Osteoarthritis

Overcoming osteoarthritis and joint pain

What is osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease worldwide, with chronic inflammation in the joints leading to cartilage degradation. If left untreated, all joint structures such as bones, ligaments, the joint capsule with its synovial membrane and the muscles close to the joint are involved in a complex remodeling process sooner and later. Osteoarthritis causes increasing joint pain as the disease progresses.

You can do something about it! And that’s good to know. Because for those affected, osteoarthritis often means a significant loss of quality of life, especially in its advanced stages and due to significantly reduced mobility and independence. Dr. Ulrich Frohberger is an orthopaedic surgeon in Münster has been dealing with the clinical picture of osteoarthritis for decades. Based on his experience and diverse training courses on osteoarthritis, he has developed and continuously optimized holistic regenerative strategies to treat osteoarthritis and initiate cartilage regeneration.

What are the triggers for osteoarthritis?

The causes of osteoarthritis are manifold. Several factors usually come together, e.g. misalignment of the joints, constant stress, unhealthy diet and lifestyle habits, overloading through sport and sports injuries, obesity, age-related wear and tear and lack of exercise. When it comes to sport in particular, choosing the right type of sport can make a big difference. Motto: Cycling and swimming instead of jogging and playing tennis.

You can also read Dr. Frohberger’s article on osteoarthritis in the Sportärztezeitung

Cartilage can be regenerated

How we treat osteoarthritis at the Z.O.R. in Münster

The widespread belief that osteoarthritis is incurable is directly linked to the belief that the body cannot rebuild joint cartilage. Once the cartilage has been worn away, the conventional wisdom is that the only option is to delay further joint wear and suppress the pain that occurs at the same time with medication. Sooner or later, however, the supposedly incurable wear and tear will result in an artificial joint. But is this really true?

We believe that the majority of all hip and knee operations could be avoided! This is where our state-of-the-art multimodal therapy options come in.

Our eight most important steps on the way to a pain-free life

Can the body really not regenerate joint cartilage? Is wear and tear and therefore osteoarthritis incurable? We follow the approach that cartilage can indeed be regenerated. Even if this means that we have to rethink the causes and connections that lead to osteoarthritis and take a functional and holistic view. But one thing is clear: cartilage does not regenerate on its own or by waiting. It needs your active involvement and multimodal therapies. This means a therapeutic approach in which different treatment approaches are combined in order to achieve an optimal result.

Multimodal therapy approaches for osteoarthritis

The following applies to all forms of osteoarthritis: if you rest, you rust! This certainly applies preventively. However, a life of movement is much more difficult with pain – especially if the motivation was already lacking without pain. That’s why we, the team at Z.O.R. in Münster, have developed interdisciplinary and cheerful strategies to help you get back to enjoying exercise and sport.

Always under the best medical supervision and care from Dr. Frohberger, every training session in our physiotherapy center takes you one step closer to a new, joyful experience of mobility. We counteract misalignments and incorrect postures, normalize muscular-fascial tension around the affected joints and work with you to optimally train exercises against pain. So that sport and exercise soon become an integral part of your life again.

If you want to fight osteoarthritis successfully, make sure your diet is anti-inflammatory. Here are just a few tips on how you should eat:

  • Make sure you have plenty of good fats – omega-3 fatty acids, e.g. in cooking linseed oil, coconut oil, walnut oil, avocados etc. – and reduce bad, inflammation-promoting omega-6 fatty acids. The ratio should be between 2:1 and 4:1 for the good fats.
  • Make sure your body is adequately supplied with zinc, vitamin B6, niacin, vitamin C and magnesium.
  • Avoid products containing arachidonic acid – meat and sausage products from fattened animals, lard, chicken, turkey, liver sausage, tuna. Patients with osteoarthritis should generally not eat meat from fattened animals
  • If you eat fish, it is best to eat herring. Herring contains a lot of inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acids and its arachidonic acid content is very low.
  • Avoid wheat products!
  • Enjoy plenty of vegetables and salad as well as fruit in moderation
    A plant-based diet reduces inflammation and counteracts hyperacidity in the body
  • Season with fresh herbs
    Herbs have an anti-inflammatory effect. Make the most of the variety of herbs! The more, the better!
  • Spices and dark chocolate
    If you have osteoarthritis, you should use spices such as turmeric, ginger and especially chilli, but also cinnamon, sparingly and eat dark chocolate regularly. Cocoa also has anti-inflammatory properties. However, chocolate should contain at least 70% cocoa.
  • Boron-rich foods
    The trace element boron has valuable anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing properties. It is found in peaches, cucumbers, zucchinis, radishes, beet, nuts, blue grapes, plums and damsons. A glass of red wine every now and then also increases your daily boron intake.
  • Vitamin D + E
    Osteoarthritis patients benefit from plenty of sun on the skin and a high-dose vitamin D intake. Vitamin D lowers the inflammatory substance TNF-a. TNF-a, the main factor responsible for cartilage degradation.
    As inflammatory processes consume a lot of vitamin E, care should also be taken to ensure a sufficient supply of vitamin E – found in: Hazelnuts, walnuts, pecan nuts, almonds, olive oil, linseed oil etc.

