One of the joint diseases is osteoarthritis. During this disease, the cartilage inside the joints slowly breaks down. After a long period of time, various changes appear, the articular ends of the bones are rebuilt, the inflammatory process increases, and the periarticular tissues are destroyed. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common joint diseases worldwide. According to statistics, the disease affects more than 70% of people on the entire planet. In terms of prevalence, arthrosis of the joints ranks second after oncological and cardiovascular diseases. The older the person, the greater the chance of osteoarthritis. Men and women are equally affected by this disease. In addition, osteoarthritis can also develop in an able-bodied person older than 30 years.
Why does the disease appear?
The development of arthrosis is associated with impaired metabolism in the joints. As a result, the cartilage loses its former elasticity. This can appear due to the total or partial loss of proteoglycans, which are part of the cartilage. Deep cracks in the cartilage contribute to this phenomenon. Also, 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 resist it.
In addition, some factors contribute to the appearance and development of osteoarthritis:
- transferred trauma. This includes dislocation, bruises, fractures, torn ligaments, etc.
- Violation of metabolic processes.
- Excess body weight, as a result of which, an additional load is placed on the joints.
- The presence of an inflammatory process in the joint (with acute purulent arthritis).
- Advanced age.
- Non-compliance 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 coagulation 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 to a person who is overweight, metabolic processes are disturbed, or has undergone severe stress. The disease can develop over many years, and upon 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 may be the causative factor. In most cases, the diagnosis is made to those people whose professional activities are associated with regular excessive stress on the ankles (ballerinas, athletes, women who wear high heels).
The presence of congenital defects of the shoulder joint or excessive load can provoke the appearance of shoulder osteoarthritis. Higher 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, such a diagnosis is made to 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 feed the brain are involved in the pathological process.
In spondyloarthrosis, the joints and cartilage of the spine are affected. In most cases, such a diagnosis is made to people whose age exceeds 70 years. The main number of cases of such arthrosis damage is observed in women, since with age their estrogen levels decrease.
How does the illness emerge
The main symptom of arthrosis 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 a sharp pain or significant discomfort when performing any motor action. The location of the pain is the place where the damaged joint is located. If you stop such movements, the pain goes away.
During sleep, a person does not have unpleasant sensations. The condition for this is the adoption of an optimal body position. Rest pain occurs only when the disease progresses. Such sensations are reminiscent of a toothache. During this period, a person cannot sleep. After this, the cartilage thins and the bone is exposed, as a result of which osteophytes grow. Acute pain does not leave a person and intensifies in the presence of various factors.
Another symptom indicative of the disease is a crackling sound. It is heard due to the reduction in the smoothness of the rotation of the bone in the joint, friction between them occurs. This is the cause of the characteristic sound. The presence of a crunch is also inherent in other diseases, taking into account healthy joints. However, with arthrosis, a dry sound is heard. With the progression of the disease, these sounds become more vivid. In parallel with the crunch, a person experiences pain.
Osteoarthritis can be recognized by reduced mobility in the joint. The initial stage is characterized by the absence of such a symptom. However, with the progression of the disease, bone neoplasms arise, due to which the joint space disappears. In a person, a limb becomes harmless at the place where the joint is affected.
A characteristic sign of osteoarthritis disease is the deformity of the joints. They are modified due to the growth of osteophytes on the bone surface 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 arthrosis, based only on your own feelings. This means that a person should immediately visit a qualified doctor to clarify the diagnosis. In 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:
- At the first stage, there will be no osteophytes, there will be a slight narrowing of the joint space.
- The second stage 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 beginning of the joint deformity are determined.
- At stage 4, the joint space is almost absent, multiple 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 taken in two projections. Due to this, a dystrophic change in the tissues is visualized, and how affected the cartilage and adjacent bones are also determined. In a patient with such a disease, there is a narrowing of the joint space and deformation of the bone site. From such bones, bone growths, osteophytes, can be observed. In some cases, there may be a loss of stability in the joint, resulting in subluxations.
The first sign of osteoarthritis, which is visualized in the image, is osteophytes. First, the articular surface, that is, its edge, becomes sharp. Then their thickening occurs, and subsequently the presence of outgrowths and spikes is noted. Taking into account the X-ray image obtained, the doctor comes to 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 osteophytes, but joint space narrowing is questionable.
- The presence of moderate osteoarthritis. 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 narrowed and large osteophytes are formed. There will also be a 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 deal with?
medical method
The use of anti-inflammatory drugs. If you start therapeutic actions with an integrated approach, the course of the disease slows down, 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 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. An experienced doctor will not recommend the use of such a drug orally. This can irritate the stomach lining. This means that the drug is best administered intravenously or intramuscularly. In some cases, as an adjuvant, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used as an ointment.
If the disease worsens, the patient is prescribed hormonal corticosteroids. They are administered intra-articularly. The introduction of hydrocortisone or diprospan is implicit. As an external agent, they may prescribe the use of a special patch, ointment or tincture, the basis of which is hot pepper. Also, chondroprotectors are included in the medical treatment of arthrosis. 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 such drugs, a layer of cells is formed that contributes to the formation of joint cartilage. Effective treatment of osteoarthritis can supplement the intake of diacerein. Regenerates cartilage tissue. The improvement will come within two or four weeks.
surgical methods
If conservative methods have not coped 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 removed. This fluid will be sent to the laboratory for analysis. Thanks to this method, the load on the joint is removed, a drug (corticosteroid) is injected.
Another surgical method is arthroscopy. The procedure involves inserting an arthroscope into the affected joint through small incisions. When carrying out such a procedure, the condition of the joints is assessed from the inside. During surgical intervention, a qualified specialist removes unnecessary cartilage, pain will not torment the patient.
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 fairly effective treatment for arthrosis, but it is used in rare cases. This is explained by the introduction of anesthesia and a long recovery period.
If the joint has undergone significant deformation and cannot be restored, the patient is scheduled for arthroplasty. This is a complex and expensive operation. Dentures can be ceramic, plastic, or metal. After applying this method, the patient will have a long recovery period and pain. In some situations, this is the only way to help a patient with diagnosed osteoarthritis, otherwise total 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 bone processes. Osteophytes are pain triggers. With the help of waves, such outgrowths are smoothed out, and after a certain period of time they will completely dissolve. In addition, there will be an improvement in the nutrition of the joint, metabolic processes will be 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 physiotherapeutic method includes myostimulation. The muscles are stimulated with electrical impulses. Myostimulation is prescribed for bedridden patients or those who observe bed rest after injury. Considering that the blood flow in the affected area is normalized and muscle tone increases, this method is rarely used for arthrosis.
The use of phonophoresis involves the impact of 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 mixture of gases is injected into the affected joint. As a result of this, the patient gets rid of unbearable 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 of combating arthrosis is the use of a physiotherapy complex. By performing special exercises, the patient normalizes the blood flow in the affected area and strengthens the muscles. Classes start with simple exercises, then the load increases.
The use of manual therapy and lymphatic drainage massage helps reduce pain, improve blood supply to the 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 the help of them, the load increases 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 tone up.
By contacting a specialized center, the patient receives the most modern, safe and effective treatment, which will be selected individually, based on the characteristics of their body. Subject to medical prescription, specialists guarantee a positive result at the same time with minimal economic costs for the patient.