Aunt Zhang, because when I woke up in the morning,always felt stiff, stiff and restricted in movement, went to the hospital for a look and was diagnosed with early osteoarthritis.

The doctor prescribed glucosamine sulfate for Aunt Zhang’s condition. This reminded Auntie Zhang of an imported health product that her good sister had also sent her before, the main ingredient of which was also glucosamine.

This made Aunt Zhang curious, what exactly is this glucosamine? Is it really that effective for osteoarthritis? Should I take the health care products my sister bought, or the medicine prescribed by the doctor?

1. The disability rate of osteoarthritis is high, ranking second in the world

< p>The incidence of osteoarthritis is very high, especially in middle-aged and elderly patients. The prevalence rate is 50% over the age of 65, and over 80% over the age of 75. It is estimated that the total number of osteoarthritis patients in my country has exceeded 150 million.

In simple terms, osteoarthritis occurs in the joints and surrounding tissues of the human body.It is caused by factors such as inflammation, infection, and degeneration< An inflammatory disease caused by /span>. The morbidity rate is extremely high, ranking second in the world, the patient not only has to endure severe pain, but also has limited normal movement, life Treatment is greatly reduced.

What is even more troublesome is that although osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease, in recent years there has been a trend of younger people, especially women, who are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis , about 1.85 times that of men.

This is mainly because with age, especially after the age of 45, the level of estrogen in the body drops sharply, resulting in gradually obvious osteoporosis and prone to knee osteoarthritis. The uneven load on the inside and outside of the joint will eventually cause articular cartilage damage, resulting in osteoarthritis.

Second, is glucosamine a “lubricant” for joint repair?

Current medical level, the main treatment methods of osteoarthritis are to relieve pain symptoms, slow down the progression of the disease to the maximum extent, correct the deformity with surgery to improve or restore the joint function. Among them, glucosamine is the most commonly used drug.

Glucosamine, the full name of glucosamine, is an essential nutrient for the formation of chondrocytes and a natural tissue component that constitutes articular cartilage. Without it, will easily lead to articular cartilage wear, loss of synovial fluid, and induce osteoarthritis and other diseases.

The two common glucosamine preparations are glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride, which can be used as both medicine and health food in my country.

However, it should be emphasized that glucosamine supplements cannot replace medicines, but can only be used as dietary supplements, blind use may cause nausea, constipation, abdominal distension, diarrhea and other side effects, so it is recommended to take it under the guidance of a physician.

Can glucosamine really relieve the symptoms of joint pain?

The National Health Research Institute of the United States has done a group of randomized controlled trials for this purpose, recruiting 662 participants, and letting them take 1500mg of glucosamine or 1500mg of glucosamine per day for 6 months Glucosamine + 1200mg chondroitin.

After 2 years of follow-up, it was found that the knee pain symptoms of these volunteers were slightly relieved, but the effect was not as good as the placebo group, especially in patients with moderate to severe joints. more obvious.

So,patients with osteoarthritis can try glucosamine However, you should consult a doctor before taking it. If you cannot see the effect after taking it, it is not recommended to continue taking it. For people without joint problems, it is not recommended to supplement glucosamine, and it is not recommended for the elderly to take glucosamine to prevent osteoarthritis. .

3. Is it enough to eat glucosamine for joint pain?

Currently, the treatment of osteoarthritis mainly includes basic treatment, drug treatment, surgical treatment, etc. Among them, the drug treatment should follow the step-by-step principle. Wang Jian, Deputy Director of Joint Surgery, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, reminded: The degree of pain is different, and the drugs used are also different, and attention should be paid to individualized medication.

①Step-by-step medication

The use of painkillers in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, mainly In order to relieve pain and reduce inflammation, only by eliminating inflammation can it help relieve the pain symptoms of patients.

Medication is mainly divided into 3 stages: acetaminophen – NSAIDs – opioids span>.

②Joint local analgesia

Use of analgesic drugs, including< /span>NotEmulsions, ointments, patches and capsaicin of steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, etc., are effective for rapid pain relief.

It should be noted that in order to achieve analgesic effect, the dosage should be sufficient, but it is generally not recommended to use it for more than 12 hours.

③Joint cavity injections

There are generally two options: one is hormone plus Apply a small amount of anesthetics, that is, “blocking”; the second is sodium hyaluronate, “grease the joints.”

④Chondroprotective agents

including Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, doxycycline, etc., so in general, glucosamine is mainly used clinically to improve and protect articular cartilage, but it is also useful for relieving joint pain. Targeted medication is required.

In addition, the daily care of osteoarthritis is also very important. 2 o’clock:

1. Maintain a healthy weight and diet

Obeese, The load on the joints is also relatively large, which can accelerate the progression of osteoarthritis, so if you are overweight, you should lose weight through exercise and diet adjustments in time.

In terms of diet, try to achieve a balanced diet, eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less animal oil, internal organs, and limit the intake of sugar.

2. Actively participate in sports

This also helps strengthen the muscles around the joints , blood flow, which protects our joints. However, exercise is also about methods. Try to avoid long-term running, jumping, squatting and other movements, such as long-distance running, square dance for a long time, and horse stance, so as not to increase the load on the joints.

In addition, when exercising, you can also use auxiliary facilities such as knee pads and handles to assist joint movement to protect our joints.

3. Pay attention to cold protection and keep warm strong>

Especially in summer, don’t stay in air-conditioned rooms for a long time, and don’t often eat cold food such as cold drinks, because cold and humidity will also accelerate joint degeneration, so you want to protect It is very important to keep the joints properly warm.

In addition, when carrying heavy objects, pay attention to keep it at the height of the waist, and it is best not to carry things up and down the stairs.

Summary: Osteoarthritis has a high incidence and has a great impact on the life of patients after the onset. Therefore, once the onset of the disease, timely treatment is critical. The treatment of osteoarthritis requires targeted medication, rather than simply using glucosamine. In short, everyone should follow the doctor’s advice.

Reprinting is prohibited without the author’s permission