Satoko Hashiguchi writes:
Yoko Kashiwagi is a 42-year-old media executive and was a marathon runner when she was a college student. Over the last two years she has stopped exercising. Altogether, she started smoking cigarettes, and has gained 7 or 8 kilos. Over the same period, she has been finding it increasingly more difficult to move her left knee, the same knee she injured during her running practice when she was in college. She is afraid that she might have rheumatoid arthritis or some other kind of arthritis. Her father underwent ACL reconstruction surgery last year. She's been feeling more and more fatigued lately, and the crackling and stiffness in her left knee sometimes is very painful. In addition, she has noticed that her left knee gets swollen and red, especially when she has to work late into the night. She is single and has a sense of isolation.
To complete her diagnosis, more information is needed: Where it hurts (which part of her left knee); when it hurts; when the pain first started; which daily tasks are hard to do; her family health history (besides her father's; any medications she is taking; allergies to any medications. And these physical examinations are needed. 1. Feeling and moving the affected joints to see if their movement is limited and to listen for crackling sounds. 2. X-rays to see if a bone is damaged by osteoarthritis and, if so, how badly. 3. Blood tests and joint-fluid tests to rule out other diseases and determine the type of arthritis that is causing her symptoms.
There are several types of treatments for osteoarthritis, and they can be listed like this.
1. weight loss; 2. Exercise; 3. no smoking; 4. heat and cold; 5. Medication. If Ms.Kashiwagi has osteoarthritis, weight loss and exercise are the first treatments recommended. She has gained 7 or 8 kilos since she stopped exercising. It is possible that she is overweight. Being overweight is the most common cause of excess pressure on the joints and can increase her risk of developing osteoarthritis. Weight loss can help reduce the pain and stiffness in the affected joints in the knees. To lose her weight, she should take balanced diets and take moderate exercise.
She should make exercise a part of her life because regular exercise is very effective for relieving the pain and stiffness and may help slow the progression of the disease and because exercise can also relieve stress and depression. She should choose the exercise program that fits her lifestyle and physical abilities. It's important to talk to her doctor before she begins any regular exercise program. Marathon will not be recommended because too much exercise may worsen the symptoms. A combination of stretching exercises, mild strengthening exercises, and low-impact aerobic exercises are generally recommended.
She ought to stop smoking as soon as possible because smoking is a strong risk factor for osteoarthritis, especially for rheumatoid arthritis. The use of heat and cold is another treatment and can relieve the pain, stiffness, and occasional swelling. Finding the most effective treatment for her may require a certain amount of trial and error because some people get better results with heat; others prefer cold. If weight loss and exercise are not effective, medication may be recommended. Arthritis medications generally are used to reduce pain and tenderness in the joints. It's important to remember that all drugs used to treat osteoarthritis can cause side effects in other parts of the body. For this reason, she needs to tell her doctor immediately if she feels anything unusual at all. Surgery is usually done only in severe, disabling cases of arthritis for which other treatments have failed. She will not need to have surgery.
If Ms.Kashiwagi has osteoarthritis, she ought to adapt her lifestyle to her symptoms and manage her illness positively. Some ideas can be suggested for her to overcome her fears and live an active life. First, she should be optimistic. A positive attitude is powerful against arthritis. If she has an optimistic outlook,she can increase her ability to control her symptoms and her quality of life will improve. If she has enough confidence that she can manage the disease, it will help her overcome the feelings such as anger, sadness, irritation and so on. Second, it is important for her to protect her joints. She needs to know how to protect her joints by learning new ways to use them. She can avoid excessive stress on smaller, more fragile joints by using larger or stronger joints to carry things.
Third, she should educate herself. Learning about osteoarthritis and its effects and treatment is the first step in managing the disease. The more she knows about her illness, the more control she will have over it and the more successful her treatment is likely to be. She can get the information about arthritis by many ways, for example, by looking up in her public library or contacting her local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. It will be also beneficial for her to join a support group. In a support group, people learn from each other by sharing their experiences and insights. The most important thing is that she should not be afraid to ask for help whenever she needs it. People are willing to help and usually just need to be asked. Not only family members can help the patient. People who have the loving support of others do better in all areas of managing the illness. If she talks with loved ones about the difficulties which she has with osteoarthritis, it can help prevent depression and improve her ability to cope with her illness.
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