One of the joint diseases is osteoarthritis. During this disease, the cartilage inside the joints is slowly destroyed. After a long period of time, various changes appear, the joint ends of bones are reconstructed, the inflammatory process increases, and periarticular tissues are destroyed. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common joint diseases worldwide. Based on statistics, the disease affects more than 70% of people across the planet. In terms of prevalence, arthrosis of the joints is second only to oncological and cardiovascular diseases. The older the person, the greater the likelihood of osteoarthritis. Men and women are equally affected by this disease. In addition, osteoarthritis can also develop in a person over 30 years old.
Why does the disease appear?
The development of osteoarthritis is associated with impaired metabolism in the joints. As a result, cartilage loses its former elasticity. This can occur due to the total or partial loss of proteoglycans, which are part of cartilage. Deep cracks in the cartilage contribute to this phenomenon. In addition, doctors say that arthrosis is a consequence of both metabolic disorders and hormonal failure, trauma, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis. The most common cause is an abnormal load on the joint, when the cartilage is not able to withstand it.
In addition, some factors contribute to the emergence and development of osteoarthritis:
- Trauma transferred. This includes dislocation, bruising, fracture, ligament rupture, etc.
- Violation of metabolic processes.
- Excess body weight, as a result, an additional load is placed on the joints.
- The presence of an inflammatory process in the joint (with acute purulent arthritis).
- Advanced age.
- Failure to comply with proper nutrition.
- Frequent hypothermia.
- The presence of autoimmune diseases. These include lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis.
- With general intoxication of the body.
- The appearance of frequent colds.
- With syphilis, tuberculosis, encephalitis, gonorrhea.
- With diseases of the thyroid gland.
- If blood clotting is impaired.
Varieties of the disease
The most common type is osteoarthritis of the knee. The knee joint suffers. Such a diagnosis can be made for a person with excess weight, disturbed metabolic processes or severe stress. The disease can develop for many years and, reaching the last stage, immobilization of the knee can occur.
Ankle arthritis occurs in the ankle joint. The development of the disease can be provoked by the resulting injury, sprain, dysplasia, gout, diabetes mellitus. In some cases, rheumatoid arthritis can be the causative factor. In most cases, the diagnosis is made for those people whose professional activities are associated with regular excessive stress on the ankles (dancers, athletes, women in high heels).
The presence of congenital defects of the shoulder joint or excessive load can cause the occurrence of osteoarthritis of the shoulder. Greater chance of getting sick from a painter, plasterer, etc.
The presence of osteoarthritis of the hip joint is a severe form of the disease. The main provoking factor is age-related changes in the tissues of the joint. In most cases, this diagnosis is made for those people whose age exceeds 45 years.
The development of cervical arthrosis occurs due to insufficient mobility of the cervical spine, obesity and trauma. At risk are those people who have a sedentary job. The main symptoms of this type of osteoarthritis are limited joint mobility, dizziness, headache and fainting. This is explained by the fact that the vertebral arteries that supply the brain are involved in the pathological process.
In spondylarthrosis, the joints and cartilage of the spine are affected. In most cases, this diagnosis is made for people over the age of 70. The main number of cases of such damage from arthrosis is observed in women, as with age their estrogen levels decrease.
How the disease manifests itself
The main symptom of osteoarthritis is pain when there is a load on the joints. The disappearance of this symptom occurs when the joint is calm. Pain in osteoarthritis has some peculiarity. There is sharp pain or significant discomfort when performing any motor action. The location of the pain is where the damaged joint is located. If you stop these movements, the pain disappears.
During sleep, a person does not have unpleasant sensations. The condition for this is the adoption of an ideal body position. Rest pain only occurs as the disease progresses. Such sensations resemble a toothache. During this period, a person cannot sleep. After that, the cartilage becomes thinner and the bone is exposed, resulting in the growth of osteophytes. Acute pain does not leave a person and intensifies in the presence of various factors.
