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Posts Tagged ‘Arthritis Treatment’

Arthritis Knees are commonly known as osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease where cartilage in joint gradually wears away. Another is rheumatoid arthritis, which can also affect the knees, where the joint becomes inflamed and the cartilage may be destroyed. Arthritis does not only affect the joints, even supporting structures such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments may also be affected.

Signs of Arthritis Knees and Diagnosis

A person who has knee arthritis may experience pain, swelling and a decrease knee motion. The most common symptom is morning stiffness that usually reduces after moving around. Sometimes knee joints locks or clicks when the knee is bent or straightened, but these signs may also be present in other knee disorders. The disorder may be confirmed through diagnosis performed by a doctor through x-rays, which would show loss of joint space. Blood tests are very helpful in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, but other tests may be needed. Fluid analysis from the knee joint helps in the diagnosis of some kinds of arthritis as well. Arthroscopy can be used by the doctor to visualize damage to cartilage, tendons, and ligaments and to confirm diagnosis. However, arthroscopy is only usually done if a repair procedure is to be performed.

Arthritis Knees Treatment

In its early stages, knee arthritis is treated with non-surgical measures:

Lifestyle modification includes losing weight, switching from running or jumping exercises to swimming or cycling, and also includes minimizing activities that pushes stress on the knee like climbing the stairs.
Exercises help in increasing range of motion and flexibility as well as strengthening the muscles of the leg.
Using supportive devices such as cane, wearing a brace on knee sleeve, or wearing energy-absorbing shoes or inserts can be helpful.
Other measures like applying heat or ice, water exercises, liniments or elastic bandages, can improve the condition.

Use of prescribed drugs like anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen) helps reduce swelling, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may relieve the pain of osteoarthritis, corticosteroids that are powerful anti-inflammatory agents that are injected to the joints, and other types of drugs. However, since every patient is different and not all people respond to the same medications, consulting a doctor is always the first step before taking any medication.

Surgical treatment

If  arthritis knees do not respond to these non-surgical treatments, then a surgey may be needed.
Arthroscopic Surgery

This type of knee arthritis surgery uses fiber optic technology to enable the surgeon to see inside the joint and clean it of debris or repair torn cartilage.

Osteotomy

This type of knee arthritis surgery cuts the shinbone (tibia) or the thighbone (femur) to improve the alignment of the knee joint.

Total or Partial Knee Arthroplasty

This type of arthritis knees surgery replaces the severely damaged knee joint cartilage with metal or plastic.

Cartilage Grafting

Is a possible procedure for some knees with limited or contained cartilage loss from trauma or knee arthritis.

New ways of treating knee arthritis have been continually researched by orthopedic surgeons as well as new drugs on cartilage transplants and other ways to help slow the progress of arthritis.

A new study has made a connection between acupuncture and arthritis. The study said that the combination of acupuncture and arthritis can significantly reduce pain and improve function in those suffering osteoarthritis of the knee.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical procedure wherein hair-thin needles are inserted into points along “energy channels” – meridians, where the life force of the human body flows through. This is thought to help unblock the clogged energy channels and thus, help ease pain as a result of such blockage.

As part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – a form of alternative medicine based on the belief that an essential life force, qi, flows through the body along channels called meridians – acupuncture is among the oldest form of medical procedure in the world. The first form of acupuncture was started in China more than 2,000 years ago but is now widely practiced in Asia and Europe. With the recent discovery about the connection between acupuncture and arthritis, specifically on its role as a pain reliever, the procedure is increasingly becoming popular in the United States as well.

As opposed to what you may believe, getting stuck with needles for a few minutes is not as torturous as it sounds. In fact, most people who believe in the healing connection between acupuncture and arthritis, say that there is only a slight stinging sensation when the needles prick the skin, but that is all. There is no pain after that. The needles used in acupuncture are very thin, smooth, and solid, unlike hypodermic needles which are hollow with cutting edges. The length of each session may vary, depending on the kind of disorder you wish to be treated. When it comes to acupuncture and arthritis, treatment may require two sessions a week and may last for several months.

Study on Acupuncture and Arthritis:

The study on acupuncture and arthritis was conducted by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). Considered as one of the largest and longest clinical trials to show such conclusive effects of acupuncture and arthritis on patients, the study reported a 44 percent average reduction in pain and a 40 percent improvement in mobility.

For purposes of the study, the researchers enrolled 570 patients who are aged from 50 above, with arthritis of the knee, and who had been suffering significant pain in the same the month before the study was conducted. The patients were then randomly assigned three different treatments, and it was found that those who specifically underwent acupuncture and arthritis treatment had a 40 percent decrease in pain and a nearly 40 percent improvement in function.

“We have demonstrated that traditional Chinese acupuncture is an effective complement to conventional arthritis treatment and can be successfully employed as part of a multi-disciplinary approach to treating the symptoms of osteoarthritis,” says Brian Berman of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.

