What is osteoarthrosis? Osteoarthrosis is a very common degenerative joint disease in the elderly, also known as osteoarthritis, hypertrophic arthritis or degenerative arthritis. It mainly affects the joints of the extremities and the trunk and spine. The pathology is characterized by progressive degeneration of the articular cartilage surfaces, wear and tear of the cartilage surfaces, cartilage exfoliation, sclerosis of the exposed subchondral bone surfaces, and formation of subchondral bone cavities. Bone proliferation at the joint edges and bone superfluity formation. If the bone flab is partially fractured or peeled off, it will get caught in the joint cavity and form an intra-articular free body. In addition to cartilage degeneration, the lesion may also affect the synovial membrane. During the acute phase of the lesion, the synovial membrane becomes congested and edematous, thickens, and increases synovial fluid secretion. Due to the wear and tear degeneration of the articular cartilage, a series of signs and symptoms may appear clinically, including joint pain, swelling, deformity, and functional impairment. The disease often has certain triggers for each attack, such as exertion, increased activity, and exposure to wind and cold, and the symptoms and signs will be relieved after treatment. However, as the disease worsens, the spacing between each attack shortens and the duration of each attack increases, which can eventually seriously affect joint function and significantly reduce the quality of life. What factors lead to the occurrence of osteoarthrosis? 1, systemic factors: primary osteoarthrosis in the group, many of the disease into a family history of genetic. Age is an important factor, systemic nutritional disorders or certain endocrine diseases, such as diabetes, acromegaly, exogenous and/or endogenous hyperadrenocorticism, etc. can often cause degenerative osteoarthropathy to occur. 2, local factors: whether it is a serious or minor joint injury, whether it is a single or repeated joint injury, can cause an abnormal increase in stress across the joint, and lead to degenerative joint degeneration. Inadequate alignment of the axis of the limb outside the joint, such as unequal length of the two lower limbs, or various reasons for inversion and valgus deformity of the limb; or poor joint alignment and matching, such as joint subluxation, free body in the joint, or joint dysplasia, can cause osteoarthrosis due to poor alignment of the two joints, uneven contact surface, and abnormal pressure distribution, which can lead to disease over time. Injections of certain drugs into the joint, such as adrenocorticotropic hormones, can also cause damage to the cartilage cells or the matrix that makes up the cartilage, or destroy the nutrition of the cartilage so that it degenerates, and the cartilage is gradually worn away and eventually degenerative joint degeneration occurs. Inflammatory lesions (rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis) or congenital diseases, dysplasia, etc. In addition, occupation and lifestyle also influence the occurrence and development of the disease. Obesity and excessive exercise accelerate the development of osteoarthritis. Weight-bearing joints, such as the knee and hip joints, are more common. What are the clinical manifestations of osteoarthrosis? The clinical manifestations of osteoarthrosis usually do not have systemic symptoms, meaning that joint pain with fever, chills, depression, and loss of appetite can usually rule out osteoarthrosis, but rather septic, tuberculous, or rheumatoid arthritis should be considered. Joint pain is probably the most prominent manifestation of osteoarthrosis, and can be a trigger for each attack, such as embedded interlocking free bodies in the joint, or changes in the surrounding environment, or increased exertion or activity. Each attack is usually insidious and can occur unconsciously, and the pain is usually less severe and persistent. The pain is often located in one part of the joint, but can also spread throughout the joint, increasing with activity and relieving with rest. Swelling of the synovial membrane of the joint is another prominent symptom. During the onset of symptoms, all seek medical attention for diffuse swelling and fluid accumulation in the joint. With rest and medication, the joint swelling may subside and the fluid may be absorbed. However, with repeated attacks of the disease, the synovial membrane thickens and hypertrophies, the wall of the joint capsule thickens and fibers proliferate, and the joint swelling may never completely subside. At a certain stage of disease development, joint stiffness ensues. In the early stages, joint stiffness is most obvious in the morning. The stiffness disappears after a little activity; in the later stages, joint stiffness attacks become more and more frequent. The recovery time of joint activity becomes longer and longer, and then the range of joint activity is gradually restricted and reduced. In the later stages of the disease, joint deformities become more pronounced. The most typical deformity is a persistent knee flexion contracture, knee extension, or inversion or valgus deformity. The former is also called “o” leg and the latter is called “x” leg. Some patients may have bilateral hip involvement, resulting in a duck-step wobbly gait. Another characteristic of clinical symptoms of osteoarthrosis is the long duration of the disease, the symptoms are often insidious attacks, with the aggravation of the disease, the duration of the symptoms is gradually extended, the resting period of symptom relief is getting shorter and shorter, with the aggravation of symptoms, the function of the limb and joint is getting worse and worse, which seriously affects the quality of life and the ability to take care of oneself. Treatment of osteoarthritis For early osteoarthritis, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs can be considered; for patients in the middle stage, arthroscopic joint cleaning, flushing + sodium glass injection can be considered to relieve pain; for patients in the late stage, with severe pain and joint deformation, artificial joint replacement can be considered. What are the common drugs currently used to treat osteoarthrosis? There are four major symptoms of osteoarthrosis attacks, namely joint pain, swelling, deformity and functional impairment. Pain is the most important symptom and is the main conflict that plagues the patient. Patients desperately want to relieve pain and improve function, so what are the most common medications available? In fact, there are many drugs for treating osteoarthrosis, including Chinese and Western medicines, internal and external medicines, injections and tablets, analgesics and cartilage repair. (1) Analgesics: Since joint pain is the main conflict, it is logical to choose analgesics. For example, strong analgesics: tramadol, codeine, etc. (2) Antipyretic and analgesic drugs: also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, which have antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic functions, and are the most commonly used effective drugs in the treatment of osteoarthrosis. Such as aspirin, diclofenac sodium (Fotaxu), ibuprofen. (3) Cartilage repair drugs: such as chondroitin sulfate, etc. (4) hormonal drugs: these drugs have highly effective anti-inflammatory effect, so in the acute attack of osteoarthrosis with other drugs are ineffective, can be used with caution, should not be commonly used. (5) Chinese herbs, herbal medicines, prescription drugs: mainly blood circulation, elimination of blood stasis, dampness and pain relief drugs. Is there a special medicine for osteoarthrosis? No, there is not. What should I pay attention to when taking anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs for the elderly? Geriatric patients should pay attention to the following points when taking these drugs: ① Be treated by a regular physician and do not use the drugs casually. If you have other diseases, you should be more careful and use the medication under the guidance of a physician. ③Select anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs with fewer side effects, such as diclofenac (Fotaralin) and other drugs. ④To avoid taking large doses and long-term medication. ⑤ To selectively rotate the medication.