Arthritis care guidance and measures

There is no universal standard answer to the core logic of arthritis care. The essence is to "control symptoms first in the acute phase, maintain function in the stable phase, and avoid triggering factors throughout the cycle." Specific measures need to be flexibly adjusted based on the type of arthritis, stage of onset, and individual tolerance. There is no "universal nursing prescription" suitable for everyone.

Let’s first talk about the most controversial issue of “rest or exercise”. The clinical tendencies of different departments are indeed different: if the joint is in the acute stage and the joint is red, swollen and painful, cannot be touched, or even hurts so much that it is impossible to walk normally, the general advice of orthopedics is to try to immobilize and bear less weight. I once met an aunt who had an acute attack of gouty arthritis. She refused to listen and insisted on dancing in the square. The swelling that was supposed to go away in a week was delayed for 20 days, and finally she had to go to the hospital to drain the effusion. However, if you have passed the acute stage and have a dull pain due to cold or walking for a long time, the rehabilitation doctor will definitely urge you to move - the muscles around the joints are like "close-fitting protective sleeves" for the joints. If the muscle mass is lost and the strength is insufficient, the wear and tear of the joints will only become faster and faster. You don’t need to engage in any high-intensity exercise. People with knee arthritis can practice a few sets of silent squats with their back against the wall every day. Don’t let your knees go past your toes. Just squat for 10 seconds and rest for 30 seconds each time. An old patient I met lasted for three months. He used to have to hold on to the railing when going up and down stairs, but now he can slowly climb the third floor by himself.

Speaking of this, I have to mention the nursing pitfalls that many people have stepped on. The most common one is to take calcium tablets as soon as arthritis is detected. It is true that not all arthritis requires calcium supplementation. Only patients with osteoporosis need additional supplementation. For simple degenerative osteoarthritis, no matter how much calcium tablets are taken, it will not stop the wear and tear. Excessive supplementation may lead to the risk of kidney stones. There are also people who habitually apply plasters whenever they feel pain. This also depends on the situation: if the joints are hot, red and swollen in the acute stage of rheumatoid arthritis or gout, if you apply a plaster that warms the menstruation and activates blood circulation, it will aggravate the inflammatory infiltration and make the joints more swollen; if it is just degenerative arthritis pain caused by cold, applying a warm patch or a warm plaster can indeed quickly relieve the discomfort.

Many elders always say that "arthritis is caused by freezing." In fact, catching cold is the trigger, not the cause. If your joints are not worn out or inflammatory, wearing pants that expose your ankles in winter will not cause arthritis. But if you already have meniscus damage and synovial hyperplasia, and the cold wind stimulates synovial edema, won't it hurt so much that you can't walk? Therefore, there is no need to overdo it in daily keeping warm. There is no need to wear knee pads in the dog days of summer. As long as the joints are not exposed to the cold wind when the temperature changes during the season, my grandma herself is an old patient with knee arthritis. She has never bought a heated knee pad that costs hundreds of dollars. She just wears an old fleece knee pad when going out in the winter and uses a hot water bag to apply on the knees for 15 minutes before going to bed. It is more effective than the imported massagers that many people buy.

The focus of care for different types of arthritis is quite different: the core of gouty arthritis is to control purine. Beer, seafood, animal offal and other high-purine foods can be touched as little as possible. Don't blindly soak your feet in hot water during the attack, otherwise the swelling will become worse; rheumatoid arthritis should be special Be careful not to get tired, and follow the doctor's instructions to take immune-controlling medicines. Don't stop on your own, otherwise it will be easy to relapse. If you suffer from common degenerative osteoarthritis in middle-aged and elderly people, you don't need to eat too much. Eat more high-quality proteins such as eggs and milk to maintain your muscles, which is better than taking any health supplements.

When it comes to health care products, we have to mention the controversial aminoglycosides. The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons' guidelines do not recommend regular use and believe that there is no clear effect on moderate or above osteoarthritis. However, the European Rheumatology Guidelines believe that patients in the early and middle stages can try to take it for 3 months. If you feel the pain is relieved after taking it, you can continue taking it. If it is not useful, stop. There is no need to feel that you have paid an IQ tax. Individual differences are inherently huge. There are also joint massagers that are very popular recently. Just buy one with a constant temperature hot compress. Don’t choose one with particularly strong massage force, especially for patients with cervical and lumbar osteoarthritis. If you massage it too hard, it will easily compress the nerves. Do not use it for more than 20 minutes at a time. Hot compress for a long time will also aggravate edema.

Actually speaking, the core of arthritis care is to learn to talk to your body. You don’t have to listen to what others say about climbing stairs or walking, so you just carry the pain and practice. If your knee hurts after walking 3,000 steps today, walk 2,000 steps next time. Today, you will suffer from gout after eating hot pot. Next time, you will eat less hairy belly. If the joints suddenly become red and swollen for more than 3 days, and the pain is so painful that you can’t bear weight, don’t apply medicine blindly at home, and go to the hospital to see a doctor quickly. Don’t let it become a chronic injury and cause trouble.