Knee osteoarthritis and relevant diseases Part 1

Some books describe it this way: knee osteoarthritis refers to a degenerative disease in which the knuckle cartilage undergoes primary or secondary changes, accompanied by subchondral bone hyperplasia, which gradually destroys and deforms the joint, affecting the function of the knee joint. The entire process of the disease affects not only the knee cartilage, but also involves the entire joint, including subchondral bone, ligaments, joint capsules, synovium and muscles around the joint. In my clinic, I often encounter patients with swollen, painful and inconvenient knee joints. They told me that their family doctors or specialists told the patients that the cause of the disease is: knee bone hyperplasia, or inflammation, or small fragments of cartilage worn on the surface of the knee joint, or cartilage surface wear thin. I think it is more reasonable to describe this disease in traditional Chinese medicine for Sports Injury. If you are over 50 years old and suffer from knee pain, swelling, reduced joint activity, joint stiffness, decreased walking ability, and increased knee pain when going up and down stairs. As long as you have two or three symptoms, whether it is Western medicine or traditional Chinese medicine for Sports Injury will diagnose you as: knee osteoarthritis.

 

My traditional Chinese medicine treatment methods, acupuncture (plus needle tail moxa burning, warm needle) and remedial massage. According to the condition and then add traditional Chinese medicine Plaster for bone injury, to achieve the purpose of treatment, reduce or eliminate pain, improve or restore the knee joint activity function and improve the quality of life. Many patients can achieve one effective result and three to five significant improvements. Here are some typical cases.

 

Case 1: Male, 69 years old. His job was to help travel agents to pick up airline tickets from various airlines. He did some legwork every day. The patient came to see the TCM doctor because of swelling, pain, limited joint movement and difficulty walking in both knee joints. The first time I support him to walk upstairs to my clinic. According to his symptoms, I diagnosis the symptoms as knee osteoarthritis exclude meniscus injury. I use acupuncture plus needle tail moxa burning (warm needle), and then do massage treatment. At the second visit, the patient walked upstairs and said: Why Dr. Xu’s treatment only can keep one day without pain. I replied: Who told you to go to work immediately and run around. I'm still treating it the same way. At the third visit, the patient brought the X-ray of both knee joints, which showed that the bone hyperplasia of the second knee joint was obvious, and the joint space was obviously narrow, which was more serious than that of the same age. After several treatments, the condition improved significantly. After the seventh treatment, the patient told me: yesterday he went to the hospital for physical therapy. After seeing the X-ray, the physiotherapist said that if he could get 50% better after half of a year by physical treatment, it would be thank God. He continued: After acupuncture and massage treatment for seven times, he did not say 80%, certainly improved by more than 50%. At that time, the swelling of the patient's two knee joints has been eliminated, the movement of the two joints is normal, and he can walk normally, go up and down the stairs, and do not take painkillers. He applied for WorkCover, the insurance company gave compensation for WorkCover, and the Australian Department of Social Welfare assessed him as a disabled person and gave him a public housing, which can represent the degree of disabled patients confirmed by various types of Western medicine reports. Because he was injured on the job, he can get more treatments. Seven years later, when he was 76, I saw him jogging. The long-term effect is still good, and he often participates in the activities of the Chinese Elderly Association, which is equivalent to helping me do a walking advertisement.

  

Knee osteoarthritis and relevant diseases Part 2

In 2009, I once wrote a letter to Australian Prime Minister and Minister of Health Department, I wrote “if traditional Chinese Medicine for Sport Injury treatment services are promoted in Australia,  the use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic tablets will be reduced, and the side effects of drugs can be avoided.

 

Knee osteoarthritis is just a name of a disease. Forty years of clinical treatment has told me that osteoarthritis of the knee does not cause inflammation. My treatment has never had an anti-inflammatory effect, but good therapeutic results can be achieved. Therefore, taking anti-inflammatory and analgesic tablets is ineffective, but can produce side effects of the drugs.