Another indicative symptom of the disease is a flare-up. It is heard due to the reduced smoothness of rotation of the bone in the joint, friction occurs between them. This is the cause of the characteristic sound. The presence of a crisis is also inherent in other diseases, taking into account healthy joints. However, with osteoarthritis, a dry sound is heard. As the disease progresses, these sounds become more vivid. In parallel with the crisis, a person experiences pain.
Osteoarthritis can be recognized by reduced mobility in the joint. The initial phase is characterized by the absence of such a symptom. However, with the progression of the disease, bone neoplasms arise as a result of the disappearance of the joint space. In a person, a limb is harmless where the joint is affected.
A characteristic sign of osteoarthritis disease is joint deformity. They are modified due to the growth of osteophytes on the surface of the bone and the presence of synovial fluid there. Deformity refers to a later symptom, when the disease has significantly affected the joints.
The disease proceeds with exacerbations or remissions, so it is difficult to independently determine osteoarthritis, based only on your own feelings. This means that a person should immediately visit a qualified physician to clarify the diagnosis. At the medical center, the patient will be sent for an X-ray examination, due to which various degrees of the course of the disease are determined:
- In the first stage, there will be no osteophytes, there will be a slight narrowing of the joint space.
- The second phase is characterized by the formation of osteophytes.
- At the beginning of the third stage, the joint space narrows, the presence of multiple osteophytes, and the onset of joint deformity is determined.
- In stage 4, joint space is almost absent, several osteophytes and significant deformity are determined.
How to diagnose osteoarthritis
Diagnostic measures begin with a survey and examination of the patient. After that, the specialist prescribes an x-ray examination of the affected joint. In most cases, an X-ray image is obtained in two projections. Due to this, a dystrophic change in the tissues is visualized and it is also determined how much the cartilage and adjacent bones are affected. In a patient with such a disease, there is a narrowing of the joint space and deformation of the bony site. From these bones, bone growths, osteophytes, can be observed. In some cases, there may be loss of stability in the joint, resulting in subluxations.
The first sign of arthrosis, which is visualized in the image, are osteophytes. First, the articular surface, that is, its edge, becomes sharp. Then it thickens and, later, the presence of outgrowths and spikes is observed. Taking into account the x-ray image obtained, the doctor makes the following conclusion:
- Doubtful osteoarthritis. This means that it was not possible to determine how narrow the joint space was, however, the presence of small osteophytes was determined.
- The presence of mild osteoarthritis. Such a diagnosis means good visualization of the osteophytes, but joint space narrowing is questionable.
- The presence of moderate arthrosis. This can be diagnosed if there is a clear narrowing of the joint space, the presence of osteophytes is not visible. In some cases, if such a diagnosis is made, a bone deformity can be detected on an x-ray.
- The presence of severe osteoarthritis. With this diagnosis, the joint space is significantly reduced and large osteophytes are formed. There will also be complete deformity of the joint.
Arthritis lifestyle:
- Relieve the damaged joint from excessive stress.
- Carefully observe the established orthopedic regimen.
- Use physical therapy.
- Take a physical therapy course.
- Visit a sanatorium.
How to treat?
medical method
The use of anti-inflammatories. If you start therapeutic actions with an integrated approach, the course of the disease decreases, the patient's quality of life improves significantly. Using drugs, you can relieve pain and eliminate the inflammatory process that occurs in the joint. In this case, the doctor prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. An experienced doctor will not recommend taking such a drug by mouth. This can irritate the stomach walls. This means that the drug is best given intravenously or intramuscularly. In some cases, as an adjuvant, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used as an ointment.
