Arthritis care routine

There is no unified plan for reducing burden, controlling inflammation, and stabilizing function that is suitable for all types and stages of arthritis. All nursing actions must match your arthritis type, stage of attack, and degree of joint damage. Following the doctor's advice is the first prerequisite.

Speaking of this, some people may ask, why do others practice static squats to protect their joints, but I feel swollen after doing it? There has been debate in the industry for many years about whether to exercise for arthritis. One group advocates "maintenance", saying that if the joints are already damaged, you need to move less to avoid wear and tear. The other group insists on "training", saying that only when the muscle strength is increased can the joints be supported and the stress can be reduced. In fact, both sides are right, but the applicable scenarios are different. I met a 62-year-old aunt with knee arthritis in the clinic before. The degeneration has reached level 3. She watched a short video saying that squatting and exercising the quadriceps muscles was good for the joints. She squatted for 20 minutes every day despite the pain. When she checked again a week later, she found that the effusion in the joints had doubled and she could not bend her knees. She just didn't know the stage correctly. When there was redness, swelling, pain, and fluid accumulation in the acute stage, she had to listen to the "Yangpai" advice and try to stand and walk as little as possible to decompress the joints. When the inflammation subsided and the pain dropped to a tolerable range, she could then slowly start to practice strength training with non-weight-bearing movements such as seated leg extensions and straight leg raises. Only then would the "Sportspai" method be effective.

There is also a question about hot and cold therapy that many people are confused about. Is it a hot compress or an ice compress? There is also no standard answer. If you are experiencing an acute attack and your joints are red, swollen, hot to the touch, and so painful that you can't walk, whether it's a gout attack or an acute osteoarthritis attack, wrap an ice pack in a towel and apply it for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day. The effect of reducing swelling and pain is much more effective than rubbing it for half a day. If you just have chronic soreness and feel uncomfortable when exposed to cold wind, then applying a hot water bottle or using an infrared lamp will be fine. Last year, there was a little girl with rheumatoid arthritis. She carried a hot water bag and applied it on her joints in winter. She happened to be applying it during an acute attack. As a result, she was so swollen that she couldn't even put on thick socks. She just didn't understand the applicable boundaries of hot and cold.

Among all nursing requirements, only weight control is applicable to almost all patients with arthritis of weight-bearing joints (knee, hip, lumbar spine), and there is no controversy. To use the most common analogy, if you weigh 10 kilograms more than the standard weight, your knees will bear an additional 40 kilograms of impact when you take a step. If you run or jump, the pressure will increase several times. So don’t always focus on what health supplements you take to protect your joints. First, lower your weight to a reasonable range. It will be more effective than taking ammonia sugar for half a year. Oh, by the way, when it comes to aminoglycosides, the guidelines at home and abroad now have different opinions. Some think it has a slight alleviating effect on early osteoarthritis, and some think it is no different from a placebo. My experience is that if you feel your joints are comfortable, continue taking it. If there is no change at all after taking it for 3 months, don’t spend the money.

We should also mention some misunderstandings about medication. Many people are either in pain and refuse to take painkillers for fear of addiction, or they feel pain and stop immediately after taking one pill but it doesn’t hurt. In fact, it depends on the situation. If you only have common osteoarthritis pain once in a while and the pain is not intense, you can eat as needed without any psychological burden. However, if you have chronic inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and gout, many doctors will ask you to take anti-inflammatory drugs regularly for a period of time even if the pain is gone. The purpose is to suppress the latent chronic inflammation and avoid repeated damage to the joints leading to deformation. At this time, do not stop taking the medicine casually, as the joint deformation will be irreversible.

There are some scattered reminders in daily life, which are all based on the experience of outpatient clinics: don’t squat for too long to clean the floor, don’t kneel to do housework, try to choose shoes with soft soles, don’t wear hard-soled leather shoes or high heels for shopping all day long, try to use handrails when going up and down stairs, don’t climb stairs if you can take the elevator, and don’t worry about it in winter. Exposing ankles and knees is a good-looking thing. Cold stimulation is a common trigger of inflammation. Don’t think you can handle it if you are young. I have seen too many girls in their early 30s who exposed their ankles every day in winter. MRI scans have shown signs of early osteoarthritis. They shed tears when they feel pain. I really can’t do it.

After all, arthritis is a chronic disease, and care cannot be cured by just flipping a switch. Don't believe in any "radical cure" remedies, and don't blindly follow other people's care experiences. The care logic for gouty arthritis and degenerative osteoarthritis is inherently different. When you are really unsure, asking your attending doctor will be more useful than watching 10 short health videos.