 

Case 2: Female, 83 years old. She introduce herself as the first ranked orthopedic hospital professor in China. She may used a cane for many years. Due to severe right knee osteoarthritis, she came to my clinic for treatment. Because she is a specialist, she only gave me an X-ray of the right knee joint. The bone hyperplasia was very mild, better than many 65-year-olds and the joint space was normal. When a patient is seeing a doctor in Australia, you always need to explain the condition and treatment. Facing a professor in a Western medicine orthopedic hospital (if it were you, how would you explain it?), I told the patient: I can't explain the cause of knee osteoarthritis, but I know that the cause explained by Western medicine is wrong and deceptive. Some Western medicine specialists wash the knee joint for the patient, wash out small bone fragments from the knee joint. People over 50 years old, wash the knee joint have this result, whether everyone has to wash the knee joint. The key is that after washing the knee joint, the symptoms do not change and still painful. Bone hyperplasia. Many people have bone hyperplasia, but it doesn't hurt. Inflammation. What is the indicator that it is inflammation? The vast majority of people eat anti-inflammatory painkillers, do not solve the problem, only the pain-relieving ingredients play a pain-relieving role. Knee arthritis is caused by wear of the cartilage surface inside the knee joint. Most people over 80 years old have worn cartilage surface. Does everyone need a knee replacement? My treatment is to use warm needles, massage treatment. Firstly, it will not eliminate the small bone in the knee joint. Secondly, it will not eliminate bone hyperplasia. Thirdly, it will no anti-inflammatory effect. Fourly, it will not make the cartilage surface of the knee joint hyperplasia. However, after my treatment, it can reduce the pain, improve the knee movement function and walk easily. The patient is 83 years old and has a few more decades to go, if there is a 30-50% improvement, the quality of life will improve. If he performs a knee replacement surgery, it will take more than half a year to recover, I think it is not worth it. I asked: What are your main symptoms now? She replied: "I can't even stand up in a chair." I said to her: if I treat her twice a week, your symptoms have improve, the treatment is effective. When she returned to the clinic after two days (48 hours later), she told me it was easier for her to stand up now. I think the treatment will still be effective for her after two weeks. Do anti-inflammatories have such a long expiration date? So my treatment is not anti-inflammatory, knee osteoarthritis is not inflammation.

 

Knee osteoarthritis and relevant diseases Part 3

In the past two decades, Western medicine treatments for knee osteoarthritis have included washing the knee joint to remove small bone fragments in the knee joint and filling cartilage defects with soft glue. Recently, I have not heard of patients using these two treatments. They may have no therapeutic effect and have been eliminated. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic tablets and knee replacement (artificial joint replacement) are still commonly used, although Western medicine is paid for or subsidized by Medicare. Traditional Chinese medicine has long been retained for acupuncture, massage, and Chinese medicine treatments at its own expense. This treatment method is mature and has a definite effect. Western medicine cannot replace it. Traditional Chinese medicine can supplement the deficiencies of Western medicine treatment.

 

Case 3: Male, 66 years old. He drives tour bus for many decades and still working. He was a regular customer more than 10 years ago. He suffers from severe knee pain and lumbar disc herniation. In the past two weeks, he has received two treatments for knee pain and one for lower back pain. His knee pain is more severe than lower back pain. He said: A knee specialist looked his film, his conclusion was: the patient require a joint replacement surgery. According to the patient’s age, he does not need any examination, my final diagnosis is knee osteoarthritis. I gave him regular acupuncture (warm needle) and massage treatment. When the treatment was over, he called me in the ground floor. He told me: When he went upstairs, he had to hold the handrail with his hands. Now when he went downstairs, he goes down directly without the handrail. I know that the patient's knee joint function has improved significantly. After the second treatment, he showed me that the function of both knee joints has returned to normal. He said: If the knee joint is very bad, very bad, very bad in the future, he will go to your clinic for treatment again. He and I both know that after the acupuncture and massage treatment, adding the external application of Chinese medicine plaster will have a better effect. I know he only wish to pay the treatment fees without external Chinese Medicine plaster. Just being polite to each other.

