Let’s get down to business! Let’s learn a few things about osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is common in people's daily life. It can occur in any joint of the human body, but it most often occurs in the hands, knees, hips and spine. Currently, there is no single laboratory and imaging index to diagnose osteoarthritis. Most doctors make a diagnosis of osteoarthritis based on medical history, clinical examination, X-ray (narrowing of joint space, sclerosis of joint surface, osteophytes and cystic changes) and other auxiliary examinations such as blood and joint examinations to exclude some other joint diseases.

It is currently believed that osteoarthritis is not only the result of aging and degeneration of the human body, but is also related to a variety of reasons such as defects in the musculoskeletal system, genetic defects, obesity, injuries and strain. Its main characteristics include: senile, major lesions start from the joint cartilage, and joint pain and dysfunction.

Primary osteoarthritis often occurs after the age of 50, more often in women than in men, and occurs in the most commonly affected joints: knees, hips, hands, waist, neck, etc., while secondary osteoarthritis occurs at a younger age. The clinical manifestations of osteoarthritis include pain, morning stiffness, weak legs, and locking. Physical signs include swelling, tenderness, joint enlargement, limited movement, friction, and muscle atrophy.

When you find that you have persistent or intermittent joint pain, difficulty in moving your joints after getting up in the morning, that is, morning stiffness of the joints, swelling or tenderness of the joints, or a rubbing sensation or abnormal noise when moving the joints, it means that your body is sending you a warning.

Finally, I would like to remind you that currently, there is no drug or method that can prevent, delay or reverse the pathological outcome of human osteoarthritis. All drugs are only an auxiliary means of pain treatment. The treatment of osteoarthritis should be a comprehensive treatment that combines education, exercise, physical therapy, drugs and surgery. If you want to achieve non-drug care for osteoarthritis in daily life, you can start from the following aspects:

1. Rest and protective use of joints. Rest can relieve the pain of osteoarthritis, but long-term immobilization can lead to muscle atrophy and loss of joint function. In the acute phase, patients can rest in bed for 12-24 hours and then resume normal activities.

2. Lose weight and eat less. For weight-bearing joints, losing weight can relieve pain and slow the progression of the disease.

3. Physical therapy. Hot or cold compresses can relieve pain and reduce joint stiffness and muscle spasms.

4. Exercise. The types of exercise are mainly joint flexibility training, muscle strength training and aerobic endurance training. It is recommended to choose exercise methods that put less pressure on joints, such as swimming and walking.

5. Brace protection. When a joint is damaged, you can choose shoes with elastic insoles and splint braces to buffer the stress on the joint surface and avoid abnormal stress caused by deformity. The elderly can be equipped with appropriate walking aids to reduce the risk of falling.

6. Education and psychological treatment. Providing psychological counseling to patients and helping them to establish a correct view of the disease and treatment is conducive to recovery.