Top 10 misconceptions about knee osteoarthritis treatment
There are many people suffering from knee osteoarthritis, but they don’t know much about the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, so they are treating it indiscriminately, and not only do they spend a lot of money, but their condition still doesn’t get better. There are 10 “pitfalls” to avoid when treating knee arthritis.
1. Failure to detect and treat arthritis early
Many people do not think that they may have osteoarthritis of the knee and do not seek medical attention when they feel stiffness in their arms and legs or when they suddenly feel that some joints are “locked” after sitting for a long time, or when the bones touch each other and make clicking sounds when the joints move.
2. Young people do not get osteoarthritis of the knee
Secondary knee osteoarthritis caused by joint trauma and joint overuse is often not related to age. In recent years there has been a significant rise in osteoarthritis of the knee among young and middle-aged people such as car owners and sports enthusiasts.
3. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a minor disease
Many patients believe that osteoarthritis of the knee is a minor disease and do not receive effective treatment, the joint damage is bound to become more and more serious and can eventually lead to disability.
4. Minimally invasive and adjuvant therapy is not taken seriously
For patients with earlier osteoarthritis of the knee, conservative treatment, such as traction, acupuncture, drugs, massage, etc., can be implemented; for patients in the late stage and conservative treatment is ineffective, minimally invasive treatment or application of chondroprotective agents can be considered to improve the condition; the real need for open joint replacement is very small.
5. Ignore the impact of weight on knee osteoarthritis
Overweight people are more likely to suffer from knee osteoarthritis because being overweight increases the load on the weight-bearing joints and promotes cartilage destruction, and obesity can induce knee osteoarthritis through intermediate products of the metabolic process.
6, lack of protection of the joints
Usually do not pay attention to self-protection, such as often squatting or kneeling down to get things, sitting on a low stool, sleeping on a low bed, etc., which will increase the friction and weight on the joints. Wrong exercise can also aggravate arthritis, such as osteoarthritis of the knee patients like to play Tai Chi, climbing and other sports to exercise the joints, these will make the joints more wear and tear
7. Equating osteoarthritis of the knee with osteoporosis
Knee osteoarthritis is mainly cartilage degeneration and wear; osteoporosis is a reduction in bone mass caused by a decrease in the organic components and minerals of bone, often caused by calcium deficiency or vitamin D deficiency.
8, did not receive or carry out standardized treatment
Many middle-aged and elderly people, osteoarthritis of the knee is treated year after year, year after year, just like a “tight band” that can not be removed. In fact, one of the reasons why there is a long history of untreated osteoarthritis is that it does not receive or undergo standardized treatment.
9, relying on oral medication ignore side effects
Due to the age of most patients, there are large side effects to these drugs, such as gastrointestinal reactions, nephrotoxicity, blood changes, etc. Currently, there is no drug that can reverse the pathological changes in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
10. No pain is a “cure”
Many patients with osteoarthritis of the knee think they have achieved the goal of treatment when they are “pain-free” after treatment, especially after joint injections. However, this does not mean that they are cured. As long as the joint cartilage has not returned to normal, the pain will reappear at any time. As long as the joint cartilage has not returned to normal, the pain will return at any time and the condition will worsen with repeated attacks.