One of the diseases of the joints is arthrosis. During the course of the disease, the cartilage in the joints is slowly destroyed. After a long time, various changes appear, the joint ends of the bones are rebuilt, the inflammatory process increases, and the periarticular tissues die. 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 the frequency of occurrence of joint arthrosis, it is the second after 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, arthrosis can develop in healthy people over 30 years of age.
Why the disease appears
The development of arthrosis is associated with damage to the metabolism of the joints. As a result, the cartilage loses its former elasticity. This can occur due to the complete or partial loss of the proteoglycans that are part of the 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, and psoriasis. The most common reason is abnormal loading of the joint, when the cartilage cannot withstand it.
In addition, some factors contribute to the development and development of arthrosis:
- Transmitted trauma. This includes dislocation, contusion, fracture, ligament tear, etc.
- Violation of metabolic processes.
- Excess body weight, as a result of which there is an additional load 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.
- Presence of autoimmune diseases. These include lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis.
- With general poisoning of the body.
- The appearance of frequent colds.
- In case of syphilis, tuberculosis, encephalitis, gonorrhea.
- With diseases of the thyroid gland.
- If blood clotting is impaired.
Types of the disease
The most common type is knee arthritis. The knee joint suffers. Such a diagnosis can be made in a person who is overweight, has disturbed metabolic processes, or has suffered severe stress. The disease can develop over many years, and when it reaches the last stage, immobilization of the knee can occur.
Ankle arthritis occurs in the ankle joint. The development of the disease can be triggered by the resulting injury, sprain, dysplasia, gout, diabetes mellitus. In some cases, rheumatoid arthritis can be the trigger. In most cases, the diagnosis is made in people whose professional activities involve regular excessive ankle stress (dancers, athletes, women wearing high heels).
Congenital defects or excessive loading of the shoulder joint can cause the development of shoulder joint arthrosis. Increased chance of getting sick from painters, plasterers, 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 the tissues of the joint. In most cases, such a diagnosis is made in people older than 45 years.
The development of cervical arthrosis occurs due to insufficient mobility of the cervical spine, obesity and trauma. Those who do sedentary work are at risk. The main symptoms of this type of arthrosis are limited joint mobility, dizziness, headache and fainting. This can be explained by the fact that the vertebral arteries feeding 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 in people older than 70 years. The main cases of such damage to arthrosis are observed in women, as their estrogen levels decrease with age.
How the disease manifests itself
The main symptom of arthrosis is pain during loading of the joints. The disappearance of this symptom occurs when the joint is relaxed. Pain in arthrosis has some characteristics. Sharp pain or significant discomfort is experienced when performing any motor operation. The localization of the pain is the place where the damaged joint is located. If you stop such movements, the pain will disappear.
During sleep, a person has no unpleasant sensations. The condition for this is the assumption 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 that, the cartilage thins and the bone becomes exposed, causing osteophytes to grow. Acute pain does not leave a person and intensifies in the presence of various factors.
Cracking is another indicative symptom of the disease. It can be heard due to the reduced softness of the joint rotation of the bone, and friction occurs between them. This is the reason for the characteristic sound. The presence of cracking is also inherent in other diseases, taking into account healthy joints. However, in case of arthrosis, a dry sound can be heard. As the disease progresses, such sounds become more lively. Along with the crackling, the person experiences pain.
Osteoarthritis can be recognized by the reduced mobility of the joint. The initial stage is characterized by the absence of such a symptom. However, as the disease progresses, bone tumors sprout, as a result of which the joint space disappears. In a person, a limb becomes harmless at the place where the joint is affected.
A characteristic sign of arthrosis is the deformity of the joints. They change due to the growth of osteophytes on the surface of the bone and the presence of synovial fluid. Deformity 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 own feelings. This means that a person should immediately see a qualified clinician to clarify the diagnosis. In the medical center, the patient is sent for an X-ray examination, as a result of which the different degrees of the course of the disease are determined:
- In the first stage, there will be no osteophytes, the joint space is slightly narrowed.
- 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 joint deformation are determined.
- In stage 4, the joint space is almost absent, multiple osteophytes and significant deformity develop.
How to diagnose arthrosis
Diagnostic measures begin with the assessment and examination of the patient. After that, the specialist prescribes an X-ray examination of the affected joint. In most cases, the X-ray is taken in two views. Thanks to this, the dystrophic change of the tissues can be seen, as well as the extent to which the cartilages and adjacent bones are affected. In patients with this disease, the joint space narrows and the location of the bone is deformed. Bone growths and osteophytes can be observed from such bones. In some cases, the stability of the joint may decrease, leading to subluxation.
