Arthrosis – arthrosis is a well-known and widespread disease of the joints. What is it and how do you treat it? What are the symptoms of the disease and what are its main causes?
What is osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a disease that has devastating effects on the joints due to which cartilage degradation occurs in them.
A long course of the disease leads to a change in the ends of bones, and inflammatory processes destroy nearby tissues.
The list of joint diseases associated with arthrosis is not small and represents a group of ailments that have a similarly destructive effect, but have different causes and progression.
According to the collected statistics, up to 80% of the population suffer from various types of osteoarthritis, making it the most common joint disease. The disease is so common that it ranks third after oncology and cardiovascular diseases.
Due to non-compliance with a healthy lifestyle, the risk of developing the disease increases significantly over time.
Osteoarthritis is not such a Schott's disease and can affect both men and women, more loyally affecting only the interphalangeal joints. People who have reached the age of 30 are susceptible to the disease, and over time their numbers are increasing unchecked.
causes of osteoarthritis
The reason for the occurrence of such arthrosis and treatment is a violation of metabolic processes in the joint. This leads to a loss of strength and elasticity in the cartilage.
The reason for this is a significant decrease or complete disappearance of proteoglycans due to large tears in the cartilage.
Other reasons can also contribute, for example, a violation of the normal production of proteoglycans by the cells themselves.
Other causes that wreak havoc on joints:
- violation of metabolic processes throughout the body;
- deterioration of the hormonal background;
- slowing of blood flow to the joints;
- hereditary causes;
- high age;
- various injuries;
- Rheumatoid arthritis;
- Psoriasis.
But the main reason is non-compliance with the normal loads on the joints in everyday life.
Due to their unpreparedness, the unwillingness of a person to timely engage in physical exercises, warm-up exercises to strengthen the joints - cartilage is not able to fully perform its functions.
A long list of causes that can cause osteoarthritis:
- previously suffered injuries such as dislocations, fractures, contusions, torn ligaments and others;
- violation of metabolic processes that support viability;
- excess body weight, which leads to excessive stress on the joints;
- acute suppurative arthritis leading to joint inflammation;
- high age;
- malnutrition;
- prolonged excessive drop in body temperature;
- autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis;
- body poisoning;
- frequent colds;
- specific diseases: syphilis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, tick-borne encephalitis;
- thyroid disease;
- Hemophilia;
- Peters disease.
Other genetic causes of osteoarthritis are:
- Osteoarthritis of the hands and fingers can be inherited, as proven by scientists studying Bouchard and Heberden nodules;
- with dysplasia, which developed as a result of a violation of the formation of joints in the prenatal period, there may be excessive wear of the joints and the development of arthrosis;
- Mutations in type 2 collagen can disrupt the internal structure of the connective tissue fibril protein and lead to cartilage degradation.
If you are a bricklayer, miner, fisherman, loader or some of your work involves excessive physical exertion, there is a chance that without preventive measures you will also develop arthrosis.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis
For a full understanding of what osteoarthritis is and how it is treated, we will look at external manifestations.
The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis are: the manifestation of pain when the joint is loaded, which can subside with rest; deterioration of the motor functions of the joint; the appearance of crunches; Feeling of muscle tension around the affected joint.
The main thing is not to allow long-term tumors, as they can lead to early deformity of the joint.
Four symptoms of osteoarthritis
- pain symptoms. They are considered the first notification of arthrosis of the joints. The causes of pain can have a variety of causes, but in osteoarthritis the pain has certain characteristics. The main thing is the presence of severe pain that occurs at the site of the damaged joint during movement. The pain disappears after minimizing functional activity. At night, the pain practically does not manifest itself in any way, only with side-to-side bumps there may be slight discomfort. In a state of immobility, pain can manifest itself only in advanced forms. At this point, falling asleep can be difficult. Symptoms reappear early in the morning. As the disease progresses, a person needs more and more time to rest and recover. Even later, even at rest, the pain does not stop, turning life into constant torment. The cartilage is almost completely worn away, exposing the bone and erasing osteophytes.
- The occurrence of crunches. A symptom that should not be ignored. The crunching is caused by the friction of the bones against each other, as the softness between them decreases - this creates a distinctly "dry" sound. But it can also occur with other ailments, sometimes even with healthy joints. In severe forms of the disease, the noise can be strongerbecome and the pain intensifies.
- Decreased mobility of the joints. This is an additional symptom that does not accompany arthrosis in the initial stages, but in a neglected state it stimulates excessive growth of interosseous formations, which leads to spasms, and the gap between the joints is almost completely overgrown. And this is the main reason for the loss of mobility.
- joint deformity. This symptom implies degrading changes in the articular surfaces due to the growth of osteophytes and the flow of synovial fluid. It is one of the newest symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Due to the alternation of periods of remission and exacerbation, self-diagnosis of arthrosis is much more difficult. Therefore, relying only on personal feelings is not enough - the help of a specialist doctor is required.
Diagnosis - Osteoarthritis
To identify possible signs indicating the presence of the disease and the degree of its complexity, a study with radiography is used:
- In the first stage, no osteophytes are present and the gap between the joints is minimally narrowed.
