Pain in osteoarthritis is probably the main symptom that the patient pays attention to. Unfortunately, over time, arthrosis pain only gets worse. Modern medicine recommends using so-called non-specific anti-inflammatory drugs (abbreviated NSAIDs) to reduce arthrosis pain. NSAIDs often have a good effect on pain. However, at the same time, NSAIDs cause many side effects, some of which become simply dangerous, for example, complications in the gastrointestinal tract in the form of bleeding. It should be noted that NSAIDs themselves do not treat the disease (that is, osteoarthritis): they only affect pain. And using NSAIDs is, by and large, a dead end. Scientists are attempting to find safe means that could combat pain. According to a number of researchers, such an alternative can be considered the so-called organic sulfur, the exact name of which is methylsulfonylmethane (abbreviated MSM). In a number of clinical studies, MSM has been shown to reduce osteoarthritis pain, morning stiffness, and improve function of the affected joint.

Here is a link to that study:

https://www.mediasphera.ru/issues/terapevticheskij-arkhiv/2015/12/370040-36602015128

Note: the article is in Russian.

Water is quite trivial for people and so much so that we do not notice it and do not realize its importance for life. A person consists of almost 65% water, that is, more than half of the body weight is simply water. It is in water that all biochemical processes occur; it is water that contributes to the correct course of biochemical processes and it is water that contributes to the so-called optimum conditions for enzymes to function correctly. People, as a rule, do not experience problems in obtaining water in sufficient volume, and yet many of the patients experience a water deficiency in their body without even suspecting it. But the reader may have a question: “how is that? The body usually signals us about the lack of water through the feeling of thirst.” At first glance, all this seems correct. Let’s look at a number of values and what is behind them. Scientists have calculated that all water is distributed into the following areas: a) intracellular, b) intercellular, c) intracavitary. Intracellular – about 60%, intercellular – about 30%, intracavitary – about 10%. The body always strives to maintain the constancy of its internal environments and processes, while giving preference to the most important ones (the so-called law of hierarchy). The primacy (hierarchy) is traced both in the distribution of water and in the importance of the body’s organs. Intracavitary water (blood belongs to it) will be in 1st place in the hierarchy, intercellular – 2nd and intracellular – 3rd. Among the organs, the brain is of the greatest importance. If for some reason there is a water deficit in the body, then in order to maintain the constancy of intracavitary water, the body will begin to take it from the intercellular, and that in turn will begin to take it from the intracellular. And most often the body will take it from those cells that, as the body considers, are less important for the body as a whole. Therefore, most often the body removes water from the muscular and osseous-articular systems. Therefore, it is not surprising that with age, a person’s joints begin to suffer. Unfortunately, with age, the feeling of thirst, which signals a lack of water, decreases. Also, a lack of water can be masked by a feeling of hunger, so older people, instead of drinking water, begin to eat something. How to solve the problem of water deficiency? Scientists believe that to fully replenish water in the body, you need to drink at least 30 ml per 1 kg of body weight. That is, if a person’s body weight is 70 kg, then he needs about 2100 ml of water per day.

It is so often and habitual that we want to shift responsibility onto someone else’s shoulders or blame another person for some problem. Not only patients, but even doctors claim that, supposedly, hypertension is some kind of inevitability, and if you get sick, then it is like a mandatory bonus to your age. And what, very convenient. No need to strain yourself. Let’s turn to comparisons in general. History and current life give many examples when even very old people and even with excess weight do not suffer from hypertension. Hence, the thesis “with age, hypertension is like inevitability” is not entirely valid. Maybe it’s about how we, people, lead our lifestyle??? From time to time in subsequent texts, we will try to reveal the importance of lifestyle in the occurrence of hypertension.

We, ordinary people, unconsciously hope that modern medicine will come up with something and somehow cope with a certain disease. Medicine has indeed coped well with some diseases, but with others, well, it cannot. Arterial hypertension (hereinafter we will simply call it “hypertension”) is currently a big problem for medicine. Medicine is developing, making great strides, but hypertension is only increasing among the population and “getting younger” (it began to affect those under 40). Statistics say that medicine controls diseases by only 20%, and the rest (80%) is a way of life. And yet, I believe that medicine has actually created a crisis with its own hands regarding hypertension: it has focused on pills: supposedly, they can save from the disease. The paradigm of “pills are the main way to fight diseases” involuntarily gives rise to infantilism in patients, a refusal to take responsibility for their own health.

It would seem, why should you “torture” your legs with walking if they are already affected by osteoarthritis. Common sense suggests that, on the contrary, you should try to take care of them. And yet, there are many studies showing that moderate and regular walking improves the condition of patients with arthrosis (osteoarthritis) of the knee joints.

