint cartilage. This results in symptoms such as joint pain, swelling, and limited mobility, which are characteristics of osteoarthritis. The scope of arthritis, however, is broader. Depending on the cause, arthritis can be divided into many types, including osteoarthritis, which is a type of arthritis. Other types include septic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gouty arthritis. Therefore, there is a distinction between the two. Arthritis covers a wider range, while osteoarthritis is simply a type of arthritis that involves the bones.
Is osteoarthritis serious?
Regarding the severity of osteoarthritis, it is mainly determined by the clinical symptoms of the patient's osteoarthritis. If the osteoarthritis is only manifested by localized pain, and there is no obvious impact on walking, going up stairs, or going downhill, this means that the osteoarthritis is not very severe. However, if the local swelling and pain of the osteoarthritis are very severe, with considerable pain when going up or down stairs, and if there is popping of the joint or symptoms of entrapment, and the joint has already shown obvious deformation affecting the patient's normal functions, then it indicates that the condition is quite severe. In such cases, it is necessary to proactively consider arthroscopic surgery or artificial joint replacement therapy.
What foods should be eaten for osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is generally divided into two main categories. The first category is liver and kidney deficiency, commonly seen in older adults. For this condition, it is advocated to consume foods that nourish the liver and kidney. Black foods are considered to benefit the kidneys, such as black rice, black beans, black goat, and black pork. Other foods like He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), Rehmannia glutinosa, Coix seed, and Chinese yam also help nourish the liver and kidney and can be beneficial for the condition. The second category is Qi stagnation and blood stasis type, where it is recommended to eat foods that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. In Western medicine, there are no specific dietary recommendations for treating osteoarthritis, except for general advice for elderly women to consume calcium-rich foods to prevent bone-related issues. Foods recommended include milk, eggs, and lean meat, which are rich in protein and calcium, and it is encouraged to consume more of these.
What foods are eaten for osteoarthritis?
First, it should be clear that food does not play a significant role in the treatment of osteoarthritis. It neither has particularly good effects nor particularly bad effects, so the goal should be to maintain a balanced diet. For some elderly men, it is important to maintain a healthy, balanced diet and avoid being overweight. For elderly women, osteoarthritis patients often also suffer from osteoporosis; in such cases, it is necessary to pay attention to calcium supplementation in the diet to prevent osteoporosis. These measures are feasible, but relying on any specific food to treat osteoarthritis is not very realistic.
How to maintain osteoarthritis?
Arthritis primarily requires avoiding cold exposure. For middle-aged and older individuals, it is advised to reduce or avoid mountain climbing and excessive weight-bearing activities, as well as excessive walking and running. These can exacerbate the symptoms and severity of osteoarthritis, and may even cause local pain and swelling in later stages, further aggravating osteoarthritis, leading to bone proliferation, worsening degeneration of bone joints, and even resulting in an inability to move around. Therefore, in addition to the precautions mentioned above, it is also recommended for the middle-aged and older population to appropriately supplement with bone peptides and some drugs that nourish joint cartilage annually, such as amino acids and glucosamine, all of which help in the maintenance and relief of osteoarthritis symptoms.
Difference between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis have clear differences. Osteoarthritis refers to the rupture, loss, and fissuring of joint cartilage caused by degeneration in old age, which can lead to knee pain, and in severe cases, deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis, however, refers to the destruction of joint cartilage caused by rheumatism, which includes the proliferation of synovium, swelling, migratory pain, morning stiffness, among other symptoms. Diagnosis can be confirmed through laboratory tests, such as the rheumatoid factor test, making it quite easy to distinguish between the two.
What should I do about osteoarthritis?
For the treatment of osteoarthritis, the main approach is still based on the severity of the patient's osteoarthritis to determine the corresponding treatment plan. If the osteoarthritis is very severe, severely affecting the patient's normal function, causing joint deformity, and affecting the patient's normal work or life, it is necessary to actively pursue joint replacement surgery. For cases where the symptoms of osteoarthritis are not very severe, choosing active conservative treatment is completely adequate. The most important thing is still to reduce the amount of exercise, pay attention to protecting the local joints, never let them get cold, often apply heat, and combine some medical treatments, such as using pain relief and cartilage-nourishing drugs. Common drugs like Nimodipine capsules and Glucosamine Hydrochloride have very good effects.
Osteoarthritis exercise time
We say that all exercise must have a limit, and it should be within the patient’s tolerance. Walking exercises for osteoarthritis are permissible, but we do not advocate excessive exercise. Instead, it is best to focus primarily on rest. We say that life depends on movement, but joints rely on stillness. What does this mean? We do not advocate excessive activity in the joints. What is considered excessive activity? For example, if an osteoarthritis patient finishes a day of walking exercise and feels no pain, swelling, or discomfort in the joints, then the degree and amount of exercise they undertook are acceptable. However, if the patient finishes exercising and experiences significant pain, swelling, or discomfort in the joints by the evening, this indicates that the exercise was too much, and it was not suitable for them. They must rest and avoid such intense activities, indicating that walking exercises are not suitable. Thus, whether walking exercises are appropriate for patients with arthritis needs a balanced view, especially for patients in the acute phase of osteoarthritis. The mindset of exercising through the pain, regardless of discomfort, is absolutely incorrect. During the acute phase of osteoarthritis, we recommend resting as much as possible. During the remission phase of osteoarthritis, whether and how much walking exercise one should engage in also needs to be determined based on the severity of the patient’s condition and their subjective feelings. It cannot be generalized.