Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease in which there is a lesion in the connective tissue structure of the musculoskeletal system. The disease is characterized by a progressive course, against the background of which cartilage tissue is gradually destroyed. This pathology is diagnosed in many people over the age of 65, as one of the factors contributing to the formation of this condition is the natural aging process in the body.
Causes of the disease
Osteoarthritis is commonly referred to as joint disease and destruction of cartilage tissue. This is due to deterioration of blood circulation, cartilage metabolism, trauma. They lose their elasticity, become brittle, deformed. Joint fluid is practically not produced, the joints stop sliding during movement and friction occurs between them. These factors cause a sensation of pain, inflammation begins.
Causes of osteoarthritis:
- Great stress on the joints. Osteoarthritis is common in athletes and people with heavy physical labor. Excess weight also significantly increases the load.
- Poor nutrition. In order for cartilage tissues and joints to receive the necessary amount of calcium, potassium and other useful minerals and substances, one must receive them in sufficient quantities with food.
- Diseases such as scoliosis or flat feet also negatively affect the joints. Because the load is unevenly distributed due to a defect in the muscles, the joints suffer. Osteoarthritis will begin to develop in the joint where the load was greater.
- Cartilage injuries do not go unnoticed. They disrupt metabolism, elasticity and lead to inflammation.
- Prolonged stress disrupts the metabolism of the whole body and joints. in particular the muscles are tense. All this leads to arthritis.
- age. 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 some diseases, are often classified as a separate group: hereditary causes.
Degrees of development of arthrosis
Osteoarthritis does not occur suddenly, without causes and symptoms. Its development can be traced to 3 stages:
- The pain begins to appear after exercise, walking long distances. After a break the pain disappears. At this stage, the cartilage begins to break down, the synovial fluid is secreted in insufficient quantities. Muscles change, weaken.
- The pain is felt not only after training, but also at rest. Even a night's sleep does not bring significant relief. Bone growths begin to form on the joints. When the joint moves, a crunch is heard. Some swelling of the surrounding tissues is seen.
- The muscular apparatus is significantly weakened, synovial fluid is not released due to impaired metabolism, cartilage is deformed. Bone growths during movement cause unbearable pain. The swelling of the periarticular tissues becomes more pronounced and the temperature is high.
Unfortunately, many only go to the doctor when the osteoarthritis reaches grade 3. People do not pay attention or try to treat only the symptoms, but not the disease itself. Although treatment will be much more effective and faster if you start it at the first signs 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 an inflammation of the joint tissue of the knee. It is most common in people who are overweight or have varicose veins. Injuries are also one of the main causes.
- Osteoarthritis of the ankle joint - occurs most often due to injuries, dislocations. Athletes and people engaged in physical labor 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 lack of external signs, there are serious internal changes. Muscles weaken, pain intensifies, lameness appears. Most often, medical treatment at this stage is ineffective. The outcome is joint prosthetics.
- Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint occurs when worn due to heavy loads, injuries, disorders 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.
- Spondyloarthritis - osteoarthritis of the spine. It is most common in people with sedentary work and back strain (for example, in movers). Overweight people with poor posture also suffer from spondyloarthritis, as their cartilage wears out prematurely, microtrauma and inflammation develop. Healing therapy, swimming and acupuncture are good ways to relieve pain.
- Uncoarthrosis - destruction of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine. Occurs due to congenital malformations, overweight, low physical activity, trauma. It is dangerous because it causes loss of some reflexes, leads to dizziness, fainting and high blood pressure. The treatment of this type of osteoarthritis should be complex: medication, physiotherapy. In addition, to reduce the load on the cervical region, it is recommended to wear a special collar. It also helps to stretch the muscles slightly.
You should contact an arthrologist or rheumatologist for a diagnosis.
Which doctor treats?
How to treat osteoarthritis, only a doctor will tell. But which doctor to go to for osteoarthritis depends on the extent to which the disease has reached.
- If a person has osteoarthritis of the 1st degree, 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 2nd degree occurs, then you need to contact an orthopedist. He, in addition to medication, may prescribe the application of a physiotherapeutic complex and a course of massage.
- Then, when the osteoarthritis has started and has already reached the 3rd degree, only a surgeon can help. Otherwise, the patient is at risk of injury. Restoration of damaged cartilage and joints is sometimes possible only by resorting to surgery.
If osteoarthritis occurs after a joint injury, then you should contact a traumatologist. Depending on the injuries, the traumatologist may refer the patient to other specialists.
Prevention
To avoid osteoarthritis, you need to take the following measures:
- follow your diet, make it as useful as possible;
- preventing the formation of overweight;
- properly distribute the load on the joints, do not overload them;
- after physical activity it is necessary to make a massage so that there is no disturbance of blood circulation.
Such prevention of osteoarthritis will help to avoid not only diseases of the musculoskeletal system, but also other systems and organs.
