One of the diseases of the joints is osteoarthritis. During this disease, the cartilage inside the joints is slowly destroyed. After a long period of time, various changes appear, the joint ends of the bones are rebuilt, the inflammatory process increases, and the periarticular tissues are destroyed. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common joint diseases in the world. According to statistics, the disease affects more than 70% of people around the planet. In terms of prevalence, joint osteoarthritis is second only to oncological and cardiovascular diseases. The older the person, the greater the likelihood of osteoarthritis. Men and women are equally affected by this disease. Furthermore, osteoarthritis can also develop in an able-bodied person over the age of 30.
Why does the disease appear
The development of osteoarthritis is associated with impaired metabolism in the joints. As a result, the cartilage loses its former elasticity. This can appear due to the total or partial loss of proteoglycans, which are part of the cartilage. Deep cracks in the cartilage contribute to this phenomenon. In addition, doctors claim that osteoarthritis 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 resist it.
In addition, some factors contribute to the emergence and development of osteoarthritis:
- Trauma transferred. This includes dislocation, bruises, fractures, ligament rupture, etc.
- Violation of metabolic processes.
- Excess body weight, as a result of which an additional load is applied to the joints.
- The presence of an inflammatory process in the joint (with acute purulent arthritis).
- Old age.
- Failure to comply with 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 blood clotting is impaired.
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 been under 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 can be the causative factor. In most cases, the diagnosis is made to those people whose professional activity is associated with regular excessive stress on the ankles (dancers, athletes, women in high heels).
The presence of congenital defects of the shoulder joint or an excessive load can provoke the onset of osteoarthritis of the shoulder. Greater chance of getting sick from a painter, plasterer, etc.
The presence of osteoarthritis 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 to those people whose age exceeds 45 years.
The development of cervical arthrosis occurs due to insufficient mobility of the cervical spine, obesity and trauma. At risk are those people who have a sedentary job. The main symptoms of this type of osteoarthritis are limited joint mobility, dizziness, headache and fainting. This is explained by the fact that the vertebral arteries that feed the brain are involved in the pathological process.
In spondyloarthrosis, 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 osteoarthritis damage is observed in women, as their estrogen levels decrease with age.
How the disease manifests itself
The main symptom of arthrosis is pain when there is a load on the joints. The disappearance of this symptom occurs when the joint is calm. Pain in osteoarthritis has some peculiarities. There is sharp pain or significant discomfort when performing any motor action. The localization of pain is the place where the damaged joint is located. If you stop such movements, the pain goes away.
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 as the disease progresses. Such sensations are reminiscent of a toothache. During this time, a person cannot sleep. Subsequently, 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 symptom indicative of the disease is a crunch. It is felt due to the reduced softness 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 crunch is also inherent in other diseases, taking into account healthy joints. However, with osteoarthritis, a dry sound is heard. As the disease progresses, such sounds become more vivid. Parallel to the crunch, a person experiences pain.
Osteoarthritis can be recognized by reduced joint mobility. The initial phase is characterized by the absence of this symptom. However, with the progression of the disease, bone neoplasms appear, as a result of which the joint space disappears. In a person, a limb is rendered harmless where the joint is affected.
A characteristic sign of arthrosis of the disease is deformity of the joints. They are modified due to the growth of osteophytes on the surface of the bone and the presence of synovial fluid there. Deformity refers to a later symptom, when the disease has significantly affected the joints.
The disease proceeds 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 visit a qualified doctor to clarify the diagnosis. In the medical center, the patient will be sent for an X-ray examination, thanks to which the various 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 more osteophytes and the onset of joint deformity are determined.
- At stage 4, the joint space is almost absent, more osteophytes and significant deformities are determined.
How to diagnose osteoarthritis
Diagnostic measures begin with a survey and examination of the patient. Next, the specialist prescribes an X-ray examination of the affected joint. In most cases, an X-ray image is acquired in two projections. Due to this, a dystrophic change in the tissues is visualized, and it is also determined how much the cartilage and adjacent bones are affected. In a patient with such a disease, there is a narrowing of the joint space and a deformation of the bone site. From such bones, bone growths, osteophytes can be observed. In some cases, there may be a loss of joint stability, resulting in subluxation.
