Arthritis Care Questions

There is no universal nursing formula. The core is to "adjust intervention methods according to disease stages, avoid cognitive misunderstandings, and aim at long-term maintenance of joint function, rather than pursuing "radical cure" folk remedies." Most people's care is ineffective or even aggravates the condition, which is essentially a "one size fits all" mistake.

Last month, I met a 64-year-old Aunt Zhang in the outpatient clinic. She was diagnosed with degenerative arthritis of her knees three years ago. She usually wears a plaster to carry the pain. A while ago, I heard an old sister in the community say that "climbing more stairs can break bone spurs."

This actually hits the most common cognitive divide in arthritis care: Should I rest or should I exercise? Clinically, the views of the two schools do not conflict at all, but the adaptation scenarios are completely different. Most of those who advocate rest are for patients in the acute stage - the stage when the joints are red, swollen, hot and painful, and even walking is difficult. At this time, there is already inflammation leaking out of the joint cavity, and further movement will only repeatedly irritate the synovium, aggravating fluid accumulation and wear. At this time, you need to bear less weight, wear protective gear when necessary, elevate the affected limb to promote reflux, and follow the doctor's advice to use anti-inflammatory analgesics. Do not rub or apply them blindly. Those who advocate more exercise are talking about intervention during the remission period. At this time, the inflammation has basically disappeared, and you need to specifically train the muscles around the joints. The muscles are equivalent to the shock-absorbing pads of the joints. When the muscles are strong, the impact of walking, running and jumping will not directly hit the joint surfaces, and the wear will naturally be less. For example, for knee arthritis, you can train the quadriceps muscles, do silent squats, and straight leg raises. At this time, if you lie down every day, the muscles will atrophy due to disuse, and the joint pressure will only be greater.

In addition to poor awareness of exercise, more people fall into the trap of various nursing remedies that are circulated in daily life.

Two weeks ago, a 28-year-old young man was admitted to the emergency department. He had an acute attack of gouty arthritis. The first metatarsophalangeal joint of his left foot was swollen like a red steamed bun. I heard from the elderly at home that hot compresses can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. I applied a hot water bottle for one night. The next day, I was in so much pain that I couldn't stand up. When I came, my uric acid level soared to more than 700, and the area was almost swollen with blisters. Don’t think this is an exception. I’ve seen too many people confused about the applicable scenarios of hot and cold compresses: in the acute stage, cold compresses shrink blood vessels, reduce leakage, and relieve swelling and pain. Only in the remission period are hot compresses used to improve circulation and relax muscles. Doing it the other way around will only aggravate the symptoms. How else can drinking bone soup to replenish joints and applying ancestral plasters cure bone spurs? To be honest, 90% of bone soup is fat, and the content of calcium and collagen is pitiful. Drinking too much will increase blood lipids and uric acid, which is not good for joints. ； As for bone spurs, they are a normal product of joint degenerative changes and cannot be eliminated with plasters. If you feel the pain is relieved very quickly after applying it, you should be wary of adding excessive hormones and analgesics. Long-term use will damage the skin and even affect endocrine.

Many people don’t know that different types of arthritis have completely different care priorities. For example, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. The core of care is to follow the doctor's instructions and take immune-modulating drugs on time. Don't cut or stop them casually. Even if the pain is mild, you must have regular check-ups, otherwise the risk of joint deformity is very high. ； The core of care for gouty arthritis is to control uric acid. Avoid high-purine foods such as beer, seafood, and animal offal. Drink enough 2000ml of water every day to promote uric acid excretion. Otherwise, no matter how well your joints are maintained, uric acid will still occur with one liter. ； For ordinary degenerative osteoarthritis, the focus is on weight control. Research data shows that for every 1 kilogram of weight loss, the pressure on the knee joint during walking can be reduced by 4 kilograms. For overweight patients, weight control is more effective than eating any glucosamine. Usually, do less activities that hurt the knees such as climbing mountains, climbing stairs, and squatting. Wear shoes with softer soles and do not stand in high heels for long periods of time, which can reduce joint wear and tear.

I have been doing clinical work for so many years, and my deepest feeling is that many people have an obsession with arthritis care. They either hope that they don’t have to do anything and can get cured by relying on home remedies, or they just follow other people’s experience. Others say that silent squats are useful, but they still practice it when they are in excruciating pain. In fact, your body is a more accurate guide than any other. If your joints feel obvious pain when doing a certain movement, don't hold on. That's because your body is sending you a signal to stop when you need to.

All in all, arthritis is essentially a chronic problem related to age, wear and tear, and autoimmunity. Most of them cannot be completely cured. The ultimate goal of care is not to "eliminate" arthritis, but to prevent it from affecting your normal life. Don't be overly anxious, and don't take it seriously. If you are really unsure, see an orthopedic or rheumatologist in a regular hospital. It will be more effective than searching for ten folk remedies online.