Treatment of osteoarthritis
Everyone who is diagnosed with this first wants to get an answer to the question, is it possible to cure osteoarthritis? The treatment of osteoarthritis is always a whole range of drugs, procedures, exercises, folk methods and a huge amount of time. Unfortunately, osteoarthritis cannot be cured with a two-week course of treatment. Even if the pain subsides and some signs of osteoarthritis begin to disappear, this will not mean the beginning of full recovery.
Important! The treatment can last for six months or more. Therefore, you must be patient and strictly follow all the prescriptions of the doctor.
Medical therapy
Treatment of osteoarthritis with drugs is carried out in stages. Each stage is aimed at solving a specific problem:
- Relieve pain and relieve inflammation. Before starting treatment directly on the joint and cartilage, it is necessary to get rid of the pain and eliminate the inflammation. This is achieved through the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Restoration of cartilage tissue with the help of chondroprotective preparations containing chondroitin.
- Restoration of the joint by injection in the area of the diseased joint. Corticosteroids may also be prescribed. They relieve inflammation (if tablets and ointments have not dealt with it) 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 completely restore the joint, even after completing the entire course of treatment mentioned above. Additional procedures and methods are needed.
Therapeutic and sports complex, gymnastics and massage for osteoarthritis
Healing therapy is an integral part of the treatment of osteoarthritis. The instructor, based on the diagnosis and the recommendations of the attending physician, prepares an individual training program. Since there are several types of osteoarthritis, the exercises will focus on different muscle groups, the development of different joints and ligaments. The age of a person suffering from osteoarthritis, the presence of overweight and other factors should be taken into account when compiling a set of exercises.
For example, for the development of muscles and ligaments of the shoulder girdle there is an effective set of exercises Popov. 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 pain and inflammation have disappeared.
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 just before each load on the inflamed joint, making slight movements up and down, sideways, rotating in a circle.
It is also recommended to start a course of massage after relieving pain and inflammation. All movements should be light, stroking, without undue effort and pressure.
Folk methods of treatment
Alternative methods are not a panacea for osteoarthritis, we can not hope for treatment using only traditional medicine. They are an excellent adjunct to conservative treatment, but not an independent species.
The most effective folk remedies for osteoarthritis are compresses and rubbing. The following compresses have proven to be the best:
- Cabbage juice compress or cabbage leaf smeared with honey.
- Horseradish root compress, cut on a grater.
- Compress of cooked oatmeal.
- Compress of fresh mashed potatoes.
Among the frictions as the most effective are the following:
- Rub with honey, vinegar (or alcohol), iodine and glycerin. Improves blood circulation, relieves pain.
- Rub raw chicken eggs, turpentine and ammonia. Apply 3-4 days before bedtime, no more.
- Rubbing propolis and vegetable oil (sunflower, olive oil).
- Alcoholic infusion of elecampane roots.
In osteoarthritis, some decoctions and tinctures are used orally. They help to improve metabolism and supply the necessary substances to the body of a person suffering from osteoarthritis. Particularly popular are:
- decoction of bay leaf;
- a mixture of garlic and olive (corn) oil;
- a mixture of calcined cottage cheese (home-made), honey and horseradish root.
Taking a bath with hay powder has a positive effect on inflamed joints. It is also helpful to perform 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 therapy
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 is taken as a basis for the development of a method for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the joints with stem cells. The method consists in isolating a certain amount of stem cells from the human bone marrow. Then, under special conditions, they are grown for 2 months, sometimes less. They are then 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. In a few months, a second injection of stem cells will be needed in the area of the joints. After 6 months after this procedure we can accurately talk about the effect obtained, although the improvements are visible almost in the first days after the introduction of cells.
Surgical treatment
An operative method for the treatment of arthrosis of the joints is resorted to when conservative methods do not give the expected results: the inflammation is not removed, the pain does not stop. The essence of them lies in the introduction of the necessary tools in 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 plates made of metal or plastic are installed in place of the cartilage.
Disability due to arthritis
Often in this disease a person suffers from such severe pain that he is ready to ask for damage. In the end, these pains do not allow him to perform quality and in the right amount of work and household functions. But doctors are not in a hurry to find damage, because with proper treatment and proper implementation of all recommendations, the pain stops, inflammation is reduced and motor activity is restored. If the diagnosis is "grade 1 osteoarthritis" or "grade 2 osteoarthritis", then it is almost impossible to obtain a category.
Important! Disability is allowed only in case of irreversible deformation changes in the joints.
However, with advanced osteoarthritis, if it is impossible to eliminate even the symptoms of the disease, there is hope that you will get damage. But it will be temporary. You will need to undergo regular medical and social check-ups. If the patient has undergone endoprosthetic surgery and his motor functions are fully restored, the damage will be removed.