Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease in which there is an injury to the structure of the connective tissues of the musculoskeletal system. The disease is characterized by a progressive course, against which the cartilage tissue is gradually destroyed. This pathology is diagnosed in many people over 65 years of age, since one of the factors that contribute to the formation of this condition is the natural aging process in the body.
Causes of the disease
Osteoarthritis is commonly known as joint disease and the destruction of cartilage tissue. This is due to impaired blood circulation, metabolism in cartilage, trauma. They lose their elasticity, become brittle, deformed. Virtually no joint fluid is produced, the joints stop slipping during movement, and friction between them occurs. These factors provoke a sensation of pain, inflammation begins.
Causes of osteoarthritis:
- Great stress on the joints. Osteoarthritis often occurs in athletes and in people with heavy physical work. Excess weight also significantly increases the load.
- Bad nutrition. In order for the cartilage and joint tissues to receive the necessary amount of calcium, potassium and other useful minerals and substances, a person must receive them in sufficient quantities with food.
- Diseases such as scoliosis or flat feet also negatively affect the joints. Since the load is unevenly distributed due to a defect in the muscles, the joints suffer. In the joint where the load was greatest, osteoarthritis will begin to develop.
- Cartilage injuries do not go unnoticed. They disrupt metabolism, elasticity and lead to inflammation.
- Prolonged stress alters the metabolism of the entire body and the joints. in particular, the muscles are in tension. All this leads to arthritis.
- Get older. The closer you get to old age, the more your joints wear out.
- Diseases that are accompanied by inflammation in the body can lead to osteoarthritis. These include: tuberculosis, purulent arthritis, syphilis.
- Joint dysplasia caused by abnormal joint formation in the womb.
Several of these traits, such as metabolism and certain diseases, are often classified as a separate group: hereditary causes.
Degrees of development of osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis does not occur suddenly, without causes and symptoms. In its development, 3 stages can be traced:
- The pain begins to occur after exercise, walking long distances. After rest, the pain disappears. At this stage, the cartilage begins to break down, synovial fluid is secreted in insufficient quantities. The muscles undergo changes, they weaken.
- Pain is felt not only after exercise, but also at rest. Even a night's sleep does not bring significant relief. Bone growths begin to form at the joints. When the joint moves, a cracking sound is heard. Some swelling of the surrounding tissues is visible.
- The muscular apparatus is significantly weakened, synovial fluid is not released due to impaired metabolism, cartilage is deformed. Bone growths during movement cause excruciating pain. The swelling of the periarticular tissues becomes more pronounced, and the temperature is high.
Unfortunately, many go to the doctor only when arthrosis reaches grade 3. People do not pay attention or try to treat only the symptoms, but not the disease itself. Although the treatment will be much more effective and faster if you start it at the first symptom of the disease.
The main types of diseases
Depending on the area in which the joint is affected, there are several types of osteoarthritis:
- Gonarthrosis is the inflammation of the joint tissue of the knee. It occurs more often in people with a large body weight or with varicose veins. Injuries are also one of the main reasons.
- Osteoarthritis of the ankle joint - most often occurs due to injuries, dislocations. Athletes and people who do physical work are very susceptible to this type of osteoarthritis. Overweight people also suffer from pathology.
- Coxarthrosis - thinning of the connective tissue of the hip joint. It is difficult to notice the onset of the disease. There are no obvious symptoms: no swelling, no lameness, only occasional pain. But, despite the absence of external signs, there are serious internal changes. The muscles weaken, the pain intensifies, lameness occurs. Very often, drug treatment at this stage is ineffective. The way out is joint prostheses.
- Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint occurs when it wears out due to heavy loads, injuries, disruption of the endocrine system. It is characterized by severe pain in the shoulder, joint mobility becomes limited. One of the main methods of treatment is exercise therapy.
