Can osteoarthritis exercise?

Written by Lv Yao
Orthopedics
Updated on September 16, 2024
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Osteoarthritis often occurs due to the degeneration associated with aging, causing damage to the essential cartilage, leading to symptoms such as joint pain and deformities during movement. In the case of osteoarthritis, it is crucial to keep warm and rest, avoid exposure to cold, and minimize knee-joint load-bearing activities such as mountain climbing and stair climbing. Instead, choosing activities like Tai Chi and swimming, which cause less joint wear, can help alleviate symptoms and prevent accelerated cartilage damage.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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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.

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Written by Kuang Tao
Orthopedics
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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.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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Is it good to use heat therapy for osteoarthritis?

First of all, it should be positively affirmed that electrothermal therapy has a very good effect on patients with osteoarthritis, and it is very effective. Electrothermal therapy can promote local blood circulation and thereby facilitate the absorption of local inflammatory exudates, which can effectively alleviate the pain symptoms caused by osteoarthritis. Additionally, for osteoarthritis patients, besides electrothermal therapy, they can also take oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs and drugs that nourish cartilage for treatment. Moreover, it is necessary to reduce the amount of exercise, minimize local irritation as much as possible, and persist in applying local heat compresses or hot washing daily. During hot washing, Sichuan peppercorn and salt could be added to the hot water for the treatment.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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Is moxibustion okay for osteoarthritis?

Moxibustion for osteoarthritis is feasible; it can alleviate local symptoms of pain and swelling in osteoarthritis. Currently, there are two methods of treatment for osteoarthritis: The first is conservative treatment, which includes physical therapy, rehabilitation, moxibustion, acupuncture, oral medication, and injections of sodium hyaluronate, all of which can relieve symptoms of joint pain, swelling, and discomfort during movement. The second method is surgical treatment, which is considered when conservative treatment is ineffective, or when symptoms worsen after conservative treatment. Presently, there are two approaches to surgical treatment: The first involves arthroscopic minimally invasive cleaning of the joint, followed by further cleaning of the meniscus and synovium; the second method is joint replacement, with total knee replacement being the most common.

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Written by Cheng Bin
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Is hot compress good for osteoarthritis?

For patients with osteoarthritis, hot compresses are very effective. Hot compresses can promote local blood circulation, which can effectively alleviate the clinical symptoms of osteoarthritis. Usually, hot compresses are applied using hot water bottles, or by heating bran or salt, which are very effective. Typically, apply the hot compress twice a day, each time for more than half an hour. Additionally, aside from hot compresses, it is important to protect the affected area in patients with osteoarthritis, avoid exposure to cold, and reduce irritation to the area. When necessary, treatment may also need to be supplemented with medications, such as pain relievers and drugs that nourish the cartilage.