Be careful of complications when treating bone and joint diseases with strange methods.

Many cases of accidents and complications related to musculoskeletal system - Illustration photo

Recently, Thai Binh General Hospital has received cases of severe complications due to patients with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic gout who self-administered powdered drugs and pills of unknown origin and ingredients.

Typically, the case of patient HTTB (Quynh Ngoc commune, Quynh Phu district) treated adrenal insufficiency at the department of nephrology - musculoskeletal system.

According to the patient, he had rheumatoid arthritis but did not follow the treatment regimen at the hospital, but bought medicine from a traditional doctor and took it for 4 months. At first, he felt better, but then the pain got worse, his face was swollen, his legs atrophied, and his joints ached severely.

At the hospital, the doctor determined that the patient's condition had become complicated. In addition to rheumatoid arthritis, the patient also had adrenal insufficiency, osteoporosis, diabetes, and vision loss.

In another case, patient PVV (Duyen Hai commune, Hung Ha district) was hospitalized with hundreds of puncture wounds on his feet and legs causing swelling, pain, and high fever.

The patient said someone recommended a herbalist who treated his bones and joints by squeezing out toxic blood, so he went there for treatment.

The healer uses a sharp object like a piece of glass to make 0.5 - 1cm cuts from the knee down to the instep, squeezing out blood as he cuts. They say that bloodletting and detoxification will help the body eliminate toxins, circulate blood, and improve bone and joint diseases.

However, after about 1 day of squeezing the toxic blood, the patient's leg and knee pain increased, he could not walk, the incision area showed signs of inflammation, he was tired and had a high fever, so his family had to take him immediately to Thai Binh Provincial General Hospital for treatment.

Doctor Roan Thi Thu Nghia - Department of Nephrology - Musculoskeletal, Thai Binh Provincial General Hospital - said that after doing tests, patient V. was diagnosed with diffuse inflammation of the soft tissue of both feet - acute gout with complications of kidney failure - increased liver enzymes, severe prognosis, high risk of sepsis/septic shock/multiple organ failure.

The patient was treated with broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, and liver function support. After a week of treatment, the patient's health was basically stable, the pain and swelling in the legs and feet were reduced, the fever was gone, the kidney failure was gone, and liver enzymes were reduced.

Severe accident

On average, each year, the Department of Nephrology - Musculoskeletal, Thai Binh General Hospital examines about 7,000 outpatients, treats nearly 4,000 inpatients, and receives hundreds of hospitalizations due to accidents and complications related to the musculoskeletal system.

MSc. Bui Thi Lan Anh, head of the department, said that many patients who came to the specialized facility for examination were in the late stages of their illness and suffered from complications such as systemic infections, osteoporosis, tophi infection, diabetes, vision loss, heart failure, kidney failure, joint deformities, etc.

In particular, patients who do not understand their underlying medical conditions and take medication without prescription can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding.

For techniques such as injection and joint aspiration, if not performed in a sterile environment, it will cause joint infection, possibly intra-articular bleeding, accelerating the rate of joint degeneration and osteoporosis.

Doctors recommend that patients must have joint aspiration and injection prescribed by a musculoskeletal specialist and must be performed in a sterile joint injection room; must strictly follow instructions after joint injection, and have timely follow-up visits so that the doctor can adjust and provide an appropriate treatment regimen.

Good foods for people with osteoarthritis

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa - Department of Spinal Surgery, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital - suggests recommended foods for people with osteoarthritis including:

Omega-3 : Omega-3 fatty acids are converted into the active ingredient resolvin, which helps fight inflammation and reduces the activity of inflammatory enzymes - an effect similar to aspirin.

Omega-3 is found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines (ideally eat 2-4 servings/week).

Eat the right vegetables : Dark green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach) provide carotenoid antioxidants, vitamin C, calcium and magnesium that are beneficial for joints.

Yellow/orange fruits and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, guava, mango, and pumpkin are also rich sources of vitamin C and carotenoid antioxidants, which help reduce arthritis symptoms.

Curry spices : Star anise, chili, cloves, fennel, ginger, mustard seeds and turmeric contain anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce pain and soothe the pain caused by arthritis.

Drink tea : Green tea in particular, contains high levels of the antioxidant catechin, which inhibits the expression of inflammatory chemicals in the joints and helps protect cartilage.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/can-than-bien-chung-khi-chua-xuong-khop-bang-cac-phuong-phap-la-20240613183627143.htm