Move despite osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a natural wear and tear of the joints, and it ultimately affects everyone. Every second person over the age of 50 suffers from at least one painful joint,

and almost everyone over the age of 70 suffers from it. Apart from age, overweight, lack of exercise and joint derangement are predisposing factors for osteoarthritis.

Painful hip, knee or toe joints initiate a vicious circle of avoiding movement and even faster progression of the osteoarthritis. At this point it is important to intervene specifically by eliminating pain and continuing moderate sporting activity. In most cases, freedom from pain can be achieved by a combined therapy with medication:

• Oral intake of 100 mg acetylsalicylic acid (e.g. ASS ratiopharm®) approx. 1 hour before the start of sport.
  
  
• Local application of a pain gel to the painful joint immediately before the start of sport, e.g. diclofenac (Voltaren®) or ibuprofen (doc® Ibuprofen Pain Gel).

The combination treatment not only alleviates or eliminates movement pain, but also reduces the inflammatory processes in the osteoarthritic joint. For this reason, we recommend that despite moderate osteoarthritis, sports activities should be carried out without fail with the help of these over-the-counter drugs. Before doing so, one should undergo a physical examination by an orthopaedic specialist.

Another approach to preserving movement involves the oral intake of vitamin E (e.g. Optovit® fortissimum 500). A deficiency of vitamin E is found in the destroyed cartilage of osteoarthritic joints, as it is excessively bound by free radicals.