Arthrosis, or osteoarthritis, is the world’s most common joint disease, which significantly affects the ability to function in everyday life as it progresses. The various symptoms can reduce both the physical and mental resources of the sufferer. Despite the illness, self-care methods and putting together everyday activities with activities suitable for the new situation can make life with the illness easier.
In Finland, about 400,000 people have been diagnosed with actual osteoarthritis, but up to a million people have osteoarthritis changes, which are why they don’t always seek a doctor’s office. The disease is rare in people under the age of 40, but almost everyone over the age of 70 has osteoarthritis changes. (2) Osteoarthritis occurs most in the knees, hips, fingers and joints between the vertebrae.
Healthy joints enable movement
Joints are important load-bearing structures in our body, as they enable movement. A joint is a joint between two bones that allows movement, which consists of a cartilaginous joint surface between both bones, and a synovial sac that secretes synovial cream. When the mobility of the joints in osteoarthritis decreases and the strength of the surrounding muscles weakens, movement becomes difficult and the effects on the ability to work and function are significant. Going for a walk, for example, in the morning or after sitting still for a long time can be challenging and the mobility of the joints begins to be limited.
– The symptoms of osteoarthritis often start gradually as stiffness or discomfort in the joint after strain. For example, the first run of spring can provoke symptoms in the joints. Finger symptoms can start after a sunny weekend in spring, when you get excited to use pruning shears for a long time, several hours over a couple of days. The back can hurt from raking on one side and the knees from suddenly squatting in the yard, says occupational physiotherapist, master of health sciences and board member of Suomen Nivelyhdistys ry Sari Hautavitita.
DID YOU KNOW?
Healthy articular cartilage is an elastic gel mixture consisting of collagen fibers, proteoglycan compounds, cartilage cells and water. In a healthy joint, the articular cartilage is renewed all the time, but in osteoarthritis the cartilage begins to be destroyed and changes also occur in the subcartilaginous bone, cortical bone, synovial membrane and joint capsule, as well as in the muscles and tendons. As a result of the changes, a slow inflammatory reaction-type condition is created, which eventually causes the characteristic changes of osteoarthritis, pain and changes in the mobility of the joints. Articular cartilage degenerates, joint spaces narrow, joints become painful and a person’s ability to function begins to decline.
In terms of public health, osteoarthritis of the knee and hip are significant diseases, as they make movement the most difficult and significantly affect an individual’s ability to work and function.
There are many background factors for osteoarthritis
Although the exact mechanisms behind osteoarthritis are not yet known, the risk factors behind osteoarthritis are well known. Risk factors predisposing to osteoarthritis include aging, being overweight, excessive load on the joints and injuries at work or sports, as well as hereditary factors.
– It is undeniable that the joints need daily movement from baby to adulthood. Articular cartilage develops through active, regular and daily varied exercise in childhood and adolescence, and the qualitative and mechanical properties of adult articular cartilage develop until late adolescence. After that, suitable, regular exercise slows down the brittleness of the cartilage. Genetics plays a big part in many factors, as does phenotype, which means the combined effect of the environment and genes. Your own habits also matter, Hautaviita says.
It is good to remember that there is no typical osteoarthritis patient, but osteoarthritis can also be found in basically healthy and normal weight people. After the trouble has broken out, it is also unnecessary to think about the reasons behind it. Although the risk factors are known, it is very individual what initiates the disease process and what is the contribution of different factors in osteoarthritis.
Relief for nocturnal symptoms with sleeping ergonomics and a high-quality mattress
A typical symptom of osteoarthritis is pain at rest, which can make it difficult to sleep. In the soft tissues surrounding the painful joints, there is also often pressure tenderness. Normal foam and spring mattresses can put pressure on sensitized soft tissues while sleeping, causing pain. This can be facilitated by using a mattress or mattress topper, which reduce the pressure on the tissues and mold to the shape of the body. The sleeping position should also be considered ergonomic, so that non-ergonomic sleeping positions that cause pain can be corrected.
– However, finding a natural sleeping position for the body often requires looking at the mattress and pillow combination, because their interplay can ensure good positions for the joints, vertebrae and muscles and for the whole body, says physiotherapist and trained sleep ergonomics expert (KNA) Susanna Viitasaari.
Physiotherapist and trained sleep ergonomics expert (KNA) Susanna Viitasaari, Tempur Brand Store Järvenpää.
The sleeping position can be supported with pillows so that the joints are as close as possible to the middle position. In this way, static stretching at night due to a bad sleeping position is also prevented, which can cause pain nerves to be sensitized and the muscles surrounding the joint to tense up. (7).
All TEMPUR mattresses are viscoelastic material, the key feature of which is the ability of the mattress to reduce pressure and shape itself individually according to the sleeper. Pressure reduction refers to the ability of the mattress to reduce the pressure load on the soft tissues caused by the body’s gravity. Surface pressure measurements show that the body’s total support area increases with a higher-quality mattress, and it increases further when using a high-quality pressure-absorbing mattress topper.
TEMPUR mattresses shape, support and reduce pressure at the same time. An individually selected TEMPUR mattress enables quality sleep and recovery.
