1, non-drug therapy
Carry out health education, weight loss and physical therapy for patients to stop excessive joint movement and overload.
2. Drug therapy
(1) Nonspecific drug: paracetamol; Narcotic analgesics; Topical capsaicin; Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Glucocorticoid, not suitable for systemic medication, is usually injected into the joint cavity.
(2) specific medicine: hyaluronic acid; Glucosamine (sulfate, hydrochloride, etc. ); Diacetylcholine; Chondroitin sulfate.
(3) Other drugs: bone heavy absorbent, such as diphosphate; Cytokines; Specific inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases.
Step 3: physical therapy
Including hyperthermia, hydrotherapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy, acupuncture, massage, traction and so on. , all help to relieve pain and joint stiffness.
4. Surgical therapy
(1) Arthroscopic surgery: For patients with obvious joint pain and poor curative effect after injection of painkillers and intra-articular glucocorticoids, joint cavity lavage can be given to remove impurities such as cellulose and cartilage residue, or cartilage fragments and bones can be removed through arthroscopy to relieve symptoms.
(2) Surgery: Osteotomy can improve the balance of joint force lines and effectively relieve the pain of patients' hips or knees. Patients over 60 years old who have poor response to conventional drug therapy can be given joint replacement, which can obviously relieve pain symptoms and improve joint function.
In addition, new treatment methods, such as cartilage transplantation and autologous chondrocyte transplantation, may be used to treat osteoarthritis, but they are still in clinical research.