One of the types of such walking is Nordic walking. We will not describe what Nordic walking is in this article, since I believe many people know about it. If necessary, information about this Walk is well covered on the Internet. What effects were obtained when using Nordic walking. Here they are:

• reduction of pain in the affected joint,
• reduction of stiffness when walking in the affected joint,
• improvement of the range of motion in the affected joint,
• reduction of spasms in the muscles surrounding the affected joint.
• also this walking has a general strengthening effect on the whole body.

What can be the cause of the health effects of Nordic walking on the manifestations of osteoarthritis of the knee joints? Here we can highlight two qualities of this walking: moderate impact on joints and regularity. Osteoarthritis is considered as a degenerative disease, where articular cartilage is primarily destroyed. The main phenomena that lead to the destruction of cartilage in osteoarthritis are: a) changes in the articular (more precisely: synovial fluid): with age, the amount and qualitative composition of the synovial fluid changes. If less synovial fluid is produced, then the articular cartilage is worse lubricated; If the qualitative composition of the synovial fluid changes, then the articular cartilage may not receive the necessary substances. b) an imbalance in the processes of “destruction and restoration”. This is clearly visible in athletes. In sports, knee joints are often subjected to excessive loads. And at the same time, the joints are not given the opportunity to recover. c) morphological and functional changes in the soft tissues of the joint itself and surrounding the joint. For example, spasmodic muscles that serve the knee joint can become fibrotic over time, which in turn worsens the blood circulation of the joint. That is, morphological changes in the joint tissues themselves lead to a feeling of stiffness in it, as well as a deterioration in the amplitude of movement in the joint. And spasmodic muscles around the joint can cause pain in the joint itself. So, Nordic walking, with its previously mentioned properties, improves the condition of a joint affected by arthrosis. Moderate walking eliminates excessive load on the joint; at the same time, the production of synovial fluid improves. Regular walking helps train the joint and restore the articular cartilage. So, we recommend that patients with osteoarthritis take up Nordic walking.

Pain is a frequent companion of osteoarthritis, so its reduction becomes almost the main task for the patient. Not all patients have a medical education to figure out which drug to prescribe to themselves. And yet, there is one of the few drugs that can be used for pain without fear of any side effects. In addition, this drug is quite convenient to use at home. And this substance is called Dimexide. Dimexide has shown good results in reducing joint pain over its many years of practice. Methods of using Dimexide are prescribed in the instructions included in the packaging box.

When there is pain in osteoarthritis, then in these cases non-specific anti-inflammatory drugs (hereinafter NSAIDs) are often used. But it is well known that NSAIDs relieve pain better if the pain is of an inflammatory nature. In this article, we will try to understand to what extent inflammation contributes to the occurrence of pain, as well as how justified the use of NSAIDs for treatment is.

In general, osteoarthritis is considered as a degenerative disease when the articular cartilage is mainly affected in the affected joint. Let’s consider the word “osteoarthritis”. It consists of two parts: “osteo” is from Latin “bone” and “-itis” is from Latin “inflammation”. That is, based on this, we can say that osteoarthritis is an inflammation of the bone. And now I wonder if the name “osteoarthritis” itself reflects the very essence of the disease. In some cases, when cartilage is affected, and there is also pain in the joints, then additional research methods do not find symptoms of inflammation. Also, during a clinical (simply put, during a physical) examination of the affected joint, it happens that classic signs of inflammation (redness, warmth, swelling) are not found. This suggests that inflammation in osteoarthritis is not always the cause of inflammation. Also in favor of the fact that the cause of pain in osteoarthritis is not inflammation is the fact that the use of NSAIDs does not always relieve pain. And yet, inflammation in this disease makes its contribution. With degenerative damage to cartilage, very small fragments of cartilage appear, which in turn are perceived by immune cells as “foreigners”, that is, so-called aseptic inflammation occurs. More often, the cause of pain in osteoarthritis can be considered to be damage to the soft tissues surrounding the joint, in particular, muscles, fascia, ligaments.

This article will be useful for those who are under 60, as well as for those who are over 60. Unfortunately, osteoarthritis is “getting younger” every year, so it would not be a bad idea for those who are still quite young to read the article.

Every person feels the fullness of life and satisfaction when everything is OK in the basic areas of life. These are: health, relationships with people, finances, work according to vocation and others. So, it will not be a mistake to say that health is the foundation of foundations. Therefore, maintaining and improving health is almost the duty of every person.

Osteoarthritis is considered as a degenerative-dystrophic disease by definition. It is also called a “wear and tear” disease. Oddly enough, modern medical science has not yet determined how and from what osteoarthritis occurs. Hence, this or that definition and description given to osteoarthritis does not reflect the exact essence of this pathology. And as you know, if you do not know the nature of something, then you will not be able to interact with it correctly.

