Arthrosis (osteoarthrosis) is a disease of the joints that leads to the destruction of the joints.It affects 10% of the world's population.
When osteoarthritis is diagnosed, the symptoms are severe and the treatment of the disease must be comprehensive.
It is necessary to reduce stress, normalize nutrition, remove inflammation and relieve muscle spasms.What are the characteristics of arthrosis, how can its occurrence be determined, and what treatment should be chosen?
Arthrosis - what is it?
Arthrosis of the joints is degenerative changes in their structure, accompanied by pain and visible deformation.The second name of the disease, which is used in the international classification, is osteoarthritis.Let's see why it occurs and how it is diagnosed.Osteoarthritis - what is it?
The disease begins with malnutrition of the cartilage and its destruction.The inner layer of cartilage thins, the joint loses its strength, the bone tissue is filled with salts and growths (to compensate for the strength).
That's why arthrosis is called deforming arthrosis - as it develops, the joint takes on an ugly "twisted" shape.
Deforming arthrosis has three stages of development:
- degree osteoarthritis - no noticeable symptoms, except for a slight crunch and periodic pain during movement;
- degree of osteoarthritis - it is accompanied by the formation of growths, the appearance of noticeable pain, increased crunching, weakening of muscles;
- Grade 3 arthrosis is called the acute form of the disease.Acute arthrosis is accompanied by the appearance of joint deformities and limited movement.
Which joints are affected by arthrosis?
Deformation and inflammation most often affect the joints of the lower limbs - hips, knees, toes (usually the big toe).Less often - ankles and fingers.
However, the disease may develop in other parts of the body.
In case of coxarthrosis, the hip joints are affected (often the cause of coxarthrosis is untreated congenital dysplasia).The destruction of the vertebral joints is called spondyloarthrosis, and the destruction of the knee joints is called gonarthrosis.Damage to several joints is called polyarthrosis.
The symptoms of polyarthrosis are the severity of the general condition, the spread of the process, its curvature and simultaneous pain in several joints (legs, arms, fingers, spine).
In polyarthrosis, inflammation spreads asymmetrically and affects different bone joints in different ways.After the diagnosis of polyarthrosis, the duration of treatment varies.
Causes of arthrosis
The development of arthrosis is promoted by two reasons - stress and the lack of proper nutrition, which provides vitamins and minerals for the restoration of tissues.Everyone's joints are subject to stress.In the case of athletes and dancers, the load on the legs is greater during physical work, which means that the bone joints wear out faster and require quality nutrition.With a quiet lifestyle, the retainer wears out more slowly, but it also requires periodic tissue renewal.
Therefore, the main condition for the destruction and deformation of the joints is malnutrition and failure to absorb useful components, which often occurs due to metabolic disorders.
We list the factors that contribute to joint wear and metabolic disorders:
- Muscle weakness and improper loading of the joints.Weakness of one or more muscles increases the load on the joint and is unevenly distributed within the bony joint.Incorrect loading of the muscles also occurs in the case of flat feet and scoliosis, so with these "harmless" diseases, the cartilage tissue wears out with age and arthrosis appears.
The probability of arthrosis increases with intense physical activity.
If the daily load exceeds the capabilities of bone tissue, they formmicrotraumas.Thickenings appear at the site of injury, which grow and deform the joint over time;
- Metabolic disorders (gastrointestinal diseases - cholestasis, dysbacteriosis, gastritis, gallbladder inflammation, pancreatitis, metabolic disease - diabetes);
- Psychosomatic causes - the psychosomatics of arthrosis confirms that the negative emotional state is also the cause of the disease.Stress causes muscle spasms, constant stress disrupts the nutrition of all tissues (internal organs, bones, joints);
- Heredity (the type of metabolism and possible disorders are inherited, a tendency to muscle weakness or improper formation of the skeletal system, poor digestion - which is the basis for the development of arthrosis in old age).
Arthrosis is a disease of worn-out joints that have lost their mineral supply and their ability to withstand stress and destruction.
Therefore, the tendency to the disease increases with age.After the age of 70, every second pensioner is diagnosed with arthrosis.Since the maximum load falls on the legs (a person moves - walks, stands, runs, jumps), this is where the first signs of arthrosis develop.
Symptoms of arthrosis
Joint diseases can be diagnosed based on a number of painful symptoms - pain, swelling, crunching.
Symptom 1: Pain
The main symptom of the disease is joint pain.Its appearance is associated with the deformation of joint capsules and the formation of growths.
If you suffer from arthrosis, pain symptoms increase with movement and decrease with rest.
Or they appear in an uncomfortable position and disappear when they choose a position that is comfortable for the foot and joint.In this way, arthrosis differs from arthritis, in which, on the contrary, it hurts more often at night, at rest, and hurts less during the day, when a person "stimulates".
At the beginning of the disease, pain appears periodically (with movement or in an uncomfortable position).As the disease progresses, the pain becomes more frequent and stronger.It progresses to the point where rest does not bring relief, and the joints ache even at rest.Since the blood circulation is already damaged by this time, the joint becomes "sensitive" to changes in the weather ("it twists", it hurts).
