Arthritis care issues and care measures

At present, the most prominent common problems in arthritis care are inadequate pain control, joint function deterioration faster than expected, and a large number of misunderstandings about personalized care among the general public. The corresponding core care principles are layered analgesia, targeted maintenance of joint mobility, and individualized avoidance of joint-injury behaviors. There is no universal "secret recipe for knee protection." Only solutions adapted to one's own condition are useful.

Let’s talk about the pain issue that everyone is most concerned about. Last week, I just met Aunt Zhang, a 62-year-old patient with knee arthritis in the outpatient clinic. She has been suffering from the disease for three years and has been insisting on “taking medicine only when the pain is unbearable.” Last month, she came to see a doctor because the pain was so severe that she could not go downstairs. According to the evaluation, the acute inflammatory pain has been turned into chronic neuralgia, and the difficulty of subsequent analgesia has doubled. In fact, there have been two different intervention ideas in the academic community: the traditional view is to reduce the intake of analgesics in the short term, and it is recommended to bear the pain as hard as possible and only use the medicine if the pain affects sleep. ； In recent years, the updated consensus of the Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation prefers early intervention. The core logic is that pain of 3 points or more (probably a dull pain when walking and unable to walk for 10 consecutive minutes, 0 points means no pain at all, and 10 points means pain that is too painful to move) already represents active inflammation in the joints. Carrying it hard will cause the inflammation to continue to damage the cartilage, and ultimately the total amount of analgesics required will be more. The core appeal of both views is actually to reduce harm to the body, but the former focuses on short-term drug side effects, while the latter focuses more on long-term joint protection benefits. You can choose according to your own tolerance. If you are really not sure, just ask the doctor in charge. There is no need to force yourself or take medicine randomly.

After solving the pain problem, many people have stepped on the second pitfall - they have to rest completely if they think they have arthritis. Two years ago, there was a 48-year-old Internet practitioner. After the onset of ankle arthritis, he put his feet on a stool for three months at work. During the review, the range of motion of his ankles dropped by 20 degrees. He could not even put on socks and bend his feet. There has always been controversy about whether to move or not: Orthopedics do require braking for acute joint injuries to avoid further strain. However, for the care of stable chronic arthritis, the rehabilitation department recommends non-weight-bearing functional training. The reason is also very simple: the muscles around the joints are the "natural knee protectors" of the joints. If the muscles atrophy if you remain immobile, the pressure on the joints will be greater, and the rate of degeneration will only be faster. The actions I usually recommend to patients are very simple. When people with knee arthritis sit, straighten their legs and hook their feet. Hold it for 5 seconds before lowering it. Do 10 at a time. You can do it while watching TV or during weekly meetings. You don’t have to take time to exercise, and there will be no extra wear on the joints. Many people say that the pain of going up and down stairs is much lighter after two or three months of doing it.

Oh, by the way, the most common misconceptions about care are misunderstandings about nursing care. I have seen too many people hoard a lot of knee pads, imported amino sugar, and moxibustion bags as soon as they are diagnosed with arthritis. They spend a lot of money and only worsen the problem. Take knee braces as an example. It’s okay to wear supportive knee braces when the pain is severe in the acute phase. However, if you wear them every day for walking and doing housework, your thigh muscles will become useless after two or three months of wearing them, and you will become increasingly inseparable from knee braces. There is also ammonia sugar. European and American guidelines believe that it may have a relieving effect on moderate osteoarthritis. The domestic consensus is also very clear: if you take it for three months and it has no effect at all, stop taking it. There is no essential difference in the active ingredients between the health products that cost tens of yuan a bottle in the hospital and the hundreds of yuan purchased overseas. Many people also say that soaking in hot springs and hot compresses can cure arthritis. Warm stimulation can indeed relax muscles and relieve pain. However, if you are in the acute stage and your joints are red, swollen, painful and hot to the touch, taking hot spring hot compresses every day will actually aggravate the spread of inflammation. Last winter, I saw several patients who went to hot springs every day and their knees were swollen like steamed buns. They came to see a doctor in spring because of the pain and could not walk.

In the final analysis, there is really no universal formula for arthritis care. Rheumatoid arthritis also requires monitoring of immune indicators and cannot just focus on joint pain. The core of care for gouty arthritis is uric acid control, which is completely different from the focus of care for osteoarthritis. You don’t have to follow online tutorials, and you don’t have to follow suit after hearing what your neighbors say is useful. Find your attending doctor or rehabilitation therapist and make a small plan based on your arthritis type, severity, and daily habits. It’s much more reliable than spending tens of thousands of dollars to buy health care equipment.