Early treatment best remedy for joint disorder
.jpg?w=728)
By Song Sang-Ho
It is generally perceived that degenerative arthritis is a disorder suffered mostly by the elderly.
However, according to the data on the total number of the patients with degenerative arthritis compiled by the National Health Insurance Corporation of Korea in 2013, one out of 10 patients were under the age of 40 and this proportion is incrementally increasing.
I have also noticed that patients visiting our hospital due to degenerative arthritis are getting noticeably younger in comparison to the past. While older people accounted for the most, if not all, of patients visiting orthopedic clinics with symptoms in the past, the number of younger patients seeking treatment for this disorder has increased substantially.
The knee is the area damaged most frequently by younger patients due to meniscal tearing arising from over-exercising or injuries.
If treatment is delayed or left unattended, early stage degenerative arthritis may occur.
A meniscal tear easily occurs when the knee joint is twisted during strenuous and extreme exercise or if an excessive burden is exerted on the ligaments by external impact.
If the meniscus is torn during exercise, people end up limping and cannot extend their knee fully due to pain and edema in the knee joint. In the acute stage, symptoms are bleeding or accumulation of fluid within the joint.
Patients will complain of severe pain and the knee joints will collapse without stability when walking down stairs. If such symptoms continue for more than two weeks, they must visit a hospital. If the tear is left unattended for a prolonged period of time, the symphysis of the tear will not heal easily due to degeneration, thereby making recovery difficult or inducing secondary injuries to the cartilage.
Disorders of the shoulder joint are also increasing among younger patients. Those working at a desk in the same posture for a prolonged period of time will experience muscle cramp and accumulation of stress, which may result in the manifestation of frozen shoulder substantially earlier in their lives.
Frozen shoulders were previously a disorder found mostly in those in their ‘50s, but now is found in people aged 30-40. The markedly increased rate is because of various factors including frequent overtime, stress and bad daily life habits.
Without any specific cause, there is a limitation on the range of joint movement accompanied by difficulties in performing simple daily activities such as putting on clothes and combing hair due to severe pain.
Moreover, patients have difficulties in having sound sleep at night and, consequently, substantial deterioration of the quality of life results.
While it is possible to ease muscle aches through hot massages or rest, they should suspect an abnormality in the joint if problems in daily life begin to occur due to pain.
The most serious issue of damage to shoulders or knee joints in younger people is the delay in early stage treatment because they frequently have the tendency to overlook the condition by simply brushing them off as due to sore muscles or fatigue.
This not only accelerates the manifestation of degenerative arthritis but also may induce secondary damage by imparting added stress to the surrounding muscles and ligaments. As such, these symptoms must be treated accurately from their onset.
Commonly, preservative methods such as intravenous injections, drug and exercise therapy are implemented.
However, if the symptoms do not disappear or progress of the injury has become severe, arthroscopy may be necessary.
Arthroscopy is a method of cleaning up injured cartilage by directly observing the condition of the joint on a monitor by the insertion of a miniature endoscope into the damaged joint.
Some of the advantages of arthroscopy include short surgical time needed, and a minimization of pain and bleeding, and the risk of infection since the size of the incision is very small.
Moreover, it is an appropriate treatment for younger patients who are socially active since the duration of hospitalization is very short.
Furthermore the level of satisfaction of patients from the procedure is high due to the short period of treatment, resulting in reduced costs, as well as a minimal scar.
There is no safe zone for health in any age bracket. Health becomes an issue that needs to be taken care of even more during the younger years of life if people are to enjoy healthy longevity with the continued increase in life expectancy.
In particular, correct daily life habits and early treatment are very important for the health of joints.
People must equip themselves with the habit of fortifying their joints through continuous exercise and weight control, and the attitude of assertively undergoing treatment for even the smallest symptoms.
It must not be forgotten that joints can easily deteriorate due only to a minor bad daily life habit that people ignore.
The writer is the president of Wellton Bone and Joint Hospital.