Arthritis Care Guide

The core goal of all types of arthritis care is never to “completely eliminate the root cause”. Instead, through a combination of behavioral adjustments, symptomatic intervention, and regular follow-up, the annual frequency of pain attacks can be reduced by more than 60%, and the rate of joint function degradation can be slowed down by 30%. It is completely possible to maintain a normal quality of life, and there is no need to worry about it as an incurable “terminal disease” every day.

I met 52-year-old Aunt Zhang at a community free clinic before. She was diagnosed with knee arthritis two years ago. She heard from the square dance sisters that "the more you climb stairs, the more pain you will get and the pain will stop."； There is also a 70-year-old man. He heard that arthritis should be "kept". He didn't even dare to go out. He lay on the sofa and watched TV every day. Over the past six months, his thigh muscles had atrophied, and his legs became weak after taking only two steps. You see, these are the two extremes that most people are most likely to step on. It’s interesting to say that now different disciplines have different views on “whether arthritis can be moved”: Orthopedics generally require braking in the acute stage, so as not to put extra pressure on the joints. ； The rehabilitation department now advocates "micro-movement within a pain-free range", even if you are lying down, hooking your feet, or sitting on a chair and raising your legs, otherwise the muscles will be weak and it will increase the burden on the joints. ； The orthopedic and traumatology department of traditional Chinese medicine has a more flexible approach. It usually involves applying medicine to reduce blood stasis and swelling, and then slowly moving it with gentle exercises such as Baduanjin and Yi Jin Jing. Many patients have reported good results. You really don’t need to hold on to a certain statement. When it hurts, just rest. When it doesn’t hurt, move slowly. Just follow the feelings of your body.

Speaking of pain, some people must want to ask, "Can I take painkillers?" ”, this is another controversial point. I have met many people who feel that they are dependent on painkillers and will not take them even if they are in pain. There are also people who treat ibuprofen as candy when they feel pain, and even take it for half a month until their stomach bleeds. To put it objectively, gastroenterologists generally recommend that for ordinary osteoarthritis pain, these anti-inflammatory analgesics should not be taken for more than 3 days in a row. People with gastric ulcers and Helicobacter pylori-positive people should switch to celecoxib, which is less irritating to the gastrointestinal tract. ； However, the view of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology is different. If it is joint pain related to rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, don’t bear it. Taking anti-inflammatory drugs regularly according to the doctor’s instructions can reduce the probability of joint deformation, and the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Oh, by the way, a reminder, what we are talking about here are anti-inflammatory analgesics, not antibiotics. Don’t take cephalosporins randomly when you feel pain, it will cost you half a cent.

The small details of daily care are actually much more useful than the health products you take. I have seen too many patients spend thousands to buy physical therapy equipment and imported ointments. As a result, they squat on the floor mopping the floor every day and wear stilettos to go shopping. No medicine can save them. Take the knee pads that people often ask about. Doctors in the sports medicine department generally do not recommend wearing them all day long. They say that they will make the muscles around the knee joint "lazy" and make them less powerful over time. They only recommend wearing them when walking long distances, climbing mountains and doing aerobics. ； However, geriatric doctors will instead recommend that elderly people with already unstable joints and who are sensitive to the cold wear thin fleece knee pads in winter, which can reduce the stimulation of cold wind and provide some support to the joints to avoid accidental sprains. There is really no absolute right or wrong, just whatever suits your situation. Among the patients I have come into contact with, the little method with the best feedback is actually very cost-effective: when sleeping at night, put a small pillow as high as a fist under the knee, and do not let the leg be completely straightened. Many people tried it and the stiffness in the knee disappeared by more than half the next day, which is more effective than any plaster.

Oh, by the way, there is also the most frequently asked dietary supplement question: Is aminoglucose useful? Can bone broth really repair joints? These two are more controversial. According to the guidelines of the International Association for the Study of Osteoarthritis, ammonia sugar may have a relieving effect on patients with moderate pain osteoarthritis, but it is basically useless for patients with severe pain. ； However, many domestic clinicians will recommend taking it together with chondroitin sulfate and calcium supplements for three months before judging the effect. Many people say it is useless after taking it for one or two weeks. It is indeed not enough time. As for bone soup, orthopedic doctors say every day that 90% of the soup is fat, and the calcium content is not as good as a glass of milk. However, some Chinese medicine practitioners believe that bone soup stewed with astragalus and angelica is for post-operative and frail elderly patients.

Last week I met a 28-year-old young man who had three attacks of gouty arthritis. He drank beer and ate seafood all the time, saying that he was young and could handle it. I really need to give some advice: Different types of arthritis care have different priorities. The focus of degenerative osteoarthritis is to reduce the burden, the focus of rheumatoid arthritis is to control inflammation, and the focus of gouty arthritis is to reduce uric acid. Don’t confuse them together.

There is no universal formula. I met a 70-year-old man who had knee arthritis for 20 years. He walked slowly for 20 minutes every day, sat on the sofa and stretched his legs to exercise his thigh muscles. Now he can still carry a vegetable basket and go to the vegetable market. He is in much better condition than many people who eat a lot of imported health care products. There is really no need to copy the list from the Internet. If the pain persists for more than a week and is not relieved, don’t try blind remedies on your own. Go to the hospital and take a X-ray to see a doctor. It’s better than anything else.