You can get help checking your own sleep ergonomics for free from a trained sleep ergonomics expert. He has the skills to choose sleeping aids that are individually suitable for you, i.e. a pillow, blanket, mattress and bed frame, and to evaluate the effects of the current bed on sleep and the quality of recovery. Book an appointment with an expert at the nearest Tempur Brand Store! >
Revitalizing and high-quality sleep is an important self-care tool
Sleep also has an effect on the experience of pain. Many people are certainly familiar with the fact that pain makes it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep and can cause insomnia. But insomnia also directly affects pain. Sleep problems can sensitize the pain pathways of the central nervous system so that they sense pain more strongly than usual. Even temporary insomnia can affect the perception of pain. Quality sleep and recovery can significantly facilitate pain management.
– Good sleep supports the body’s defense system and boosts metabolism. Thinking is more positive after a good night’s sleep, and physical and mental recovery helps to control pain-related fatigue as well. In terms of the body’s repair processes, especially deep sleep is important, during which the body repairs itself, explains Viitasaari.
Sleep has a great impact on the well-being of all people, but the importance of good sleep is even more emphasized for those suffering from chronic diseases.
Exercise helps everyday life
Exercise that loads appropriately is important for both healthy and articular cartilage recovering from inflammation. Joint-friendly exercise is not tearing or straining, but moves appropriately. Moderately strenuous exercise, such as walking with poles, cycling, swimming or water running, seems to significantly reduce the number of joint replacement surgeries performed due to osteoarthritis. Exercise is both prevention and treatment in osteoarthritis. Increasing muscle strength and maintaining joint mobility with mobility training and stretching help you cope with everyday life and reduce pain.
For a painful joint, isometric training, i.e. training against motionless resistance, or training in water is best suited. (9) Exercise should not be avoided for fear of pain, and an already worn out joint will not wear out more with suitable exercise. However, it is important to learn to recognize what kind of exercise might worsen the symptoms. Excessively strenuous exercise is indicated by continuous pain, joint swelling and reduced joint mobility for more than two hours after training. (10) If the joint clearly hurts from training, you should take a short break and try training again with a lighter load, until you find a load level that suits you. (2)
Have a good day with osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis cannot be cured, but it can be managed and lead a good everyday life. In the treatment of osteoarthritis, self-care is central, and here the importance of lifestyle is emphasized. Exercise helps with weight control, improves mood and general coping. (10) Regular exercise improves the transmission of the body’s own pain-regulating neurotransmitters, i.e. endorphins. (2) Exercise is a natural way to improve sleep, and on the other hand, sleep helps the body recover from exercise and helps to stay healthy. Sleep recharges the body’s mental and physical batteries. The bedroom should be a sleep-inducing and pleasant place to sleep. (12)
As with all diseases or factors affecting everyday life, it is important not to let the pain determine being or doing something active. Instead of thinking about what you have had to give up or what you can no longer do, it would be more important to think about what you are still capable of, what you may have replaced.
– Since everyone’s life situation and symptoms are individual, so are the solutions. However, it is not worth suffering alone. It is important to maintain quality of life despite joint symptoms. If your own skills are not enough, seek the help of healthcare professionals. Their mission is to help provide information, skills and improve your resources and help you make decisions that support your well-being. The Finnish Joint Association’s peer support, exercise groups and events locally in joint circles and online provide plenty of different stimuli and joy in everyday life, says Hautaviita.
During the National Joint Health Week, April 15-21. lifestyles in focus
This year, Arthritis Week is celebrated with the theme Prevention of Osteoarthritis and motivation for lifestyle change, because good lifestyles are of great importance in osteoarthritis. Joint health week offers tools, tips and positive thought patterns, with the help of which hopefully everyone will manage to find ways to strengthen their own motivation and instill meaningful changes into their everyday life.
The joint health week program also offers, among other things, advice on how exercise can ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis and other inflammatory diseases. In addition, there will be talk about good sleep and sleep ergonomics. In addition to public events, joint circles organize local programs in various parts of Finland and at the Turku Region Joint Association in Turku.
More information can be found at www.nivel.fi.
Make an appointment for a free sleep ergonomics survey at the nearest Tempur Brand Store – you will receive an expert at your leisure and a TEMPUR gift worth up to €109 in connection with the survey! >
See current TEMPUR campaigns at tempur.fi >
Read more expert articles in Iltalehti’s Sleep & Health section >
Sources:
1. Duodecim health library https://www.terveyskirjasto.fi/dlk00673
2. Vainikainen, Tuula 2010: Nivelkirja. WSOY.
3. Finnish Joint Association: https://nivel.fi/mita-nivelessa-tapahtuu-kun-siihen-tulee-nivelrikko/
4. Finnish Joint Association https://nivel.fi/nivelrikon-riskitekijat/
5. Heart alliance. https://sydan.fi/artikkeli/uni-tukee-painomanthallaaa/
7. Ylinen, Jari: Sleep ergonomics. p.128
8. Suomen Kipu ry. https://www.suomenkipu.fi/tietoa/kivun-omahoidon-keinot/uni/
9. UKK institute. https://ukkinstituutti.fi/liike-laakkeena/liikunta-ja-sairaudet/nivelrikko/
10. The Finnish Joint Association: https://nivel.fi/liiketta-laakkeeksi-oikein-annoseltuna/
11. UKK institute. https://ukkinstituutti.fi/liike-laakkeena/liikunta-ja-uni/
12. Mieli Ry.
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