 

Case 4: Male, 69 years old. He torn medial meniscus of left knee joint. He told me he was going to surgery to replace an artificial joint. I said: your left knee joint, I can help you to reduce the swelling of the left knee joint, restore the joint function to normal and reduce the pain from ten to three points. Compare the quality of life after the surgery with the current quality of life. Now, if there is a dollar on the ground, you can squat down to pick it up, you can ride a bike for a long distance and you can run to the bus when you see in a bus stop. Usually it is only a little pain. If he do a joint replacement, the joint can only bent 90 degrees and $100 falls on the ground, you can't pick it up, you can only ask who can help me? When the wind blows, you can only shout: My God, my money has escaped. You can't ride a long distance bicycle and can't run up to catch a bus. Usually artificial joints are a little uncomfortable, especially in winter. Some people say: the knee joint is very cold. This joint might only last ten years. He heard my quality of life comparison and canceled the surgery.

 

Knee osteoarthritis and relevant diseases Part 4

I once took my column article of “Traumatology of Traditional Chinese Medicine”. I showed article to an Irish lady (a university psychology lecturer). I asked: Do you understand 70%, 80%, or 90%? She answered: 100% understanding and many people would lose their jobs. If traditional Chinese medicine for Sports Injury treatment for knee osteoarthritis can be paid for by Medicare like Western medicine knee replacement surgery (joint replacement), Western medicine will lose a lot of business. Currently HCP and NDIS (government pay) all can pay for traditional Chinese Medicine treatment expenses.

Case 5: Female, 76 years old. Her family members have all come to my clinic for treatment. She stated that her left knee joint is red, swollen, hot and painful. Western medicine diagnosed it as knee joint inflammation. She was hospitalized for treatment and received an anti-inflammatory injection. She was hospitalized for two months. After she discharged from the hospital, her knee joint could not be straightened. It was about 130 degrees straight, 15 cm shorter than the right side and she walked with her lumbar spine sideways. I checked and found that the left knee joint had been stiff due to long-term inability to straighten. It has been delayed for too long and the opportunity for treatment has been lost. Recommendation: Immediate perform surgery to replace the joint, because long-term bending over and walking will cause the lumbar spine to be unable to straighten. If she had come to my clinic for treatment when she first fell unwell, and applied Chinese medicine plaster externally, she might have recovered completely after 3-5 treatments. If she had come to my clinic for treatment after being discharged from the hospital to help restore the function of the knee joint, she would not need to replace the joint. The Medicare can pay for Western medicine treatment, but Chinese medicine has to be paid for by oneself. Although they are not short of money, they all want to take advantage.

 

Case 6: Male, 62 years old, a construction labour, an old patient. He stated that his left knee joint has been replaced.  I asked: Why you did do a knee replacement surgery? The patient answered: Because the knee joint space is narrow, I saw three knee specialists, and they all thought that surgery was needed, so he did a surgery. Before the surgery, he had no work for a year. The cost of this surgery was $35,000 (in a private hospital). I said: Specialists are the most senior doctors in Western medicine, they also need to make money and an operation may make $15,000. Of course, encourage patients to have surgery treatment. If the patient come to my clinic, I will use acupuncture, massage, and external Chinese medicine plaster, and you can keep your work. I asked again: Can you still go to work after the surgery? The patient replied: He doesn’t know. I asked: Is there any mortgage left? The patient answered: The mortgage has been paid off. At the age of 66, he came to my clinic again and said: I retired. After the surgery, I can no longer able to go to work.