Symptom 2: crunching
Crackling occurs due to the loose mutual arrangement of the bones in the diseased joint.
However, in healthy joint cases (with weak ligaments, hereditary mobility joints), a slight crackling may also occur.
Arthrosis crunch is characterized by growth.Over time, it becomes stronger, louder and more decisive.
Symptom 3: joint deformation and reduced mobility
This symptom appears as the disease progresses.It progresses with increased pain and is accompanied by an increase in salt deposits that prevent the joint from fully bending and straightening.The deformity becomes noticeable in the later stages of the disease.First, the joint swells, then "bumps" appear, unhealthy bending, "twisting" of the joint capsule.
Treatment of joints in osteoarthritis
The treatment of arthrosis (osteoarthrosis) is based on two postulates - stress relief and proper nutrition of the joints.How do we treat osteoarthritis to achieve sustainable improvement and stop cartilage destruction and bone tissue degeneration?The treatment of deforming arthrosis uses a complex approach.The patient is prescribed tablets and injections, poultices and physiotherapy.
When osteoarthritis is diagnosed, treatment cannot be unilateral.
You can not only feed the cartilage tissue with chondroprotectors or just relax the muscles.Unilateral measures will not help to cope with such a serious disease.
How to treat arthrosis correctly?During treatment, several areas of therapy are selected:
- Drug therapy: tablets, injections, blockades.In the case of arthrosis, treatment with tablets, powders and capsules supplies the body with chondroprotectors.Preparations containing chondroitin increase the synthesis of collagen, which nourishes and restores cartilage tissue.These are glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.They are made in the form of tablets, capsules or powders for the treatment of arthrosis.They help in the early stages of the disease and lose their effectiveness in an advanced stage, when the cartilage is almost completely worn out or destroyed.In this case, the patient undergoes surgery (endoprosthesis), replacing the destroyed joint with artificial tissue.Injections containing anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving components are also prescribed - blockades.And injections into the joint.In case of arthrosis, they deliver gels into the bone joint, simulating intra-articular fluid, as well as pain relievers and anti-inflammatory substances.
Injections into the joint ensure that the medicine reaches the center of the inflammation.
The use of such injections makes it possible to reduce the number of tablets for arthrosis.In addition, vitamin-mineral complexes are prescribed to nourish the tissues;
- Exercise therapy.In the case of arthrosis, the attending physician selects gymnastic exercises that you can perform independently at home.You can learn how to perform them in the exercise therapy classes at the clinic.
Arthrosis gymnastics helps to restore muscle tone and remove one of the causes of the disease - the weakness of muscle fibers;
- Physiotherapy treatment.These include shock wave therapy (destroys large salt deposits, normalizes blood flow, activates own collagen synthesis), oxygen therapy (saturation of the joint with oxygen), massage (relaxation of muscles and relief of joints), electrotherapy, wave techniques;
- Dietary foods.When osteoarthritis is diagnosed, the course of the disease depends on nutrition.In the case of osteoarthritis, nightshade plants (potatoes, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant) are excluded from the diet.In addition, arthrosis nutrition limits alcohol, sugar, baked goods, sweets;
- Use of additional amplifiers(orthopedic braces for joint support - orthoses);
- Alternative treatments.These include acupuncture (acupressure on reflex points that activate blood flow in certain parts of the body), homeopathic treatment and hirudotherapy.
For the successful treatment of arthrosis, the entire complex of the listed procedures and measures must be applied for several months (from 4 to 7).
Who treats arthrosis
Which doctor is a specialist in the treatment of arthrosis?We list the professionals who can provide effective help:
- A rheumatologist is a doctor who treats with therapeutic methods (pills, injections, physiotherapy);
- An arthrologist is a doctor specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of joint diseases, who masters the methods of conservative and surgical treatment, unfortunately a rare specialty;
- Orthopedist - most often works with patients on an outpatient basis, but in special research institutes, orthopedic surgeons perform surgical treatment;
- The therapist and the surgeon are doctors who are available at any clinic;you must contact them to receive a referral for initial examination and treatment.
Treatment of arthrosis with folk remedies
What can you do yourself?When arthrosis is diagnosed, treatment with home remedies often reduces pain and maintains mobility.
Osteoarthritis is often treated with gelatin (which the body uses to repair cartilage tissue).
Prevention of osteoarthritis
Prevention of osteoarthritis deformity consists of the following measures:
- Load limitation;
- Massage after physical activity;
- A complete healthy menu with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and bacteria (fermented dairy products), carbohydrates, fats and proteins;
- Overweight control.
When osteoarthritis is diagnosed, the course of the disease depends on preventive measures, nutrition and the presence of physical (emotional) stress.
Prevention of the disease is recommended for those whose work and daily activities involve increased joint stress.And also for those over 45 years of age.
Arthrosis is easier to prevent than to treat.It is easier to maintain a joint in a healthy state than to restore the cartilage tissue after its destruction.