The first sign of arthrosis, which can be seen in the picture, is osteophytes. First, the articular surface, namely the edge, becomes sharp. It then thickens, and the presence of outgrowths and spines can be observed. Taking into account the obtained X-ray image, the doctor draws the following conclusion:
- Doubtful arthrosis. This means that it was not possible to determine how narrowed the joint space was, however, the presence of small osteophytes was determined.
- Presence of mild arthrosis. Such a diagnosis implies a good visualization of the osteophytes, but the narrowing of the joint space is questionable.
- Presence of moderate arthrosis. This can be diagnosed when the joint space is clearly narrowed, the presence of osteophytes is not visible. In some cases, if such a diagnosis is made, bone deformity can be detected on an X-ray.
- Presence of severe arthrosis. With this diagnosis, the joint space is significantly narrowed and large osteophytes are formed. There will also be complete deformation of the joint.
Lifestyle with arthritis:
- Free the injured joint from overuse.
- Carefully follow the established orthopedic regimen.
- Use physical therapy.
- Take a physiotherapy course.
- Visit a sanatorium.
How should it be treated?
Medical method
Use of anti-inflammatory drugs. If you start therapeutic measures with an integrated approach, the course of the disease slows down, and the patient's quality of life improves significantly. With the help of medicines, you can relieve the pain and eliminate the inflammatory process in the joint. In this case, the doctor prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. An experienced doctor does not recommend taking such a drug orally. This can irritate the stomach lining. This means that the drug is best administered intravenously or intramuscularly. In some cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used as an adjuvant ointment.
If the disease worsens, the patient is prescribed hormonal corticosteroids. It is administered intra-articularly. It involves the introduction of hydrocortisone or diprospan. As an external remedy, they may prescribe the use of a special patch, ointment or tincture based on hot pepper. In addition, chondroprotectors are included in the medical treatment of arthrosis. They restore the cartilage and improve the quality of synovial fluid. The duration of therapeutic measures depends on the onset of improvement. If the expected result does not occur within 6 months, the drug must be canceled. Protectors are used in parallel with hyaluronic acid-based preparations. Thanks to such drugs, cell membranes are formed, which contribute to the formation of joint cartilage. Effective treatment of arthrosis can complement the intake of diacerein. Regenerates cartilage tissue. Improvement occurs within two to four weeks.
Surgical methods
If conservative methods could not cope with the disease, the patient is scheduled for surgery. One of the methods of surgical intervention is puncture. It also serves as a therapeutic and diagnostic method. During a puncture, a needle is inserted into the affected joint and a small amount of fluid is withdrawn. This fluid is sent to the laboratory for analysis. Thanks to this method, the load is removed from the joint and a medicine (corticosteroid) is injected.
Another surgical method is arthroscopy. During the procedure, an arthroscope is inserted into the affected joint through small incisions. During such a procedure, the internal condition of the joints is assessed. During the surgical intervention, a qualified specialist removes the excess 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 desired position. Thanks to this method, the load on the affected area is reduced and the pain is eliminated. The procedure is considered a fairly effective treatment for arthrosis, but is rarely used. This is explained by the introduction of anesthesia and the long recovery period.
If the joint has undergone significant deformation and cannot be restored, the patient is prescribed arthroplasty. This is a complicated and expensive operation. Prostheses can be made of ceramic, plastic or metal. After using the method, the patient experiences a long recovery period and pain. In some situations, this is the only way to help a patient with diagnosed arthrosis, otherwise complete immobility cannot be avoided. The service life of high-quality prostheses can be extended by up to 15 years.
Physiotherapy methods
The shock wave method helps to free the patient from developing osteophytes, i. e. bone processes. Osteophytes are pain provocateurs. With the help of waves, such growths are softened and completely dissolve after a certain time. In addition, the nutrition of the joint is improved, metabolic processes are normalized. The effectiveness of this procedure has been proven in the early stages of arthrosis. For shock wave therapy, the patient needs a doctor's prescription. This is explained by the presence of several contraindications.
Another physiotherapy method is myostimulation. Muscles are stimulated by electrical impulses. Myostimulation is prescribed for bedridden patients or those who are on bed rest after an injury. Taking into account that 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 effect of ultrasound waves and medication on the affected joint. The effectiveness of the procedures lies in the fact that the drugs get into 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 the severity 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, and then the load increases.
The use of manual therapy and lymphatic massage helps reduce pain and improves blood supply to the affected joints. This method is good because it can be used even by immobilized patients.
The addition of the medical and physical culture complex is the use of mechanotherapy. In this case, various simulators are used. With their help, the load on the classes increases, but the joints are not damaged. Thanks to the mechanotherapy, the blood circulation in the joints increases, the muscles become toned.
By visiting a specialized center, the patient receives the most modern, safest and most effective treatment, which is selected individually depending on the characteristics of his body. Depending on the medical prescriptions, the specialists guarantee a positive result at the same time as minimal financial costs for the patient.