Click here to check out Devil’s Claw Root And Other Natural Remedies For Arthritis

In addition to the various pharmaceuticals designed to alleviate pain and modern treatment methods recommended by doctors all over the world, many patients also seek natural remedies for arthritis. The reason for this is varied and may include the following:

• Other medications are not working or cause adverse side effects for the patient seeking natural remedies for arthritis.
• Holistic or organic healing is believed to be more effective than doing it with the aid of chemicals.
• Some prescription medications are so expensive the patient seeking natural remedies for arthritis may not be able to afford it anymore.

Below is a list of some of the most pervasive natural remedies for arthritis in use today. However, before you decide to take any of these natural remedies for arthritis, you are strongly advised to consult with your physician first. Understand that most of these natural remedies for arthritis do not have any scientific proof to prove their medical claims. Some of them may react to the drugs you are already taking or may have undesirable side effects.

Acupuncture:

Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and one of the oldest natural remedies for arthritis. It consists of inserting hair thin needles with smooth edges into certain areas called meridians found in the body which act as channels through which the life force or qi flows.

To treat arthritis, you may have to undergo several sessions of acupuncture – at least 3 sessions per week, depending on the type of arthritis you have. A recent study released by the National Institutes of Health showed that acupuncture may have some positive effects on arthritis pain, particularly on the knee joints.

Oils:

It makes sense that one of the natural remedies for arthritis is oil. After all, one of the common causes of arthritic pain is friction in the joints where the cushioning tissue, called cartilage, is damaged and the realese of the synovial fluid, responsible for lubricating the bone ends, is affected. However, when speaking about oils as natural remedies for arthritis, it does not mean that you are going to end up smearing yourself with messy metal lubricants. What it does mean is to put the right kind of oils inside your body to help with the aches and pains associated with the disease.

Out of the oils used because of their medicinal properties, fish oil supplements occupy the top of the list. Fish oils have omega-3 fatty acids that can ease the painful symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis or RA, help prevent Raynaud’s syndrome spasms, and possibly relieve some symptoms of lupus. Other oil types that can be used as natural remedies for arthritis are borage seed and evening primrose seed oils, both of which have been shown to ease RA inflammation.

Click here to check out Devil’s Claw Root And Other Natural Remedies For Arthritis

Click here to check out Devil’s Claw Root And Other Natural Remedies For Arthritis

While medical scientists are working on finding a cure for arthritis, many treatment methods are available to help patients cope with the disorder. And if traditional drug therapies, comprised of either NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs) or narcotic pain relievers, are not enough, then here are natural arthritis treatments that have withstood the test of time.

Note that the natural arthritis treatments featured here have no conclusive scientific evidence to prove their medical claims. Therefore, you are strongly advised to consult your doctor before you resort to any of these natural arthritis treatments. Remember that staying informed may well be your path to finding the right solution to your problem as it would help you form better decisions.

Chiropractic Therapy

Chripractic therapy is one of the common forms of natural arthritis treatments used on patients suffering from this disorder. It emphasizes the relationship between the spinal column and the central nervous system, both of which affects the overall health of a person.

Chiropractic arthritis treatments was founded in 1895 by a Canadian-American, Donald David Palmer, who was said to cure a deaf janitor by putting one of his vertebrae back into its normal position. Since then, Palmer continued to refine his work, expanding the coverage of the therapy to include such chronic diseases as arthritis.

By properly aligning the vertebrae of the spine, it is believed that the normal functioning of the nervous system has been restored, thus enabling the body to heal itself.

Cytil Myristoleate

Also known as CMO or CM, Cytil Myristoleate is another common form of natural arthritis treatments. The first complete human study on the effectiveness of Cetyl Myristoleate, headed by Dr. Len Sands of the San Diego Clinic, was made in 1995. The subjects were 48 arthritic patients, 80% of whom showed significant articular mobility while 70% showed pain reduction.

Another study was a double blind, conducted by Dr. H. Siemandi two years later under the auspices of the Joint European Hospital Studies Program. The results were all positive, showing that Cetyl Myristoleate may be one of the most effective natural arthritis treatments available.

Chondroitin

As one of the many natural arthritis treatments, chondroitin is a substance naturally found in the human cartilage, as well as animal. Besides arthritis, chondroitin is also used to treat several diseases, among which are psoriasis and cancer.

The substance is actually a type of glycosaminoglycan (GAG), one of the most plentiful among that group. It comprises about 5-20% of cartilage tissue, occurring mostly as a sulfate composed of repeating disaccharide units. It has been used for over 30 years in the treatment of arthritis, psoriasis, and cancer.

By taking in supplements of chondroitin, you are providing your body with chemical components needed to maintain structural integrity of the cartilage and prevent its degeneration.

Click here to check out Devil’s Claw Root And Other Natural Remedies For Arthritis