Akio Obara writes:
Yoko Kashiwagi is a successful 42-year-old media executive. She was afraid that she might have rheumatoid arthritis or some other kind of arthritis. Because she has been finding it increasingly more difficult to move her left knee. She was a marathon runner in her collage life. When she was in collage, she injured the same knee during her running practice. She continued to run and exercise regularly well into her 30s. But for this five years, she couldn't do enough exercise and she has taken up smoking cigarettes, and has gained 7-8 kilos. And the same period, she found the abnormality of her left knee. What happened to her left knee? She said,
(1) she feels more and more fatigued.
From her symptoms, there is quite a possibility that she has osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is different from Rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms of osteoarthritis are,
(1) pain or stiffness in or near the joint; (2) crackling noises when moving the joint.
and so on. To diagnose whether she has osteoarthritis or not, I need additional information. First, I need X-rays of her knee. X-rays can show if a bone is damaged by osteoarthritis and, if so, how badly. Second, I want to test a sample of her blood or of fluid with drawn from inside the affected joint. This test may help rule out other diseases and determine the type of arthritis that is causing her symptoms. Additionally, her family history is important. She is familiar with complications from arthritis since her father, who was also an athlete, underwent ACL reconstruction surgery last year.
If she has osteoarthritis, what does she have to do for the treatment of her left knee? First, I think she needs to lose her weight. During this five years, she gained 7-8 kilos. Being overweight is the most common cause of excess pressure on the joints and can increase her risk of developing osteoarthritis. Losing weight can help relieve the pressure and strain on her joints, and can help reduce the pain and stiffness in the affected joints. Second, she needs to do regular exercise as much as possible. She is a media executive. So her work is very hard. She doesn't have enough time to do regular exercise. But, regular exercise is known to be very effective for relieving the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis and may help slow the progression of the disease. And exercise also helps her reach or maintain a healthy weight, which reduces the stress on her joints. So she should do regular exercise as much as possible, for example, on her holiday. If weight loss and exercise are not effective in relieving her symptoms, I will recommend medication. Arthritis medications generally are used to reduce pain and tenderness in the joints.
After doing some treatments, how does she control her disease? First, she needs to learn about osteoarthritis and its effect and treatment. 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. Second, she needs to control her weight and continue regular exercise. Finally, it is very important, she needs to be optimistic. It can increase her ability to control her symptoms and greatly improve the quality of her life. She needs to relieve negative feelings with positive activities such as exercising. And she needs to share her feelings, fears, and concerns with her doctor, family members, and friends.
(2) she feels crackling and stiffness.
(3) sometimes it is very painful.
(4) it gets swollen and red (especially when she has to work late into the night).
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