 

Case 7: Male, 64 years old. Ten years ago, he came to my clinic for treatment of frozen shoulder. He mentioned that he would going to have left knee replacement surgery next month. I made a clinical examination of the knee joint for the patient, there was no damage to the meniscus of the knee joint, no swelling of the joint and the joint function was acceptable. I asked: The left knee does not seem to have any serious symptoms at moment, why do you want to have a surgery? He answered: A year ago, the symptoms were very serious, so he queued up for a surgery, waited a year and gave up. I said: For the current symptoms, I will use acupuncture and massage treatment, it can easily help to reduce or eliminate pain and improve activity function. Surgery is not surgery at all. But Western medicine is free and Chinese medicine is self-funded, so he chose surgery. Taking this case as an example, the patient has the ability to recover by himself without treatment. Chinese medicine treatment can speed up recovery. Surgery doesn't mean anything, just some extra GDP for the country and some extra income for specialists.

 

Knee osteoarthritis and relevant diseases Part 5

For knee osteoarthritis, traditional Chinese medicine can achieve good therapeutic effects. Many patients can avoid surgery. Early treatment will achieve better results.

 

Case 8: Female, 62 years old. He came to see a doctor because both knee joints are painful and cannot squat down. Examination showed that there was no swelling in both knee joints and the knee joint extension and flexion activity was limited. He was diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. After two session of acupuncture and massage treatments, the knee pain was significantly relieved, joint activity returned to normal and he was able to squat. The patient said: I came to consult at the age of 58, but I did not receive treatment. If I had received treatment at that time, my condition would have been cured long ago.

 

Case 9: Female, 57 years old. The patient came for treatment due to swelling, pain, limited joint movement, difficulty walking and cannot go to work. According to my diagnosis, she had knee osteoarthritis. I use internal Chinese medicine herbs and external Chinese Medicine plaster plus massage treatment to treat his disease.

On the third day, the patient's walking ability had improved, the swelling and pain were significantly reduced after the second treatment. She returned to work. After six treatments, the patient's knee swelling and pain were eliminated, the joint movement function returned to normal. He could walk normally, then he stopped the treatment.

 

Rehabilitation of traditional Chinese medicine after knee replacement surgery (joint replacement), provide few case examples.

 

Case 10: Male, 83 years old. He stated that his right knee joint had undergone three operations in the past six and a half years, the latest one in May. However, after the operation, his right knee joint was severely swollen, the joint movement function was lost, the straight position was maintained and the skin was hot. Although Western medicine treatment for three months was ineffective. In desperation, his friend introduced him to my clinic. After I checked the patient's right knee joint, the epidermis was scarred due to three operations, the knee joint was obviously swollen, the joint movement function was almost lost and the skin was hot. X-rays showed that the right knee joint had been replaced. I used homemade Chinese medicine plaster and added a layer of heat-clearing and detoxifying Chinese medicine. The swelling of the right knee was significantly reduced and the temperature of skin dropped during the second follow-up visit. After five treatments, the swelling of the right knee joint disappeared, the skin temperature returned to normal, the artificial joint movement function was restored, and the walking function was significantly improved. I joked with the patient and said: This time, I am not helping you, but helping your specialist, otherwise he doesn't know how to treat the sequelae of the operation.

 

Case 11: Female, 73 years old. After she completed a left knee replacement surgery (artificial joint), despite physical therapy and hydrotherapy, her left knee was still swelling and pain, difficulty walking, and quadriceps atrophy after surgery six months later. After five treatments by Chinese Medicine, the swelling of left knee was eliminated, the pain was significantly reduced and her walking was significantly improved.

 

Case 12: Female, 75 years old. She came to my clinic for treatment because she had undergone joint replacement (artificial joint) on his left knee, but after six months of physical therapy and hydrotherapy treatment, he still had the sequelae of surgery. The examination revealed that the left knee joint was still swollen, the quadriceps muscle was atrophied, the joint extension and flexion function was limited and the left knee joint felt painful when moved to any position in bed. I used massage and Chinese medicine plaster to treat it. At the second follow-up visit, the swelling of the left knee had significantly subsided, the joint movement has improved. After the massage treatment was completed, I asked the patient to move the joint within the range of movement of the artificial joint. The patient said: There is still a little pain. Then I applied external Chinese Medicine plaster to his knee, the patient did not continue the treatment. The patient had pain in the right knee joint, limited joint movement and walking inconvenience, but she did not request treatment.