Arthritis prevention and care measures

The core logic of arthritis prevention is to reduce extra load on joints, maintain muscle strength around joints, and provide balanced nutrition. Nursing care focuses on analgesia and anti-inflammation in the acute phase, maintenance of function in the remission phase, and avoidance of triggering factors. There is no universal "magic formula" and all measures must be adjusted based on individual joint conditions.

Last week, I met a 42-year-old sister Zhang in the rehabilitation department. She danced for three hours straight after dinner every day. Her knees had been hurting for more than half a year. She always felt that she was "just tired and just rested for two days." When she came for the MRI, she was already in the middle stage of degenerative arthritis, and the joint space had narrowed by one-third. In the future, let alone square dancing, even walking for a long time may hurt. In fact, this kind of case is too common. Many people either think that arthritis is a disease of the elderly and they have nothing to do with it, or they just lie flat and dare not move when it hurts. Both extremes can easily turn a small problem into a big trouble.

Let’s start with the most common misunderstanding: Many people think that “arthritis is caused by freezing”, which is actually half right and half wrong. Cold itself will not directly induce joint inflammation, but it will slow down local blood circulation in already damaged joints, prevent inflammatory metabolites from being discharged, and the pain will naturally double. I have seen many little girls exposing their ankles and wearing knee-length pants in winter. In their twenties, they always complain that their knees are cold and painful. In fact, it is the joints that are sending you signals. It will be too late by the time organic damage occurs.

The weight issue really needs to be put at the forefront. Don’t think that being fat only affects your three heights. For every pound you weigh, your knees have to carry three times more weight when you walk normally, and it goes up to 5-7 times when you run and jump. There used to be a 28-year-old young man who weighed over 200 pounds. He climbed stairs every day to lose weight. He wore out his meniscus in just three months. He had to hold on to the wall when he went up and down the stairs. Are you saying he has no perseverance? Yes, but using the wrong method can harm yourself.

Speaking of exercise, this is also the most controversial point in the industry now: Old-school experts in orthopedics often say that arthritis should be "maintained". If it hurts, move as little as possible so as not to put a burden on the joints.； Doctors in the rehabilitation department advocate "movement", especially during the remission period. Muscle training must be done. Otherwise, the muscles will atrophy and even walking will have to be carried by the joints, which will only wear out faster. In fact, both statements are correct. In the acute stage, when the pain is so swollen that you can't walk, you really need to move less and don't rub or press blindly. I met an old man a while ago. His knee hurt and he rubbed it with safflower oil at home for a week. It was so swollen that he couldn't wear pants. He came to the hospital and had 20ml of effusion drained before it cleared up. When the pain subsides and the swelling subsides, you have to start moving slowly. You can swim, walk on a flat road, or sit on a chair and straighten your legs. There is no need to pursue the amount of exercise. Stop when the thigh muscles are a little sore. The muscles are strong and can naturally help the joints to share most of the pressure.

Oh, by the way, many people ask whether glucosamine and chondroitin can be taken. Let me be honest here: At present, European and American orthopedic guidelines only list glucosamine sulfate as a "possibly effective" supplement. For patients with early-to-mid-stage degenerative arthritis, many people report that the pain is relieved after taking it for the first half of the year. But for people who have reached the advanced stage and the joint space has basically disappeared, taking it is basically useless. There are also people who take calcium supplements every day to prevent arthritis. In fact, calcium supplements bones and has no direct effect on the wear and tear of joint cartilage. If you really want to supplement, it is better to eat more deep-sea fish and nuts, which can reduce the inflammatory reaction.

If arthritis has been diagnosed, care really doesn’t need to be complicated. When the pain is severe, don’t bear it. Take some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics according to the doctor’s advice. It will be more effective than ten boxes of unknown plasters. Don’t bear the pain just because people say “painkillers have side effects”. If you are in pain for a long time, you will not be able to sleep well or dare to move, but your recovery will be slower. Squat less, climb less stairs, and carry less heavy objects in normal times. Wear thicker clothes in winter to protect your joints. If you have to go out for a long time, wear knee pads in advance. You don’t need to buy those particularly expensive ones. They just need to be able to hug your knees and give them some support.

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that the above mentioned are degenerative osteoarthritis, which accounts for more than 90%. If rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, etc. are related to autoimmunity and metabolism, don’t mess around on your own. Go to the rheumatology department or endocrinology department to control the primary disease first, otherwise no matter how much care you take, it will be in vain.

In fact, in the past two years, we have encountered more and more young patients. Either they sit for long periods of time every day, and the muscles around their knees are as soft as cotton, and they hurt even after taking a few steps.； Either crazy horse racing, aerobics, climbing stairs to lose weight, excessive use of joints wears out the cartilage. I’m not trying to scare you. Once the cartilage in your joints is worn out, it will basically never grow back. It’s better to pay attention to it early than to regret it when the pain makes you unable to walk and you need to replace the joint. If your joint pain persists for more than a week, don’t blindly search Baidu to find out the correct number. Go to a regular hospital to take a X-ray, which is more reliable than anything else.