The first sign of osteoarthritis, displayed in the image, are osteophytes. First, the joint surface, that is, its edge, becomes sharp. Then its thickening occurs, and subsequently the presence of growths and spikes is observed. Taking into account the radiographic image obtained, the doctor draws the following conclusion:
- Doubtful osteoarthritis. 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 osteoarthritis. Such a diagnosis means good visualization of the osteophytes, but the narrowing of the joint space is questionable.
- The presence of moderate osteoarthritis. 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 osteoarthritis. With this diagnosis, the joint space is significantly narrowed and large osteophytes are formed. There will also be a complete deformity of the joint.
Lifestyle with arthritis:
- Relieve the damaged joint from excessive stress.
- Carefully observe the established orthopedic regimen.
- Use physical therapy.
- Take a physiotherapy class.
- Visit a sanatorium.
How to treat?
Medical method
The use of anti-inflammatory drugs. If therapeutic actions are initiated 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 using this medicine by mouth. This can irritate the stomach walls. This means that the drug is best administered intravenously or intramuscularly. In some cases, as an adjuvant, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used as an ointment.
If the disease worsens, the patient is prescribed hormonal corticosteroids. They are administered intraarticularly. The introduction of hydrocortisone or diprospan is implied. As an external agent, they can prescribe the use of a special patch, ointment or tincture, the basis of which is hot pepper. In addition, chondroprotectors are included in the medical treatment of osteoarthritis. They restore cartilage and improve the quality of synovial fluid. The duration of the course of therapeutic measures depends on the beginning of the improvement. If the expected result does not occur within 6 months, the drug is canceled. Protectors are used in parallel with hyaluronic acid preparations. Thanks to such drugs, a shell of cells is formed that contribute to the formation of cartilage in the joints. Effective treatment of osteoarthritis can supplement the intake of diacerein. Regenerates cartilage tissue. The improvement will come within two to four weeks.
Surgical methods
If conservative methods did not cope with the disease, the patient is scheduled for surgery. One of the methods of surgery is a puncture. It serves both as a therapeutic and diagnostic method. When performing a puncture, a needle is inserted into the affected joint, after which a small amount of fluid is taken. This liquid 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. Carrying out such a procedure, it is assessed in what condition the joints are from the inside. During surgery, a qualified specialist removes unnecessary 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 required 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 osteoarthritis, but is used in rare cases. This is explained by the introduction of anesthesia and a long recovery period.
If the joint has undergone significant deformation and cannot be restored, the patient is scheduled for arthroplasty. This is a complex and expensive operation. The prostheses 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 osteoarthritis, otherwise complete immobility cannot be avoided. Using a high-quality prosthesis will extend its service life up to 15 years.
Physiotherapy methods
The shock wave method helps to rid the patient of the resulting osteophytes or bone processes. Osteophytes are pain provocateurs. With the help of waves, such growths are softened and after a certain period of time they will completely dissolve. In addition, there will be an improvement in the nutrition of the joint, metabolic processes will be normalized. The effectiveness of this procedure was demonstrated in an early stage of osteoarthritis. For shock wave therapy, the patient must have a medical prescription. This is explained by the presence of multiple contraindications.
Another physiotherapy method includes myostimulation. The muscles are stimulated with electrical impulses. Myostimulation is prescribed for bedridden patients or for those who observe bed rest after an injury. Considering that the blood flow in the affected area is normalized and the muscle tone is increased, this method is rarely used for osteoarthritis.
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 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 painful sensations, the inflammatory process decreases, the joint becomes more mobile, and the blood circulates normally. This method consists of several courses of treatment. The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the stage of the disease.
Other treatments
An effective method of combating osteoarthritis is the use of a physiotherapy complex. Performing special exercises, the patient normalizes blood flow to the affected area, strengthens the muscles. Classes begin 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 immobilized patients can use it too.
An addition to the complex of medical and physical culture is the use of mechanotherapy. In this case, various 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 tone up.
When contacting a specialized center, the patient receives the most modern, safe and effective treatment, which will be selected individually, based on the characteristics of his body. Subject to medical prescriptions, specialists guarantee a positive result at the same time with minimal financial costs for the patient.