Chikungunya Arthritis Treatment

• Ongoing joint pain, often in the wrists, ankles and fingers.
• Inflammation and swelling of affected joints that can be seen.
• Difficulty moving the joints freely after waking up in the morning, stiffness (morning stiffness).
• Flare-ups of pain that come and go, and there doesn't seem to be any particular cause.
• Excessive tiredness, that can persist for long after the viral fever has gone away
• Weakness of the grip, or trouble with fine hand movements (fingers), as well as when both hands are involved.
• When pain doesn't respond to normal pain killers, this can be a common complaint of patients.

Joint pain that persists beyond a few weeks after a chikungunya infection that does not seem to resolve on its own is good for a separate diagnosis, and should be treated accordingly.

Common causes and risk factors include:

The immune system response to a chikungunya infection does not turn off completely and the joints continue to be inflamed, causing chikungunya arthritis. This pattern is similar to Sandhivata in Ayurveda with Ama (toxin) influence, with the additional inflammation of Vata dosha that occurs in the joints due to the presence of toxins from the viral disease.

A group of viral infections that are transmitted by mosquito bites, which is the cause of this kind of arthritis, is known as Chikungunya viral infection.

• Increased immune response that persists and continues to attack the joint tissue after the virus has been eliminated.
• Symptoms are more likely to be persistent in individuals with prior joint problems or a family history of arthritis or those who are vulnerable to arthritis due to pre-existing joints.
• Older adults are more likely to have longer-lasting symptoms of joint involvement following chikungunya infection.
• Failure to treat the acute illness appropriately and thoroughly, and allowing inflammation to become deeper in the joints.
• Swak Agni or weak digestion where the toxins or Ama is allowed to sit in weak joints as per Ayurveda.

Prevention of Chikungunya Arthritis

While it is impossible to prevent chikungunya infection, it is possible to minimize the risk of the arthritis developing as a chronic condition:

1. Prevent mosquito bites (use repellents, mosquito nets and eliminate standing water around the house); prevention begins by avoiding becoming infected at all
2. If the pain at the joint persists after the fever has returned to normal, it is better to treat early, the results are much better than to wait.
3. Easily digestible food during and after illness, to avoid Ama build-up in the joints, food should be easily digestible and warm.
4. Support affected joints properly, and prevent them from becoming stiff from over resting.
5. Stay gently active, once the acute fever has passed, to prevent long-term stiffness from setting in.
6. Pick up appropriate anti-inflammatory medication as soon as possible and not just resorting to over-the-counter pain relievers for weeks at a time.
    

About Dr. Rajeev Keloth Nambiar

Patients typically visit for chikungunya arthritis treatment in Pune a few months after viral fever has passed, as the pain in the wrist, ankles or fingers just did not go away. Dr. Rajeev Keloth Nambiar (BAMS, MD) at Dr. Nambiar's Advanced Ayurveda believes that it is not a normal arthritis and is an aggravated Vata dosha with the presence of too much Ama (toxins) in the joints.

The chikungunya arthritis ayurvedic treatment provided here integrates detoxing treatments to remove the remaining ama, medicinal preparations to decrease swelling and restore joint strength and treatments to strengthen the immune system to prevent the immune system from going into an unnecessary attack on the joints. There is also a supportive part to diet correction, which can help to lessen the further accumulation of toxins in the joints while they are healing.

Dr. Nambiar has seen numerous cases of arthritis after chikungunya and most of them say they have much less pain and that their joints move more after one or two weeks of treatment.