Arthritis Care Plan and Measures

The core logic of arthritis care is not simply to relieve pain, but to control symptoms, delay joint degeneration, and maintain normal quality of life based on the different needs of the two stages of "acute attack phase and stable remission phase". There is no universal standardized plan, and it needs to be dynamically adjusted based on the type of arthritis, personal physical tolerance, and daily activity needs.

The first reaction of many people suffering from arthritis is to take painkillers and lie down until the pain stops. This is actually the most common pitfall. Aunt Zhang, a 62-year-old patient with degenerative knee arthritis, had been treated before. When the fever broke out last winter, she endured it at home for three days. The pain was so severe that she couldn't sleep, so she took ibuprofen. She took it for half a month to suppress the pain. As a result, she was hospitalized for three days for stomach bleeding. Later, she was switched to celecoxib, which is less irritating to the gastric mucosa, and combined with topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory ointment. Most of the pain was relieved in 3 days, and there was no more gastrointestinal discomfort. There is really no need to bear the pain, but you cannot take medicine indiscriminately. Especially for patients with stomach problems, liver and kidney diseases, it is much safer to explain the medical history to the doctor in advance and choose medicine than to buy painkillers blindly.

Regarding care during the attack period, there has been a controversial point in the academic circles: Should I apply ice or heat? The conventional advice from Western orthopedics is to apply ice within 72 hours of an attack, for 15-20 minutes each time, with an interval of more than 2 hours. Do not apply ice packs directly to the skin to avoid frostbite. The principle is to shrink blood vessels to reduce inflammatory exudation and quickly reduce swelling. However, many schools of traditional Chinese medicine for orthopedic injuries advocate warm compresses, which can accelerate metabolism by increasing local temperature, take away inflammatory factors as quickly as possible, and relieve stiffness. In fact, there is no absolute right or wrong between these two options. You can choose according to your own feelings: if you feel the pain is relieved and the swelling disappears quickly after applying a cold application, choose ice compress; if you feel the stiff joints stretch more obviously after applying a warm application, choose warm compress. Just don’t apply ice cubes directly to the skin or scald the skin with a freshly boiled hot water bottle.

After talking about the response during the attack period, let’s talk about the care during the remission period that most people tend to ignore. Many people think that everything will be fine once the pain is gone and they should climb stairs or dance square dances. However, they relapse within half a month. I met a 28-year-old patient with ankylosing spondylitis before. When he was first diagnosed, he was in so much pain that he couldn't walk. He lay at home for three whole weeks. As a result, his hip joints were so stiff that it was difficult to even put on socks. Later, the plan was adjusted for him. He did hip stretching for 20 minutes every day and swam twice a week. Within a month, he returned to work normally.

Different types of arthritis are suitable for completely different activities: For patients with knee arthritis, don’t climb stairs or squat to wipe the floor every day. Swimming, seated leg extensions, and squatting against the wall for 10 minutes every day are all good choices. They can train the quadriceps, which is equivalent to adding a protective pad to the knees.； Patients with rheumatoid arthritis should do more fine activities of their fingers and wrists, such as pinching elastic balls and turning health balls, to avoid premature joint deformation. ； The most important thing for patients with gouty arthritis is to control uric acid within the standard value for a long time. Don’t wait until the pain makes you unable to walk before you remember to avoid seafood and beer.

Many people also ask whether there are dietary restrictions for arthritis, and there is no unified answer to this point. According to the guidelines of Western medicine, except for gouty arthritis, which requires strict control of high-purine food intake, there are no absolute dietary taboos for other types of arthritis. However, many Chinese medicine clinical experience will recommend eating less raw, cold, high-sugar, and too spicy foods. In fact, there is no need to worry about it at all. You can keep a small food diary by yourself. If your joints hurt significantly after eating ice milk tea or crayfish one day, avoid it next time. If there is no reaction after eating, eat what you should. There is no need to dare not touch this or eat that because of unreasonable taboos, which will affect your nutritional intake.

Don't underestimate the small details of daily life. Many people suffer from repeated illnesses in these places. In winter, many girls expose their ankles and knees in order to look good. When the cold wind blows, the synovium in the joints is irritated, which can easily induce inflammation. When choosing knee pads, don't choose ones that are so tight that your legs are numb. My mother used to buy tight knee pads with velvet on the cheap. After wearing them for a week, there were marks under the knees. The poor blood circulation made the pain worse. Later, I changed to loose and thin cashmere knee pads, and I wore them all winter without any problems. When buying shoes, try to choose shoes with 1-2 cm thick soles and a bit of elasticity. Don't wear hard-soled leather shoes or stilettos for long walks. This can reduce the pressure on your knees and ankles. When going to the supermarket or shopping for groceries, don't carry heavy bags if you can push a trolley. It won't hurt to save more energy on your joints.

To put it bluntly, arthritis is the wear and tear of joints after decades of use. Just like an old door lock at home, it will inevitably get stuck after being used for a long time. You can't just throw the door lock away, right? If you put more oil on it and don't slam the door hard, it will last for many years. You don’t have to pursue pain-free nursing care. As long as it doesn’t affect your normal cooking, picking up your children, or hanging out with friends, you’re already in a good state. You really don’t need to be anxious just because you feel a little sore occasionally, and don’t believe in any folk remedies that “cure arthritis.” If you have any problems, go to the orthopedics or rheumatology department of a regular hospital, which is better than anything else.