- Spondyloarthrosis - osteoarthritis of the spine. It occurs more frequently in people with sedentary work and with loads on the back (for example, moving). People who are overweight and have poor posture also suffer from spondyloarthrosis, as their cartilage wears out prematurely, causing microtrauma and inflammation. A good way to relieve pain is exercise therapy, swimming, and acupuncture.
- Uncoarthrosis - destruction of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine. It occurs due to congenital malformations, overweight, low physical activity, injuries. It is dangerous because it causes loss of some reflexes, causes dizziness, fainting and high blood pressure. The treatment of this type of osteoarthritis must be complex: medication, physiotherapy. Also, to reduce the load on the cervical region, it is recommended to wear a special collar. It also contributes to a slight stretching of the muscles.
For diagnosis, you need to contact an arthrologist or rheumatologist.
What doctor are you treating?
How to treat arthrosis, only a doctor will tell. But which doctor to go to for osteoarthritis depends on the extent of the disease.
- If a person has first-degree osteoarthritis, the pain is just beginning, and there are no serious changes in the joint, then treatment should be started by a rheumatologist. He will prescribe the necessary medications and procedures.
- When the pain becomes more intense and prolonged, changes in the internal tissues begin, arthrosis of the second degree occurs, and then you need to contact an orthopedist. He, in addition to medications, can prescribe the implementation of a physiotherapy complex and a massage course.
- So, when arthrosis starts and has already reached the 3rd degree, only a surgeon can help. Otherwise, the patient is at risk of disability. Sometimes restoring the destroyed cartilage and joints is possible only by resorting to surgical intervention.
In the event that arthrosis occurs after an injury to the joint, you should contact a traumatologist. Depending on the injuries, the traumatologist may refer the patient to other profiling specialists.
Prevention
To avoid osteoarthritis, you should take the following measures:
- monitor your diet, make it as useful as possible;
- prevent the formation of excess body weight;
- correctly distribute the load on the joints, do not overload them;
- after physical activity, it is necessary to do a massage so that there is no circulatory disturbance.
Such prevention of arthrosis will help to avoid not only diseases of the musculoskeletal system, but also other systems and organs.
Treatment of osteoarthritis
Each person who has been diagnosed with this, first of all wants to get an answer to the question, is it possible to cure arthrosis? Treatment of arthrosis is always a wide range of drugs, procedures, exercises, folk methods and a huge amount of time. Unfortunately, osteoarthritis cannot be cured with a two-week treatment. Even if the pain decreases and some signs of osteoarthritis begin to disappear, this will not mean the beginning of a complete recovery.
Important! Treatment can last six months or more. Therefore, you must be patient and strictly follow all the doctor's prescriptions.
medical therapy
The treatment of osteoarthritis with drugs is carried out in stages. Each stage is aimed at solving a specific problem:
- Pain relief and inflammation relief. Before starting treatment directly on the joint and cartilage, it is necessary to eliminate pain and eliminate inflammation. This is accomplished through the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Restoration of cartilage tissue with the help of chondroprotective preparations containing chondroitin.
- Restoration of the joint by injection into the area of \u200b\u200bthe diseased joint. Corticosteroids may also be prescribed. They relieve inflammation (if tablets and ointments have not coped with this) and restore the mobility of the affected joint.
- Filling the joint cavity with hyaluronic acid. It promotes the production of new fluid and prevents friction from one joint to another.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to fully restore the joint, even after going through all the treatment indicated above. Additional procedures and methods are needed.
Complex of physical and therapeutic culture, gymnastics and massage for arthrosis.
Exercise therapy is an integral part of the treatment of osteoarthritis. The instructor, based on the diagnosis and recommendations of the attending physician, draws up an individual training program. Since there are several types of osteoarthritis, the exercises will be aimed at different muscle groups, the development of different joints and ligaments. When compiling a set of exercises, the age of a person suffering from arthrosis, the presence of overweight and other factors should be taken into account.