- The second stage is characterized by a decrease in the joint space with a slight appearance of osteophytes.
- In the third stage, the decrease in the joint space is clearly noticeable, a large number of osteophytes are formed, deformation processes occur.
- In the last fourth stage, the gap between the joints almost completely disappears, the maximum possible number of osteophytes appears, the processes of deformation are in full swing.
Negative consequences of osteoarthritis
Ignoring the timely treatment of arthrosis leads not only to complete irreversible damage to the joint, but also provokes damage to the spine.
Herniated discs can form in the intervertebral discs. Osteoarthritis can spread to other healthy joints.
treatment methodology
As with any other dangerous disease, it is best not to start treatment, but to carry it out at an early stage.
Treatment methods should be comprehensive and aimed at eliminating the links that contribute to the progression of the disease, as well as strengthening the factors that contribute to healing.
What is special about the treatment of osteoarthritis? An integrated therapeutic approach consists in the use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.
However, physiotherapy courses are compulsory. When choosing treatment using the medical cure method, the climatic conditions should be selected in such a way that the effect on the joints is as favorable as possible.
The program should include procedures in mineral waters and mud baths.
The essence of the treatment of osteoarthritis is as follows:
- Diseased joints should be loaded as little as possible, this is particularly important to consider during treatment;
- You can not ignore the orthopedic regime;
- Compulsory health-promoting physical exercises;
- Carrying out physiotherapeutic procedures such asE. g. : electrical procedures, shock wave procedures, laser therapy;
- Recovery in the sanatorium - prescribed by a doctor and recommended once a year for passage to special resorts;
- Conducting oxygen therapy - the introduction of oxygen into the joint;
- Medical treatment;
- intraosseous blockage;
- Switch to a healthy diet.
Types of drug treatment
- Means that eliminate inflammatory processes. Complex treatment makes it possible to significantly slow down the course of the disease and thus save yourself from pain in the future. The medical method of treatment includes pain relief and elimination of inflammatory processes in the joints. For these purposes, drugs of non-steroidal origin are selected. They are often administered intravenously or intramuscularly, since oral administration can cause irritation of the stomach walls. As an additional remedy, various ointments are used, but due to their poor absorption by the body, they are not very effective, so they are used very rarely.
- Hormonal corticosteroids. Such drugs are prescribed when the disease worsens. They are inserted into the joint. A hot pepper ointment, patch, or tincture is applied externally to the damaged joint.
- The use of chondroprotectors. They help in the regeneration of cartilage, in addition, they improve the properties of synovial fluid. Medications such as glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate are prescribed.
The period of use of these drugs can be long and only stop when the patient is noticeably better.
If the drugs do not show the expected positive effect, their use is discontinued.
In parallel with chondroprotectors, you should take products with the addition of hyaluronic acid, which contributes to the formation of cell membranes in articular cartilage.
In very rare cases, when no other drugs have a positive effect, narcotic analgesics may be prescribed.
Healthy diet for osteoarthritis patients
Diet is perhaps the most important issue to address as soon as possible when the condition worsens from osteoarthritis. Whatever medication the patient is treated with, if the diet is improper, all these efforts can be in vain.
First, eat in moderation. Overweight people urgently need to lose weight, but they should not force themselves to starve, since the body must constantly receive all trace elements in sufficient quantities.
You need to limit yourself to the use of fast carbohydrates, which are found in sweet foods, as well as flour products. Avoid alcohol, especially beer.
Fish dishes are welcome. It is worth choosing low-fat varieties, and the fish should not be cooked fried.
The use of jelly is recommended for osteoarthritis. Since it contains a large amount of trace elements, it is useful for diseased joints.
The collagen it contains is of natural origin, which means that it is easily absorbed by the body and serves as the basis for connective tissue. With prolonged use of jelly, the joints become more mobile, and the nearby tissues become elastic and durable.
An important factor in the treatment is the timely intake of a sufficient amount of vitamins, especially group B. They ensure the normalization of metabolic processes in the body. Thiamine, found in beans and peas, improves the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
Pyridoxine is needed for hemoglobin to be produced in the blood. This substance is rich in potatoes, bananas, cabbage and nuts. Riboflavin is rich in eggs, liver, dairy, and mushrooms.
Legumes and vegetables provide the body with folic acid. The industry offers a wide range of vitamin preparations and dietary supplements.
However, vitamins and trace elements obtained from food are better absorbed by the body, which is an important factor in the restoration of cartilage tissue.
When treating arthrosis, certain dietary rules must be observed
- Eating should be frequent and in small portions;
- You can not eat before bedtime, you should refuse food that is difficult for the stomach;
- In order to reduce the load on painful joints, it is necessary to control weight and prevent obesity;
- Walking after eating during remission is a useful prevention against the aggravation of joint diseases.
- The selection or adjustment of the diet together with the doctor ensures a balanced diet.
This is how it is possible to defeat arthrosis. It is important to adhere to the treatment methodology and listen to the advice of the attending physician.