Arthritis care measures

There is no universal formula for arthritis care. The core is an individualized combination plan of "first classifying the type, then controlling the triggers, reducing the burden on the joints, alleviating symptoms in a targeted manner, and stabilizing the course of the disease in the long term." There is no magic method that "follow these steps to completely get rid of arthritis" posted online.

I met a 62-year-old aunt in the outpatient clinic a while ago. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis just half a year ago. I was watching a short video and saw someone saying, "Climbing stairs more often to practice leg exercises can cure arthritis." She endured the pain of climbing 15 floors a day. After a week, she was so swollen that she couldn't get out of bed. She had to put her legs up to feel comfortable while sitting. This is really the easiest pitfall for many people: regardless of the type of arthritis they have, they just copy other people's "care tips", and in the end, the more care they take, the worse they get. First of all, you have to find out your own type of arthritis: osteoarthritis caused by wear and tear, rheumatoid arthritis caused by autoimmune disorders, gouty arthritis caused by uric acid crystal deposition, the care focus is not even the slightest difference.

When many people are first diagnosed, the most entangled question is whether they should move or rest. This matter has been clinically controversial for a long time. Orthopedic conservatives will recommend as little weight-bearing as possible, climbing stairs and squatting as little as possible to reduce cartilage wear. Rehabilitation advocates instead advocate moderate muscle training. Increased muscle strength can put pressure on joints, which in turn can delay the progression of the disease. In fact, both statements are correct, but it depends on what stage you are in: If you are in the acute stage, and your joints are red, swollen and painful and cannot be touched, then you must rest honestly and don't hold on to practice; when the redness and swelling subside and enter the remission stage, you have to start moving slowly. Swimming, cycling on flat roads, and squatting against the wall are all exercises that put little pressure on the joints. Don't choose activities such as mountain climbing, marathon running, and high-intensity square dancing to build joints. Oh, by the way, don’t squat blindly while leaning against the wall. Don’t let your knees go past your toes, and don’t make the angle exceed 90 degrees. Take a break after squatting for 1 minute each time. Don’t squat for half an hour despite the pain, as it will wear out the cartilage.

The small details in daily life are actually more effective than any special medicine. When the temperature drops in autumn, don't expose your knees. Remember to wear knee pads when riding an electric bike. Don't blow the air conditioner directly on your joints. If it hurts from the cold, apply a warm towel for 15 minutes. It will be more effective than applying seven or eight kinds of blood-activating plasters blindly. You also need to control your weight a little. Don't think that your weight has nothing to do with your knees. If you lose 5 kilograms in weight, the pressure on your knee joints will be reduced by 20 kilograms when walking. This conversion is more realistic than any weight loss advertisement. Don't carry heavy things by force. Divide them into two trips if you can. Go slowly when going up and down the stairs. Don't jump around. I have seen many young men in their twenties who fell while playing basketball and didn't take it seriously. Later, they jumped up and down the stairs every day. They were diagnosed with early-stage osteoarthritis in their early thirties. It's a pity.

There are a lot of controversies about the use of medications and care products. I am not partial to either camp. Let me tell you something honest: Don’t take it when the pain is so severe that you can’t sleep. Take NSAIDs for three to five days as prescribed by your doctor. It doesn’t have as many side effects as you think. On the contrary, if you hold on to the inflammation, it won’t go away, and the course of the disease will be longer. Just don’t increase the amount casually. If you have a bad stomach, try to choose the enteric solvent type. The current European and American guidelines say that glucosamine may be somewhat useful for mild osteoarthritis, but is basically useless for moderate to severe osteoarthritis. If you feel comfortable after taking it, continue taking it. If there is no improvement after taking it for two months, stop. There is no need to pay the IQ tax. There is also the matter of massage. During the relief period of muscle soreness, it is okay to go to a regular place to massage and relax the muscles. In the acute period, when there is redness, swelling, heat and pain, don’t massage randomly, especially don’t find the kind of "master" who will break your joints for you. How many people are just swollen, but the ligaments are torn after being massaged and they end up needing surgery.

Different types of arthritis have their own special precautions, so don’t generalize. Patients with gouty arthritis should not just focus on whether their joints hurt. They should also be careful about their mouths. Don’t be greedy for beer, seafood, and animal offal. Drink enough 2 liters of boiled water every day. When uric acid stabilizes the joints, attacks will naturally occur. A while ago, a young man had a gout attack and his feet were swollen like pig’s trotters. He secretly drank cold beer and said that the cold beer would relieve the pain. As a result, he called the 120 clinic directly the next day. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis should not stop taking immune-modulating drugs casually. Don’t think that the pain will be gone. If you stop taking the medicine without permission and relapse, follow-up treatment will be much more difficult. Don’t be too tired and stay up late at night. Colds and fevers can easily induce immune responses and make arthritis recur.

In fact, to put it bluntly, arthritis is like a machine part that has been used for a long time and is a little worn. If you take good care of it, it will last a lifetime. Don't expect any magic formula that will last forever, and don't be too anxious that you will have to replace your joints sooner or later. I have seen elderly people in their 70s and 80s who have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis for more than 20 years. They usually keep warm and go swimming when they have nothing to do. Now they can still pick up their grandchildren from school every day. I have also seen young people in their thirties who ignored the diagnosis and had joints every day. They will have joint replacements at the age of 40. The joints belong to you, and only you know best whether they are comfortable or not. Don’t force yourself to do it, and don’t mess around with it. Just find a rhythm that suits you.