One of the joint diseases is arthrosis. During this disease the cartilage inside the joints is slowly destroyed. After a long period of time, various changes appear, the articular ends of the bones are reconstructed, the inflammatory process increases and the 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 around the world. In terms of prevalence, joint arthrosis is the second after oncological and cardiovascular diseases. The older the person, the higher the chance of osteoarthritis. Men and women are equally affected by this disease. In addition, arthrosis can develop even in a fit person over 30 years old.
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 occur due to the complete 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 unable to withstand it.
Also, several factors contribute to the appearance and development of arthrosis:
- Transferred trauma. This includes dislocation, contusion, fracture, 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.
- Failure to observe 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 thyroid disease.
- If the blood clot is damaged.
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 suffered 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 may be the causative factor. In most cases, the diagnosis is made in those people whose professional activities are accompanied by regular excessive stress on the ankles (dancers, athletes, women with high heels).
The presence of congenital defects of the shoulder joint or excessive load can provoke the appearance of shoulder arthrosis. Increased chance of getting sick from a painter, plasterer, etc.
The presence of arthrosis of the hip joint is a severe form of the disease. The main provoking factor is age-related changes in joint tissues. In most cases, such a diagnosis is made in those people whose age exceeds 45 years.
The development of cervical arthrosis occurs due to insufficient movement of the cervical spine, obesity and trauma. At risk are those people who have a sedentary job. The main symptoms of this type of arthrosis are limited joint mobility, dizziness, headaches and fainting. This is explained by the fact that the vertebral arteries that feed the brain are involved in the pathological process.
In spondylarthrosis, 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, as their estrogen levels decrease with age.
How does the disease appear?
The main symptom of arthrosis is pain when there is a load on the joint. The disappearance of this symptom occurs when the joint is at rest. Pain in arthrosis has several features. There is a 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 such movements, the pain disappears.
During sleep, a person has no unpleasant sensations. The condition for this is the adoption of an optimal body position. Pain at rest 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 telltale symptom of the disease is a crack. It is heard due to a decrease in the smoothness of the 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 arthrosis, a dry sound is heard. As the disease progresses, such sounds become more vivid. In parallel with the crack, a person experiences pain.
Osteoarthritis can be recognized by reduced mobility in the joints. The initial stage is characterized by the absence of such a symptom. However, with the progress of the disease, bone neoplasms grow, as a result of which the joint space disappears. In a person, a limb becomes harmless where the joint is affected.
A characteristic sign of arthrosis 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. Deformation refers to a later symptom, when the disease has significantly affected the joints.
The disease continues with exacerbations or remissions, so it is difficult to independently determine arthrosis, based only on your feelings. This means that a person should immediately visit a qualified clinic to clarify the diagnosis. At the medical center, the patient will be sent for an X-ray examination, due to which different 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 stage is characterized by the formation of osteophytes.
- At the beginning of the third stage, the joint space narrows, the presence of numerous osteophytes and the beginning of joint deformation are determined.
- In stage 4, the joint space is almost absent, numerous osteophytes and significant deformities are determined.
How to diagnose arthrosis
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 tissue is visualized, and it is also determined how much 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 bone site. From such bones, bone growths, osteophytes, can be observed. In some cases, there can be a loss of stability in the joint, resulting in subluxations.
The first sign of arthrosis, which is visualized in the photo, are osteophytes. First, the articular surface, namely its edge, becomes sharp. Then its thickening occurs, and then the presence of protrusions and spikes is observed. Considering the x-ray picture taken, the doctor draws the following conclusion:
- Suspected arthrosis. 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 arthrosis. Such a diagnosis implies good visualization of osteophytes, but joint space narrowing is doubtful.
- 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 arthrosis. With this diagnosis, the joint space narrows significantly and large osteophytes are formed. There will also be complete deformity of the joint.
Lifestyle with arthritis:
- Relieve the injured joint from excessive stress.
- Carefully observe the prescribed orthopedic regimen.
- Use physical therapy.
- Take a course of physiotherapy.
- Visit a sanatorium.
How to treat?
Medical method
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 non-steroidal 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 adjunct, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used as ointments.
If the disease worsens, the patient is prescribed hormonal corticosteroids. They are administered intra-articularly. This means the introduction of hydrocortisone or diprospan. As an external agent, they can prescribe the use of a patch, oil or a special solution, the basis of which is hot pepper. In addition, 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 is not achieved within 6 months, the drug is canceled. Protectors are used in parallel with preparations based on hyaluronic acid. Thanks to such drugs, a shell of cells is formed that contribute to the formation of joint cartilage. Effective treatment of arthrosis can complement the intake of diacerein. Regenerates cartilage tissue. Improvement will come in two to 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 breast. It serves as a therapeutic and diagnostic method. When performing a bira, a needle is inserted into the affected joint, after which a small amount of fluid is taken. This fluid 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. By carrying out such a procedure, it is estimated what condition the joints are in from the inside. During the surgical intervention, a qualified specialist removes unnecessary cartilage, the patient will not suffer from pain.
Another method of surgical treatment is periarticular osteotomy. During the operation, the bones of the joint are assembled and fixed in the required position. Thanks to this method, the load on the affected area is reduced and the pain is eliminated. The procedure is considered to be a very 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 suffered significant deformations 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 arthrosis, otherwise complete immobility cannot be avoided. The use of a high-quality prosthesis will extend its service life up to 15 years.
Physiotherapy methods
The shock wave method helps to free the patient from osteophytes or resulting bone processes. Osteophytes are pain provoking. With the help of waves, such exits are softened and after a certain period of time they will be completely dispersed. In addition, there will be an improvement in the nutrition of the joints, metabolic processes are normalized. The effectiveness of this procedure has been proven in an early stage of arthrosis. For shock wave therapy, the patient must have a doctor's prescription. This is explained by the presence of numerous contraindications.
Another physiotherapeutic method includes myostimulation. Muscles are stimulated with electrical impulses. Myostimulation is prescribed for bedridden patients or those observing bed rest after an injury. Given that blood circulation in the affected area is normalized and muscle tone is increased, 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 gas mixture is injected into the affected joint. As a result, the patient gets rid of excruciating pain, the inflammatory process decreases, the joint becomes more mobile and the blood circulates normally. This method consists of several treatment courses. The duration of treatment depends on how severe the stage of the disease is.
Other treatments
An effective method to combat arthrosis is the use of a physiotherapy complex. By performing special exercises, the patient normalizes the blood flow in the affected area, strengthens the muscles. Classes start with simple exercises, then the load increases.
The use of manual therapy and lymphatic drainage massage helps to reduce pain, improve blood supply to the affected joints. This method is good because even immobilized patients can use it.
An addition to the medical and physical culture complex is the use of mechanotherapy. In this case, different simulators are used. With their help, 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 be toned.
When contacting a specialized center, the patient receives the most modern, safest and effective treatment, which will be selected individually, depending on the characteristics of his body. Depending on medical prescriptions, specialists guarantee a positive result at the same time with minimal financial costs for the patient.