For further nutrition tips, we will be happy to advise you at Z.O.R. – the Center for Orthopaedics and Medicine in Münster!

Treatment with the intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid guarantees a direct and verifiable influence on the damaged cartilage structure as a special quality feature. It is a natural or industrially produced synthetic product, as it also occurs naturally in our body in many places and is produced by the cartilage cells and the cells of the inner layer of the joint capsule as a buffer and lubricating film for the joint cartilage.

Hyaluronic acid injected into the joint when necessary has been proven to be able to specifically rebalance the biochemical joint environment and stimulate the production of higher quality and resilient replacement tissue, in conjunction with a stabilizing post-production of the body’s own hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid supports the body’s own healthy synovial fluid in the joint in its shock-absorbing and lubricating function. This reduces the constant friction in the joint and the pain-free resilience of the joint increases again. Usually 3-5 injections are given at weekly intervals; if necessary, the series of injections can be safely repeated after 6-12 months.

Cartilage regeneration requires the right vital substances. We also like to call them the building blocks of health. This is because the body can only work with them and regenerate cartilage if they are sufficiently available – e.g. due to a healthy, balanced diet. Comprehensive laboratory tests or an initial quick test using oligoscan spectrometry we can analyze how well you are supplied with these building blocks.

Natural silicic acid in the form of field horsetail and stinging nettle as well as glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate and collagen hydrolyzate can also be used as nutrients to build up cartilage. When administering vital substances, particular attention should be paid to intestinal health.

Damaged cartilage needs nutrients, which are absorbed via the intestines. The healthier the intestine, the better the absorption. The sicker, the worse. It therefore depends on the health of the intestines how many nutrients they can absorb. The healthier the intestinal flora, the stronger the intestinal mucosa, the more positive the influence of your intestines on your joints.
However, many people suffer from intestinal inflammation and so-called “leaky gut” syndrome. This means that the intestine has microscopic “holes” in the intestinal wall – often triggered by constant stress and unhealthy lifestyle and dietary habits or medication. This in turn can lead to inflammation, autoimmune and allergic reactions in the body. If the gut is not healthy, the joints suffer despite a good diet and nutritional supplements. So don’t be surprised if your orthopaedist in Münster takes a look at your intestinal health first.

High weight puts additional strain on the joints. In addition, the fat on the stomach in particular is massively harmful to health, as it drives inflammatory processes in the body. There is a good tip for anyone who wants to lose a few kilos quickly: skip carbohydrates in the form of pasta, rice, potatoes and bread completely in the evening. This will boost your fat metabolism and lead to a significant weight reduction.

Your attitude or mindset towards osteoarthritis has a decisive effect on a possible healing process. If you think, “There’s nothing you can do, it’s hereditary, cartilage can’t be regenerated anyway, a knee prosthesis will fix it”, you won’t have the strength or the will to change. Arthrosis therapy can be highly effective. But it is not a consumer therapy in the form of tablets that you simply have to take. It requires your will and your desire to change.

FAQ on osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory and degenerative joint disease. Diet plays a decisive role in regulating inflammation. The following foods should be avoided at all costs:

  • Industrial sugar
  • Trans fats & industrial vegetable oils
  • White flour & refined carbohydrates
  • Dairy products (especially cow’s milk, conventional cheese)
  • Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley)
  • Red meat & sausages
  • Alcohol

A holistic therapy must address several levels: Anti-inflammation, cartilage regeneration, pain relief and biomechanical support.

1. lack of exercise:
Joints must be moved in order to transport nutrients to the cartilage.

2. overloading & incorrect loading:
Avoid heavy impact loads (jogging on hard surfaces, heavy lifting).

3. pro-inflammatory diet:
See above – sugar, wheat, dairy products, alcohol, etc.

4. painkiller abuse:
NSAIDs (ibuprofen, diclofenac) damage the gastrointestinal tract and inhibit cartilage regeneration in the long term.

5. permanent cortisone injections:
Promote cartilage degradation and osteoporosis with long-term use.

1. hyaluronic acid injections

  • Act as a lubricant in the joint.
  • Relieve pain, but no long-term cartilage regeneration.

2. PRP (platelet-rich plasma)

  • Contains growth factors that stimulate the self-healing of joint cartilage.
  • Can slow down cartilage degradation and reduce pain.

3. collagen injections (collagen type II peptides)

  • Collagen is a main component of cartilage.
  • Studies show that injectable collagen type II peptide can support cartilage regeneration.
  • Particularly effective in combination with PRP or hyaluronic acid.

Conclusion:
For acute pain relief: hyaluronic acid
For regenerative effects: PRP + collagen type II

Change begins in the mind! We think so: It’s worth rethinking for a pain-free life. What do you think?
Book your appointment now at Z.O.R. am Roggenmarkt online or by calling
on 0251 603-23 or 20251 603-24.