Chinese medicine is concerned with the dialectical treatment of diseases, first with accurate identification, and then with the right medicine. The combination of the two, according to the patient’s physical symptoms, and the disease to identify the evidence, and then take the appropriate treatment to treat, the patient’s condition easy to improves. Arthritis is one of the most common chronic diseases among the middle-aged and elderly, and there are many ways to treat it, but many people prefer to choose Chinese medicine.
What are the symptoms of arthritis?
1. Pain
Pain is the main symptom of arthritis. Most people experience burning pain during the attack period and occasionally mild pain during normal times.
2. Swelling
Swelling generally occurs in most joint diseases and is not necessarily related to the degree of pain, but the symptoms of swelling are generally most noticeable during flare-ups.
3. Dysfunction
Painful swelling and inflammation of the joints can lead to edema in the tissues surrounding the joints, which can easily lead to restrictions in joint movement, and in severe cases, even inability to move normally. Patients with chronic joints may suffer from permanent loss of joint function due to the long-term restriction of joint movement.
4. Pathological Signs
The signs and symptoms of arthritis vary from one type of arthritis to another, with some showing symptoms such as erythema, deformity, soft tissue swelling, and joint erythema, and others showing signs such as exudate, bony swelling, bone rubbing, pressure pain, muscle atrophy or muscle weakness, limited range of motion of the joint, and nerve root compression. In addition, most appear during the flare-up phase, while a small percentage may result from a secondary injury.
What are the methods of treating arthritis in Chinese medicine?
1. Chinese medicine treatment
Chinese herbal medicine is the most convenient method of treatment in Chinese medicine. It can be used to reduce the inflammation and swelling of localized arthritis and to clear the meridians and requires the addition and subtraction of drugs according to different types of evidence. In addition to internal medication, some herbs with the same effect can also be used, placed in a cloth bag and heated for external application to the affected area, or the dregs of the decoction can be wrapped in a cloth bag and applied to the affected area while it is still hot.
2. Acupuncture treatment
Acupuncture has a good effect on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Acupuncture can not only reduce inflammation, pain, and swelling but also promote blood circulation, thereby changing the blood flow and blood flow rate, thus bringing some pathogenic inflammatory factors away from the affected area and improving the symptoms.
3. Tui-na treatment
Most of them use different pushing and pressing techniques such as kneading, moistening, holding, grinding, and acupressure on the affected area, but it should be noted that during the acute inflammation period, it is better for the patient not to use the pushing and holding method and to be cautious in using light manipulation to avoid the aggravation of the inflammation.
In addition to conventional Chinese medicine treatments, exercise can be performed. Daily movement of joints to strengthen muscles, local endurance exercises when necessary, and calcium supplementation in the daily diet can enhance bone flexibility and prevent the occurrence of most osteoarthropathies.