Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a common chronic joint disease that primarily affects middle-aged and elderly individuals. It is characterized by gradual degeneration and damage of the joint cartilage, leading to joint pain, stiffness, and functional impairment. Main treatment methods:

1. Weight management: Losing weight can reduce stress on the joints, especially the knee joints.

2. Physical therapy: Specific exercises can strengthen muscles and improve joint flexibility, such as water exercises and yoga.

3. Assistive devices: Using canes, crutches, or joint braces to reduce joint strain.

4. Medication: Includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cartilage-nourishing agents, and traditional Chinese medicine for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, to relieve pain and inflammation. Patients with severe symptoms may require disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or biologic agents.

5. Surgical treatment: Patients with severe osteoarthritis may require surgical intervention. Common procedures include arthroscopy, joint replacement, and joint fusion. Arthroscopy is used to remove inflamed or damaged tissue within the joint; joint replacement replaces damaged joint surfaces to restore joint function; joint fusion stabilizes the joint by fixing it in place, thereby reducing pain and improving joint stability.