For example, to develop the muscles and ligaments of the shoulder girdle, there is an effective set of Popov exercises. It is based on the repetition of smooth movements, with a slow increase in amplitude.
It is possible to start exercise therapy only after the elimination of pain and inflammation.
Important! During the exacerbation of the disease, exercise therapy, gymnastics and massage are contraindicated!
Gymnastics should be performed at home several times a day. It is better to warm it up a little before each load on the sore joint, making light movements up and down, sideways, turning in a circle.
It is also recommended to start a course of massage after relief of pain and inflammation. All movements should be light, caressing, without undue effort or pressure.
Folk methods of treatment
Alternative methods are not a panacea for arthrosis, a cure cannot be expected using only traditional medicine. They are an excellent addition to conservative treatment, but not an independent species.
The most effective home remedies for osteoarthritis are compresses and rubbing. The following compresses have proven to be the best:
- A compress of cabbage juice or cabbage leaf spread with honey.
- Compress from the root of horseradish, chopped on a grater.
- Compress from boiled oatmeal.
- A compress of freshly made mashed potatoes.
Among the most effective rubbings are the following:
- Rub with honey, vinegar (or alcohol), iodine and glycerin. Improves blood circulation, relieves pain.
- Rubbed from raw chicken eggs, turpentine and ammonia. Apply 3-4 days before bedtime, no more.
- Rub of propolis and vegetable oil (sunflower, olive).
- Alcoholic infusion of elecampane roots.
With arthrosis, some decoctions and tinctures are used orally. They help improve metabolism and provide the necessary substances to the body of a person suffering from osteoarthritis. Particularly popular are:
- bay leaf decoction;
- a mixture of garlic and olive oil (corn);
- a mixture of charred cottage cheese (homemade), honey and horseradish root.
Taking a bath with hay powder has a positive effect on sore joints. It is also useful for exercises to develop muscles and ligaments.
Important! Before starting treatment with medicinal herbs, you need to make sure that there are no allergic reactions to the components of decoctions, tinctures and compresses.
Stem cell treatment
The human body contains stem cells. The unique ability of these cells is that they can transform into any cell in the body. This property was taken as the basis for the development of a method for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the joints with stem cells. The method consists in the fact that a certain number of stem cells are isolated from human bone marrow. Then, under special conditions, they are grown for 2 months, sometimes less. After that, they are introduced into the cavity of the diseased joint.
Stem cells improve metabolism and blood circulation in the affected area, relieve inflammation and pain. Thanks to them, cartilage and joint tissue are restored. After a few months, a second injection of stem cells into the joint area will be required. After 6 months of this procedure, we can accurately speak about the effect obtained, although the improvements are visible almost in the first days after the introduction of the cells.
surgical treatment
A surgical method of treating arthrosis of the joints is resorted to when conservative methods do not give the expected results: inflammation is not eliminated, pain does not stop. The essence of these lies in the introduction of the necessary tools into the area of the affected joint and manipulation, which helps to restore all tissues and their functions. Sometimes this is not enough for a full recovery. Then a method such as joint replacement is used. In this case, special metal or plastic plates are installed instead of the cartilage.
Arthritis disability
Often with this disease a person is tormented by such severe pain that he is ready to demand that a disability be established. After all, these pains do not allow you to perform work and household functions qualitatively and in the right volume. But doctors are not in a hurry with the declaration of disability, because with proper treatment and the exact implementation of all recommendations, the pain stops, the inflammation subsides, and motor activity is restored. If the diagnosis is "first degree osteoarthritis" or "second degree osteoarthritis", it is almost impossible to obtain a category.
Important! Disability is allowed only for irreversible deformity changes in the joints.
And yet, with advanced arthrosis, if it is impossible to eliminate even the symptoms of the disease, there is hope of getting a disability. But it will be temporary. You will have to regularly undergo a new examination at the medical and social examination. If the patient has undergone endoprosthesis surgery and his motor functions have been fully restored, the disability will be eliminated.