Most Common Disease of elder: The Clinical trials and Studies of Musculo-Skeletal disorders(MSDs) - Rheumatoid Arthritis: Ice or Heat Therapies

Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrients, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published on line, including world wide health, ezine articles, article base, healthblogs, selfgrowth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
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Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bio science, ISSN 0975-6299.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are medical condition mostly caused by work related occupations and working environment, affecting patients’ muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves and developing over time. A community sample of 73 females and 32 males aged 85 and over underwent a standardised examination at home. Musculoskeletal pain was reported by 57% of those interviewed. A major restriction of joint movement range was frequent in the shoulder but uncommon in other joints(1).

Types of Musculo-Skeletal disorders in elder(2)
1. Osteoarthritis
2. Gout
3. Rheumatoid Arthritis
4. Polymalagia Arthritis
5. Cervical myleopathy and spinal canal stenosis
6. Osteoporosis
7. Low back pain
8. Fibromyalgia


                      Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is defined a chronic disorder as a result of inflammation, affecting mostly the flexible (synovial) joints and tissues and organs in the body. The disease affects more women than men and generally occurs after the ages of 40, causing diminished quality of life of many elders(1). According to CDC, Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affects over 52 millions of adults in the US alone, including 294,000 children under age 18 with some form of arthritis or rheumatic conditions(2). Rheumatoid Arthritis can induced bone loss through elevating bone resorption without increasing bone formation(4). A cross-sectional population-based study of 1042 patients with rheumatoid arthritis showed that RA patients had an increased risk of death from various causes(4a).


                          The Treatment

B. Treatment in herbal and traditional Chinese medicine
B.7. Other essential alternative medicine treatment 

Beside suggesting certain herbal medicine for treatment of osteoarthritis, modern herbal and TCM medicine doctors may also combine other natural treatment for alleviating symptoms of the disease

1. Ice or Heat Therapies
1.1. Ice therapy
Ice therapy, using the techniques of compression and elevation basic principles for treatment of acute soft tissue injury, if applied correctly with repeated application of 10 minutes for avoiding side effects, and preventing possible further injury(306). According to Dr. van den Bekerom MP and the research team at the Orthopaedic Research Center Amsterdam, treatment of pain, swelling, ankle mobility or range of motion, must be made on an individual basis, carefully weighing the relative benefits and risks of each option, and must be based on expert opinions and national guidelines(307).
Unfortunately, according to the study of University of Ottawa, thermotherapy, including hot and ice packs application is found a significant effects on arthritic hands of patient with rheumatoid arthritis and most studies(308).

1.2. Heat therapy
Heat therapy, is another form of thermotherapy with the use of heat in therapy for pain relief by alternative rehabilitation specialists. The review of studied that met the criteria of 328 subjects, by the University of Ottawa, superficial moist heat is found effective for relieved joint swelling, pain, reduced medication intake, improved range of motion (ROM), grip strength, hand function but limited by methodological considerations such as the poor quality of trials(309).  In support of the above, the research team lead by Dr.  found that in 17 with symmetrical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) applied heat to 1 hand twice daily for 2 years, heat therapy improve joint swelling, joint tenderness and grip strength with daily heat therapy did not accelerate the proliferative lesion in RA(310).

In regard of thermotherapy used of heat and cold treatment, Dr. Oosterveld FG and Dr. Rasker JJ said,s" In general, locally applied heat increases and locally applied cold decreases the temperature of the skin, superficial and deeper tissues, and joint cavity. Most studies dealing with the effects of heat and cold on pain, joint stiffness, grip strength, and joint function in inflamed joints report beneficial effects" and " In vitro studies show that higher temperatures increase the breakdown of articular cartilage and tissues that contain collagen".(311)

And according to the traditional Chinese medicine, correlation between cold and hot pattern are related to different pathways, and the network of that might be used for identifying the pattern and classification in other diseases including subsets of RA(312).

Arthritis Is Curable
You Can Eliminate Osteoarthritis
By addressing the Underlying Causes through Clinical Trials and Studies

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References
(1) 8 Areas of Age-Related Change(NIH)
(2) Arthritis-Related Statistics(CDC)
(3) Valgus deformities of the feet and characteristics of gait in patients who have rheumatoid arthritis by Keenan MA1, Peabody TD, Gronley JK, Perry J.(PubMed)
(4) Serum Sclerostin Level Among Egyptian Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Relation to Disease Activity ,Bone Mineral Density and Radiological Grading by Mehaney DA, Eissa M, Anwar S, El-Din SF(PubMed)
(4a) Death rates and causes of death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based study by Sihvonen S1, Korpela M, Laippala P, Mustonen J, Pasternack A(PubMed)

(306) Ice therapy: how good is the evidence? by Mac Auley DC1.(PubMed)
(307) What is the evidence for rest, ice, compression, and elevation therapy in the treatment of ankle sprains in adults? by van den Bekerom MP1, Struijs PA, Blankevoort L, Welling L, van Dijk CN, Kerkhoffs GM.(PubMed)
(308) Thermotherapy for treating rheumatoid arthritis by Robinson V1, Brosseau L, Casimiro L, Judd M, Shea B, Wells G, Tugwell P.(PubMed)(309) Thermotherapy for treating rheumatoid arthritis by Welch V1, Brosseau L, Shea B, McGowan J, Wells G, Tugwell P.(PubMed)
(310) Rheumatoid arthritis: failure of daily heat therapy to affect its progression by Mainardi CL, Walter JM, Spiegel PK, Goldkamp OG, Harris ED Jr.(PubMed)
(311) Treating arthritis with locally applied heat or cold by Oosterveld FG1, Rasker JJ.(PubMed)

(312) Correlation between cold and hot pattern in traditional Chinese medicine and gene expression profiles inrheumatoid arthritis by Jiang M1, Xiao C, Chen G, Lu C, Zha Q, Yan X, Kong W, Xu S, Ju D, Xu P, Zou Y, Lu A.(PubMed)