Osteophyte formation is a common joint disease in daily life. As people age, due to joint degeneration, incorrect living habits and other factors, they are prone to osteophyte formation. Nowadays, with the development of the times, more and more young people are also suffering from osteophyte formation. What exactly is going on? Experts point out that in addition to congenital developmental problems of the joints, long-term wear and tear of the joints and incorrect sitting or standing postures are also important causes of osteophyte formation. Students, IT professionals, accountants, and writers are all common groups affected by osteophyte formation. Below are methods for maintenance and treatment of osteophyte formation, hoping to be helpful to you!
1. Daily maintenance methods for osteophyte formation
- Avoid staying in one posture for a long time.
The occurrence sites of osteophyte formation vary, but overall, it mainly occurs in the cervical vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, and knee joints. These joints are important participants in normal daily activities. Standing or sitting for a long time, or overusing a certain joint can accelerate the wear of cartilage on these joint surfaces, leading to compensatory hyperplasia of hard bones, forming osteophytes, causing joint deformity, pain, and restricted movement. Take the knee joint as an example. In daily life, do not stay in one posture for a long time, and do not blindly perform repetitive knee flexion and extension exercises, kneading the patella, or shaking the knee joint under load. For those who sit or stand for a long time, it is advisable to adjust your posture every 30-40 minutes and do some joint exercises. If conditions permit, wearing protective gear that is warm but breathable and sweat-wicking, such as shoulder braces, neck braces, waist braces, and knee braces, can play an important role in joint maintenance.
2. Be cautious with massage for rehabilitation.
Physical massage helps enhance the muscle strength of patients with osteophyte formation and improves blood circulation in joint tissues. However, it is particularly important to note that massage should preferably be performed by professional doctors, and one must not blindly go to unlicensed clinics for massage therapy. Massage cannot directly treat the condition, and if the treatment technique is inappropriate, it may even worsen the condition. Elderly people often have osteoporosis; excessive force during massage may easily cause fractures. Especially elderly people with cervical or lumbar osteophyte formation should not easily undergo massage therapy. Improper massage leading to fractures and nerve damage can easily cause paralysis, with unimaginable consequences.
3. Moderate exercise to protect already damaged joints.
Patients with osteophyte formation should engage in appropriate exercise to enhance the strength and endurance of muscles around the joints, increase joint stability, and promote recovery. For example, strengthening the quadriceps can improve the stability of the knee joint. Of course, exercise should ideally not cause joint pain.
It's worth noting that excessive exercise or incorrect exercise methods may also worsen the condition. Therefore, in daily life, patients should try to reduce the load or wear on the joints. For example, patients with osteophyte formation in the knees and ankles should avoid going up and down stairs, squatting for long periods, kneeling, standing for long periods, climbing mountains, and long-distance hiking, especially when the joints are swollen and painful.
To exercise the body, patients with osteophyte formation can choose low-impact exercises such as swimming, doing joint calisthenics, cycling, or using stools, handles, walking sticks, knee braces, or other auxiliary facilities to assist joint movements.
4. Wear the right shoes for easier walking and reduced joint wear.
Many people believe that flat shoes are most beneficial for joints, which is not entirely true. Walking in flat shoes may concentrate too much weight on the heel. Over time, the upward impact may cause pain and discomfort in the waist, knees, heels, ankles, and hips. Long-term adverse effects on the joints can easily lead to joint cartilage wear and subsequently result in osteophyte formation. It is best to wear soft, elastic shoes, such as low-heeled sports or casual shoes. This can buffer the impact of gravity on the joints, reduce joint wear, and alleviate the worsening of osteophyte formation.
II. Treatment Methods for Osteophyte Formation
Currently, treatment methods for osteophyte formation include pain relief therapies, physical massages, and surgical treatments. Generally speaking, mild symptoms of osteophyte formation can be alleviated through painkillers, rest, and physical therapy, restoring normal life and work. For severe pain, medications can be injected following medical advice to relieve the pain. If the condition worsens further, surgical treatments such as arthroscopy, minimally invasive surgery, or even artificial joint replacement may be necessary. However, these therapies either have significant side effects, require high economic investment, or cause varying degrees of harm to the body. More importantly, they cannot fundamentally solve the root cause of osteophyte formation - cartilage wear.
Are there other feasible treatment methods? With the limitations and side effects of chemical drugs and surgical treatments increasingly questioned, Alternative Medicine "replacement therapy" has emerged. It emphasizes the natural self-healing ability of the human body and non-invasive medical concepts, whose advantages are gradually being realized. Many countries have successively established similar institutions, and alternative medicine for osteophyte formation has formed a new medical trend worldwide.
In recent years, international renowned medical institutions such as Nippon Medical University, Dokkyo Medical University, and Showa University have conducted research on saw shark cartilage powder, proving its miraculous effect on the regeneration of human joint cartilage, sparking a trend in alternative medicine for osteophyte formation and creating world-renowned brands like Bai'ao Shark. Statistics show that by consuming 7.5g/day of pure natural saw shark cartilage powder, it is possible to achieve re-splitting and growth of cartilage cells within half a year to a year, a fact that has been clinically proven. Currently, using saw shark cartilage powder to treat osteophyte formation has become a new choice for patients with osteophyte formation in many developed countries worldwide. We hope that cutting-edge medical research will soon be popularized to benefit more patients with osteophyte formation!
Source: 39 Health Network: http://news.39.net/qydx/2012215/1975022.html