Osteoarthritis, medically called “osteophytes”, is a degenerative disease of the joints in old age. As a person ages, all of the body’s organs age, and the natural wear and tear of the bones and joints is particularly severe. This natural wear and tear of the bones and joints due to aging is medically called “degenerative degeneration” or “osteoarthritis. It is manifested as joint surface destruction and peri-articular osteophytes, but the two-dimensional X-ray film shows a flat image, and the lip-like osteophytes around the joint are seen on the film as a tangential image, so it is like a “thorn” on the bone. This is often referred to as a “long bone spur”, which is essentially osteophytes, and is medically referred to as “degenerative changes in the bone and joint”, also called “osteophytes”. When this occurs in the knee joint, the full medical term is “degenerative osteoarthropathy of the knee”. Treatment of osteoarthritis: Because this disease is an irresistible process of natural aging, it cannot be treated completely. Since bone spurs are a natural manifestation of human aging, they are not a disease and cannot be “cured”, but are only a disease if they affect the movement of the joints or compress the nerves. However, it is important to prevent aging and reduce the occurrence of bone spurs. In the early stages, there is no problem walking and living normally, but it is important to reduce the amount of knee loading such as going downstairs and squatting. There are some herbal medicines that can promote bone strength and slow down bone growth, such as “Xian Ling Bone Program”. You can take 8-10 boxes during the autumn and winter seasons. When the joints are swollen and watery, you can take some anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Furtaline tablets. Some ointments with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, such as Tibetan medicine “pain-relieving paste”, can reduce the symptoms. In addition, physical therapy (infrared, micro-blog, wax therapy, etc.) can improve local blood circulation and reduce symptoms. Also, since the early stage of osteoarthritis is the destruction of joint cartilage, there are some joint cartilage protectors that can be used, such as glucosamine drugs (both hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid), which can be taken. The use of these drugs is a course of treatment for 3 consecutive months, which can relieve the symptoms due to articular cartilage damage and slow down the degenerative process of articular cartilage. However, in the advanced stage, when the articular cartilage is severely damaged, it is not useful. At the end of this degenerative disease, the bone and cartilage of the joint are severely worn down and destroyed, resulting in chronic pain and deformity of the knee, which may require surgery. The ultimate and most effective treatment is a surface replacement of the knee joint. For more information on artificial knee replacements, see my other article “What is an artificial knee replacement”.