What is it?

There are various types of joint pain, including rheumatoid joint paint which constitutes main part of them. Arthritis arising from age and joint injuries constitutes main part of the painful diseases of femur head (hip joints) and knee joint. The arthritis is not kind of rheumatic disease.

The real rheumatoid joint pain, contrary to what is believed is observed in the small joints such as finger and toe joints. They cause pain, injuries, swelling and movement restriction. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, the patients suffer from joint hardness and paint as they wake up. There is decrease in the pain during the day. While the patients suffer from arthritis feels more comfortable during the morning. The pain increases during daytime and they suffer from movement restriction.

How does it occur?

In gonarthrosis disease known also as senility joint disease, the joints suffer from degradation in long term use. Due to the degradation, the arthritis and pain occur. The cartilage covering the joint surface of the bones especially in the joints carrying the weight of the body like knees get thinner, the joint spacing gets narrower, the synovial fluid gets lesser and the bones start to rub against each other. The pain is almost insufferable.

The main reason of the joint paint arising from rheumatoid arthritis, psora or lupus the joints are destroyed by the bodies' own defensive cells. In the first stage of these kinds of diseases, the synovial fluid increases as a result of the invasion of the defensive cells, the joint capsule gets thicker and the cartilage surfaces fall into ruin. Especially in the morning the joints are painful and swelling. Later in the day there is a partial relief however the destruction in the joints still continues. Day by day the pain in the joints is replaced by movement restriction; in the later stages the movement ability of the joint is partially or completely lost.

How is the Treatment?

The treatment by means of acupuncture is possible for both types of the diseases. However the treatment for arthrolith is mainly rehabilitation. During the treatment the pain in the juncture is removed, and in time partial healing is observed in the joint; however the cartilage lost cannot be regained. The sessions which are very often at first can be reduced as the pain is relieved. It can be scheduled as once a month.

The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis by means of acupuncture is quite important. Thanks to the acupuncture treatment, not only the pain can be stopped but also the ongoing destruction can also be stopped. Similarly, the sessions which are very often in the beginning get fewer as the patients are in remission (as the disease progression stops). Acupuncture has high potential of treating these kinds of diseases successfully.

Med. Dr. Özaytürk, M. Salih

Translated by Nedim Yavuz