The main problems with osteoarthritis, which reduces the patient’s quality of life, are pain and deterioration of movement in the affected joint.

The first signs of the disease quite often begin to appear after 40 years. This is facilitated by many reasons. All reasons can be divided into two groups: a) genetic (conditionally internal), b) epigenetic (conditionally external). A person can hardly influence genetic factors, but he can quite well influence epigenetic ones. The reader may justifiably ask: “is it worthwhile to engage in osteoarthritis prevention at all? Suddenly, internal causes prevail over external ones? Fortunately, internal causes are quite rare. For example, hip dysplasia. Let’s list the main epigenetic (external causes) factors of osteoarthritis. Here they are:

• movement,

• nutrition,

• work and rest schedule,

• working conditions,

• psycho-emotional sphere,

• concomitant diseases,

• past events.

At first glance, the above list of so-called external causes of the disease seems banal, long known and unattractive to consider. And yet, often success in something often lies behind simple things. Let’s consider each factor separately. Movement: some of us, people, sometimes and involuntarily go to extremes. We either load our joints to the point of impossibility (athletes are often guilty of this), or stay in one place for hours, as if a person were some kind of plant. Doctors have long proven that the joint needs regular and moderate loads. Correct movements adequately train and nourish the joint. Thanks to movement, synovial fluid is produced and nutrients are delivered to the cartilage and end products of metabolism are removed from the cartilage. It would seem that the author is writing banalities again. It is interesting that many people brush their teeth and do not consider this activity a waste of time, because it is considered a kind of prevention of many dental diseases. Why not apply a similar approach to your joints too. Nutrition: unfortunately, both many ordinary people and doctors themselves are careless about nutrition. What does food give to a person? And these are – 1. substances for energy production. 2. substances for building body structures. 3. substances for regulating internal processes. Try to exclude at least one of the three listed roles of food, then you can immediately get a failure in the body. Therefore, nutritional errors can significantly affect the occurrence of osteoarthritis. For example, insufficient intake of vitamin C into the body can lead to deterioration in the restoration of collagen fibers in the joint cartilage. Work and rest regime. Each process in the body is cyclical. If one of the components begins to prevail in the process, and the other decreases, then this can entail negative consequences. For example, a person’s activity during the day consists of wakefulness and sleep. Now imagine that there is less sleep and more wakefulness. Monotony and uniformity of movements during work also have a bad effect on joints. For example, typists often have an occupational pathology: carpal tunnel syndrome. Working conditions: Working conditions can have a very strong and direct impact on the occurrence and development of the disease. For example, the sports sphere. Many sports are accompanied by injuries, and injury is one of the reasons that increases the likelihood of developing osteoarthritis. Psycho-Emotional sphere: The psyche can greatly affect the body. The word “psychosomatics” has become fashionable now. Heavy loads on the psycho emotional sphere can lead to problems in the endocrine and immune systems of the body. Concomitant diseases: When several diseases occur in the body at the same time, they begin to aggravate each other. For example, the manifestations of osteoarthritis are strongly affected by diabetes mellitus, vascular diseases, diseases of the abdominal organs, muscle diseases. Past events. These include: injuries to joints and nearby tissues. Unfortunately, severe injuries leave “traces” in the body, which can contribute to the development of osteoarthritis.

The reader may ask: “So what if I found out about it? What exactly should I do?” Let’s move on to the recommendations. But they may also seem simple, banal, and seemingly have nothing effective in them. Before moving directly to the recommendations, let’s make a small observation. You may have noticed that professionals in almost any field perform simple but verified actions, prepare before the main action, and also carry out timely prevention of unforeseen events. On the other hand, when a person understands the importance of something, he involuntarily begins to pay attention to it. And as you know, where there is attention, there is development. So let’s borrow the most useful from the professionals. Now the author will take the liberty of saying that among the listed epigenetic factors, the most important can be considered: movement, nutrition, working conditions. Therefore, we will focus on these reasons.

And here are the recommendations.

Movement. 1. “Wake up” your joints and the soft tissues surrounding them. This will eliminate stagnation and “stiffness” in them. Give rhythmic load to the joints if you are often in one position during the day, for example, if you are a programmer. That is, do a regular warm-up. It can be done right in bed, as soon as you wake up. Go for walks, preferably in nature. And I am sure it will not take much time. 2. regularly massage the joints themselves and the soft tissues surrounding them. Unfortunately, regular exercises cannot fully and deeply work out our joints.

Nutrition. Our joints, like other organs, need the same nutrients: amino acids, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, water.

Working conditions. Avoid monotony in movements, excessive loads on the joint, as well as exposure to physical factors: vibration, excessive temperature changes, dampness, etc.

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