Osteoarthritis, commonly known as bone spurs and bone hyperplasia, is a group of diseases caused by damaged articular cartilage due to various reasons. Bones, like other tissues, are constantly undergoing metabolism. When entering middle-aged and elderly age, the aging rate is greater than the growth rate, osteoporosis occurs, and the strength of bones decreases. At this time, the body automatically compensates, making up for the decrease in quality with an increase in quantity, which is manifested in the obvious hyperplasia of weight-bearing joints. The knee joint is the heaviest burden and most frequently used joint in a person's body, so it is the least able to withstand the wear and tear of time and is prone to hyperplasia symptoms first.
Cartilage degeneration is the main cause of osteoarthritis. Articular cartilage is the umbrella of the joint. The cartilage wrapped around the ends of the large bones is like a sponge. Whenever it is under pressure, water will flow from the cartilage to the hard tissue underneath; when the pressure is eliminated, the water will flow back into the cartilage tissue. Cartilage is like a lubricant, which reduces the friction generated by movement to a very small extent. It is these functions of cartilage that protect the joints and allow us to move freely without obstacles. Generally speaking, cartilage is very wear-resistant, but as time goes by, coupled with factors such as excessive pressure and disease, cartilage will gradually wear out or even be damaged. Once cartilage ages or is damaged, osteoarthritis will follow. A series of symptoms such as joint pain, swelling and even joint deformity are all related to the aging of cartilage.
How to judge whether you have osteoarthritis?
Middle-aged and elderly people can judge whether they have arthritis through the following manifestations:
- Joint pain: In the early stage of mild osteoarthritis, it is not obvious when walking on a flat road. Knee pain will only occur when going up and down stairs or doing very intense exercise. In the late stage of more serious osteoarthritis, pain may occur after walking two steps, and even pain may occur at night, affecting sleep.
- Joint stiffness: Some people suddenly feel that their knees are locked and cannot be turned after sitting for a long time or not exercising for a long time after getting up in the morning. Joint stiffness is a common phenomenon in patients with osteoarthritis. If you walk less, the muscles and ligaments around will shrink, the range of motion will be poor, and the extension and flexion activities will be restricted. It feels stiff and uncomfortable.
- Abnormal noises during joint movement: Some people make a clicking sound when their knee joints move. This is due to the degeneration and peeling of the cartilage in the joints, the exposure of the bone under the cartilage, and the sound of touching each other during movement.
- Joint swelling and deformation: There is a villous synovial membrane in the knee joint, on which there are many nerve endings. The pain caused by wear and tear will reflexively stimulate the synovial membrane to secrete more fluid to lubricate and nourish the damaged tissues. Increased joint effusion will cause swelling, aggravate the pain, and even make it difficult for the joints to turn.
- Limited joint movement: In addition to joint discomfort, some people also have symptoms such as inability to straighten the knee joint or squat down. Joint stiffness, swelling, effusion and other reasons can affect the range of motion of the joint.
So how to solve this disease that troubles many people?
- Change unreasonable living habits and avoid carrying heavy objects. Avoid standing and walking for a long time, and you should find time to sit and rest in between. Try to sit on the toilet when defecating, and squat less.
- Lose weight. Obese people are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis than others. Losing weight can reduce the pressure and wear on the joints and effectively prevent the occurrence of osteoarthritis.
- Avoid joint injuries, pay attention to the safety of sports venues and sports equipment, and avoid joint injuries during exercise. Warm up before exercise, and gradually increase the amount of exercise from small to large. Do not participate in overload exercise at the beginning. Relax in time after exercise to relieve musculoskeletal fatigue.
- Correctly handle joint injuries. When a joint is injured, it should be handled in time and correctly. Don't think about self-healing and ignore it. This is easy to leave sequelae. Many arthritis is caused by damage to other structures in the joint, such as knee meniscus injury. Early correct treatment can effectively prevent the occurrence of knee osteoarthritis.
- Joint pain should be treated in time. Joint pain is an alarm sent by the joint to the human body, indicating that it should be taken seriously. Patients with joint pain should seek medical treatment in time to prevent small problems from becoming big problems, and achieve early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment.
- Treatment methods, drug treatment --- Arthroscopic treatment --- Joint replacement.
Drug treatment:
1.Local application of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can effectively relieve mild or severe joint pain, and there is no adverse drug reaction.
2.Joint cavity drug injection: sodium hyaluronate; glucocorticoids (generally no more than 5 times a year).
Surgical treatment
Surgical treatment methods: loose body removal; joint cleaning through arthroscopy; arthroscopic cleaning + osteotomy; joint fusion and artificial joint replacement, etc.
Sports rehabilitation training, develop the habit of exercise, but do not exercise excessively, and adjust the reasonable amount of exercise according to your own situation. More suitable exercise methods, such as swimming, cycling and other non-weight-bearing exercises, are more beneficial to arthritis.