If the disease worsens, the patient is given hormonal corticosteroids. They are administered intra-articularly. The introduction of hydrocortisone or diprospan is implied. As an external agent, they may prescribe the use of a special patch, ointment or tincture, the basis of which is pepper. In addition, chondroprotectors are included in the medical treatment of osteoarthritis. They restore cartilage and improve the quality of synovial fluid. The duration of the course of therapeutic measures depends on the onset of improvement. If the expected result does not occur within 6 months, the drug is canceled. Protectors are used in parallel with preparations based on hyaluronic acid. Thanks to these drugs, a shell of cells is formed that contribute to the formation of cartilage in the joints. Effective treatment of osteoarthritis can supplement diacerein intake. Regenerates cartilage tissue. Improvement will come within two or four weeks.
surgical methods
If conservative methods do not deal with the disease, the patient is scheduled for surgery. One of the methods of surgical intervention is a puncture. It serves as a therapeutic and diagnostic method. When performing a puncture, a needle is inserted into the affected joint, after which a small amount of fluid is withdrawn. This liquid will be sent to the laboratory for analysis. Thanks to this method, the load is removed from the joint, a drug (corticosteroid) is injected.
Another surgical method is arthroscopy. The procedure involves inserting an arthroscope into the affected joint through small incisions. Carrying out such a procedure, it is evaluated in what condition the joints are inside. During the surgical intervention, a qualified specialist removes unnecessary cartilage, the patient will not be tormented by pain.
Another method of surgical treatment is periarticular osteotomy. During the operation, the bones of the joint are filed and fixed in the required position. Thanks to this method, the load on the affected area is reduced and pain is eliminated. The procedure is considered a very effective treatment for osteoarthritis, but it is used in rare cases. This is explained by the introduction of anesthesia and a long recovery period.
If the joint has suffered significant deformation and cannot be restored, the patient is scheduled for arthroplasty. This is a complex and expensive operation. Dentures can be made of ceramic, plastic or metal. After applying this method, the patient will have a long period of recovery and pain. In some situations, this is the only way to help a patient with diagnosed osteoarthritis, otherwise complete immobility cannot be avoided. The use of a high quality prosthesis will extend its lifespan by up to 15 years.
physiotherapy methods
The shock wave method helps rid the patient of the resulting osteophytes, or bony processes. Osteophytes are pain-inducing. With the help of waves, these consequences are smoothed out, and after a certain period of time they completely dissolve. In addition, there will be an improvement in joint nutrition, metabolic processes are normalized. The effectiveness of this procedure has been proven at an early stage of osteoarthritis. For shock wave therapy, the patient must have a prescription. This is explained by the presence of multiple contraindications.
Another physical therapy method includes myostimulation. Muscles are stimulated with electrical impulses. Myostimulation is prescribed for patients who are bedridden or observing bed rest after an injury. Since blood flow to the affected area is normalized and muscle tone is increased, this method is rarely used for osteoarthritis.
The use of phonophoresis involves impacting an ultrasonic wave and a drug on the affected joint. The effectiveness of the procedures lies in the fact that the drugs enter the focus of inflammation. Another treatment for osteoarthritis is ozone therapy. With the help of ozone therapy, a gas mixture is injected into the affected joint. As a result of this, the patient gets rid of excruciating painful sensations, the inflammatory process subsides, the joint becomes more mobile, and the blood circulates normally. This method consists of several courses of treatment. The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the stage of the disease.
Other treatments
An effective method to combat arthrosis is the use of a physiotherapeutic complex. Carrying out special exercises, the patient normalizes blood flow in the affected area, strengthens the muscles. Classes start with simple exercises, then the load increases.
Using manual therapy and lymphatic drainage massage helps to reduce pain, improve blood supply to affected joints. This method is good because even immobilized patients can use it.
An addition to the complex of medical and physical culture is the use of mechanotherapy. In this case, several simulators are used. With their help, the load will increase during classes, but the joints will not be damaged. Thanks to mechanotherapy, there will be an increase in blood circulation in the joints, the muscles will be toned.
When contacting a specialized center, the patient receives the most modern, safe and effective treatment, which will be selected individually, according to the characteristics of their body. Subject to medical prescriptions, specialists guarantee a positive result at the same time with minimal financial costs for the patient.