Osteoarthritis of the knee is a very common degenerative joint lesion in middle-aged and elderly people, commonly referred to as bone spurs. The principles of early, individualized, stepwise treatment should be followed.
I. Step therapy is divided into.
① Non-pharmacologic treatment;
②Drug therapy;
(iii) Intra-articular injection therapy;
④Arthroscopic treatment;
⑤ Artificial joint replacement surgery.
①Health care: reduce weight, avoid trauma, reduce walking up and down stairs, wear flat-heeled soft-soled shoes.
②Rational exercise: such as thigh muscle exercise, swimming.
③Physical therapy: heat therapy, infrared light, etc. can enhance local blood circulation in the joint and reduce pain.
④Calcium supplementation: based on dietary supplementation, more sunlight, more dairy products, soy products, seafood.
II. Drug treatment.
①Non-specific drugs: such as celecoxib capsule (Celebrex), etoricoxib tablet (Ankangxin), ibuprofen extended-release capsule (Fenbid), compound Nanxing pain relief cream, etc., can relieve pain.
②Specific drugs: such as glucosamine hydrochloride capsule (Otaylin), which can promote joint cartilage repair.
Third, intra-articular injection therapy
Sodium vitreous acid injection (Schippers, Arge, etc.) can promote the regeneration and healing of joint cartilage and improve the inflammatory response, thus relieving pain and improving joint function.
Arthroscopic treatment
Patients with osteoarthritis who are younger, have less obvious osteophytes, less wear and tear on the articular cartilage, and have synovitis can be treated with minimally invasive arthroscopic cleanup surgery.
V. Artificial knee joint surface replacement surgery
If the joint pain is ineffective with various treatments, obvious osteophytes, joint deformity and joint dysfunction, the only way is to perform artificial knee surface replacement surgery, which removes the worn and damaged joint surface and bone spurs, and implants artificial metal joints, just like “dental implants”, to eliminate knee deformity, relieve pain and restore normal Smooth movement of the joint.
VI. Misconceptions of arthritis treatment
(1) Blindly take “softening bone spurs” drugs. In fact, bone spurs are osteophytes, which are also bones, how can bones be eliminated by drugs? There is no magic pill that can shrink or remove bone spurs!
(2) Blindly treat by rheumatism. In fact, among all joint pain diseases, osteoarthritis (induced by degeneration and trauma) has the highest incidence, while rheumatoid arthritis is relatively rare.
(3) Chondroprotective agents (sodium vitaminate injection) and restorative agents (glucosamine) can be used or not. These two types of drugs are actually specific therapeutic drugs for the cause of osteoarthritis.
(4) Joint pain is a calcium deficiency, so calcium supplements are sufficient. Calcium supplementation has no direct therapeutic effect on arthritis, but is only beneficial for osteoporosis.
(5) If you have arthritis, you should use anti-inflammatory drugs. The arthritis not caused by bacterial infection with anti-inflammatory drugs has a hundred harm but no benefit.
(6) Blindly believe in single, partial, secret or advertised medicine. There is no cure for osteoarthritis using drugs, and the side effects from improper use of drugs are more serious than the disease itself.
(7) Only some physical therapy, acupuncture, massage and other auxiliary treatments are carried out. It is only effective for soft tissue inflammation around the bone and joint.
(8) Weight is irrelevant in the treatment. According to research, obesity is a more important risk factor for osteoarthritis, and weight reduction and weight bearing play a very important role in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
(9) Related treatment is optional.
(10) Stopping medication when the joints do not hurt. In fact, clinical symptom improvement is not equivalent to complete remission, and it is necessary to use the medication according to the prescribed course of treatment.
(11) Arthritis is for the elderly, I’m still young and won’t get it. Osteoarthritis occurs in any population, and most of the joint pain in young people is related to articular cartilage cartilage and cartilage damage, so more attention should be paid to medical protection and treatment.
Seven, the choice of arthritis treatment methods and advice
(1) Be cautious about products that claim to treat all types of arthritis and other health problems.
(2) Beware of products that are only used in individual cases or are clinically proven to be useful because of individual “satisfaction” or “good results.
(3) Do not use those products that do not indicate the method of use and side effects.
(4) Do not use those products that are not clearly marked with their composition or just marked with the words “harmless” or “natural”. Some “miracle drugs” are simply copies of some common medicines, such as aspirin, paracetamol and cortisone.
(5) Be skeptical of any treatment that claims to cure arthritis. According to today’s scientific research, the vast majority of conservative treatments for arthritis are not curative.
(6) Don’t try what are called “mystery drugs” or products obtained from only one ingredient.
(7) When joint pain occurs, go to a regular hospital to see a joint specialist and follow their advice.
(8) Minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery is the best option for early to mid-stage arthritis and joint trauma, and artificial joint surface replacement surgery is the best way to finally solve joint pain and dysfunction.