What is Osteoarthritis (OA)?
It is the most common form of arthritis affecting millions of people above 40 years of age worldwide. It is a disease characterized by primary degenerative changes in the articular cartilage in other words it is a condition in which the protective layer of joint wears down gradually with age and usage resulting in pain and stiffness while moving the joint. Mostly the larger weight bearing joints are affected such as knees and hips. It can also affect the spine and hands.
There are two types of OA- Primary and Secondary.
Primary OA is caused by Genetic factors(familial), metabolic factors, age, Obesity or over weight.
Secondary OA is caused by Trauma or injury to the joint, mal-alignment of the joint surface, Infections and secondary to other inflammatory diseases.
What are the symptoms of OA?
- Pain- occurs after a night’s rest and gradually disappears after use. As the disease progresses pain becomes more severe and constant which may also disturb sleep.
- Stiffness of the affected joint
- Deformity due to shrinkage of the protective layers of joints and the muscles attached to it.
- Visible swelling of the affected joint
- Limping due to the above symptoms
Homeopathic Management of OA:
Homeopathy is based on a holistic approach taking the person’s mind, emotions and body into consideration and finding the root cause of the ailment and individualizing the case.
Osteoarthrits can be effectively treated in Homeopathy. The Homeopath will ask you a set of questions regarding the following so a keen observation of yourself and your physical condition is necessary.
Homeopathic management and remedy selection focuses on the following factors.
- Causative factors as Homeopathy believes that finding out the cause is like uprooting a tree; which helps in giving permanent relief to the patient
- Duration and severity of suffering
- In case of pain- location of pain, any specific sensation related to pain
- Modalities and concomitants- Factors that improve or worsen the condition, any other related/non related symptoms associated with present condition.
- Family and past history of similar illness and other generalities like appetite, thirst, sleep which help in individualizing the case which is unique to Homeopathy.
Reference- A Concise Textbook of Surgery- S Das
An unbearable pain involving the area above knee joint or on the sides of the heels should be because of a condition called bursitis. Bursitis occurs most often at joints that perform frequent and repetitive movements. Symptoms include pain, swelling and stiffness. Common areas include the knees, shoulders, ankle, elbows and hips. That which happens above the knee is called Suprapatellar bursitis and it produces a shooting pain while doing minimal bending of the affected knee. This pain is so unbearable that even basic walking and climbing the stairs for the individual become challenging. There will be pain on touch, redness and swelling due to bursitis which are interpreted as Vata pitta involvement according to Ayurveda. Treatment includes external application of herbal powder as a paste apart from internal medications which speed up healing process. Usually takes 3 to 5 days to resolve through Ayurvedic treatment.
