Osteoarthritis

Treatments

Ayurvedic Treatment For
Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that usually develops gradually, over several years, due to wear and tear of joints and affects a number of different joints. Therefore, they cannot act normally. Due to gradual erosion, ligaments face stretching that initiates the pain. Females are more prone to this than males especially after menopause. its high prevalence among elderly people made it as a major cause of disability among them.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disorder of multifactorial etiology, characterized by loss of articular cartilage and periarticular bone remodeling. It involves the entire joint including the nearby muscles, underlying bone, ligaments, synovium and capsule. Ayurvedic Treatment For Osteoarthritis can ensure fast and effective relief from Osteoarthritis

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Risk Factors For Osteoarthritis

Classification

Symptoms

Joint Pain- Most important symptom. Typically, the pain of osteoarthritis is aggravated by movement of joints and relieved by rest, but as the disease progresses, it may become painfull even during resting.

Stiffness- Progressive stiffness of the involved joint upon arising in the morning or after a period of inactivity may be prominent but usually lasts less than 20 min. It is due to spasm of muscles.

Signs

Swelling– Physical examination of the osteoarthritis joint reveals localized soft tissue swelling of mild degree. It is due to the changes in articular ends.

Crepitus– rubbing sound or feeling on joint movement is called as crepitus. It is one of the characteristic sign of osteoarthritis

Local rise of temperature- On palpation of the joint local rise in temperature is an indicative of

Muscle Atrophy– weakness of local muscles involved is atrophy which may be due to disuse or due to reflex inhibition of muscle contraction

Pathology Of Osteoarthritis

Symptoms

The changes mainly occur in cartilages, adjacent bones and synovium. The changes are most marked in the weight-bearing regions of articular cartilages. Initially there will be thinning of cartilages which lead to structural change in them. Further progression causes loosening, flaking and fissuring of the cartilage resulting in breaking off of pieces of cartilage. Strength of associated bones will be reduced along with spur formation on margins of bones called as osteophytes.

Main Reasons For The Development Of Osteoarthritis Are

In the early stages the, cartilage is thicker than normal. With the progression of osteoarthritis, joint surface thins, then the cartilage softens.

Laboratory And Radiological Findings

Radiological techniques like x ray,MRI scan,CT scan etc are used for diagnosis. They reveal tissue damage, structural changes etc.

Conservative

Patients should be educated about their condition and its progression, including advice on joint protection and emphasizing the importance of strengthening and exercise. Patients with overweight should be advised for weight loss.

Surgical

If conservative and medical interventions fail, then surgical intervention may be considered, especially if their joint symptoms have a substantial impact on their quality of life.

Management

The management of osteoarthritis involves conservative, medical to surgical methods

Medical

Simple analgesics and topical NSAIDs are the base of most medical management for OA, along with the conservative measures..

Nidana And Samprapthi

External cause Include injuries, trauma especially to marma (vital points), etc are coming under this category

Internal cause:Ahara or food is the most common contributing factor for the producing of a disease.

Faulty Lifestyle Or Behaviors

Samprapthi

Aggravation of Vata in the bones & bone-marrow dries joints and gives rise to cracking of bones & joints, piercing pain in the joints diminution of muscle tissue & strength, causing weakness and pain.

Cervical Spine

Lumbar Spine

Internal Medicines

Sahacharadi kashayam: Commonly used medicine for managing painful conditions. It is a good antioxidant combination which help to prevent degeneration.
Maharasnadi kashayam: This formulation is prepared from parts of 26 different plants that are used in traditional medicine for a variety of purposes such as reduction of pain, reduction of inflammation, and antipyretic activity .

External Therapies

Abhyanga

Vata vitiation causes dryness of joints which initiate degeneration of tissues. Oil application prevent the same. massage stimulates blood circulation and assists the lymphatic system, improving the elimination of waste throughout the body. Absorption through the skin can be enhanced by suspending the drug in an oily vehicle and rubbing it on the skin. Thus, the medicaments used as massage are absorbed through the skin.Oils like Dhanwantharam tailam, murivenna,narayana taila, sahacharadi taila,panchasneham kuzhambu etc are some of the oils used for abhyanga in OA.

Jalookavacharanam

Leech application will improve local circulation thus accelerate tissue repair.

Upanaha

This is application of medicinal pastes over affected area and covers the area with some particular leaves which reduce inflammation and stiffness.

Purgation(Virechana)

Treatment of Sandhigatavata usually begins with a basic process like virechana. It cleanses the body and help to open different channels thus help in better absorption of medicaments. In addition, this also helps in maintaining or restoring the optimum equilibrium in Tridosha. Drugs like erandataila etc are used for this purpose.

Swedana

Different methods like bashpa sweda, patrapottali sweda, jambira panda sweda etc are used for sudation based on the condition of the patient.This will help to open the pores in body and helps for elimination of waste materials and absorption. This therapy also help to reduce stiffness and increase range of movements.

Vasthi(Enema)

This is considered the best treatment for vata diseases. rectal and colon regions are rich in capillary blood vessels which enhance the quick absorption of medicine.

Activities

YOGA And Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is the most effective treatment modality for osteoarthritis in modern aspects. It will help to reduce stiffness and improve circulation.

Practicing yoga is very much helpful to overcome difficulties associated with OA. This will make your mind calm , stretch your body properly and relax your muscles. Practicing ,techniques like pranayama will increase your energy level.

Beneficial poses/asanas for osteoarthritis

Some Single Drugs Effective For Osteoarthritis

Aswagandha (Withania somnifera (L) :It is an important medicinal plant with antiarthritis and several other pharmacological properties. The root extract showed anti-inflammatory activity which was comparable to that of 5 mg/kg hydrocortisone sodium succinate (Ai-Hindawi et al., 1992)
Shallaki (Boswellia serrata Roxb.): Shallaki is proved to act as an effective agent to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with the disease
Guggulu(Commiphora mukul) : The oleoresin fraction of guggulu possesses significant anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory activities; the minimum effective dose being 125 mg/kg g body weight
BALA(Sida cordifolia): bala is a proved anti arthritic drug in ayurvda which can reduce inflammation and pain
Rasna(Alpinia galanga) : flavonoids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, saponins and tannins in alpinia galangal showed significant antiinflamatory action on researches

Some Home Remedies For Osteoarthritis

Pouring moderate hot water boiled with tamarind leaves and salt will help to reduce pain
Applying hot water bag is also helpful.
Application of steam will be helpful to reduce pain
Warm oil application is helpful in non inflammatory conditions.
Application of paste prepared out of tamarind leaves, moringa leaves and salt is helpful to reduce inflammation

Prevention

Ayurveda offers “safe and effective treatment alternatives” for OA. Health is achieved by balancing not only the body, but mind and spirit as well. Treatments procedures like yoga, meditation, and the appropriate use of herbal therapies will help to achieve it.. These modalities offer their benefits without the significant risks associated with conventional medical treatments. Yoga and panchakarma is a golden combination which provide complete care for prevention and cure of osteoarthritis.

As one of the major ayurvedic multispeciality hospital in India, Sreerudra Ayurveda is one of the most recognized ayurvedic treatment center for arthritis in Kerala. The hospital is located in Alappuzha district, Kerala