Osteoarthritis: Symptoms, treatment

The causes of pathologyArthrosis develops following a violation of metabolic processes in the joints, in the bottom of which intra-articular cartilage begins to lose water and does not become elastic. The predisposing factors of these changes in cartilage can be internal and external causes:hormonal changes;age -related characteristics;genetic predisposition;rheumatoid arthritis;Excessive joint load;injuries and damage - dislocations, fractures, serious bruises, rupture of ligaments; Metabolism changes inside the joint associated with obesity, diabetes mellitus;hypothermia;Lower and unbalanced nutrition, following which the body does not receive calcium, omega-3 and 6, fats and proteins;inflammatory process in the joint;violation of blood supply to the femoral head - losses disease;blood coagulation problems, hereditary diseases;Autoimmune diseases - Red lupus, rheumatoid arthritis.Specific diseases that have nothing to do with joints, namely: namely: namely:syphilis;hyperthyroidism;Thyroidite.At risk are people engaged in heavy physical work, are forced to constantly hypothermal and to undergo an increased load on the mining of the musculoskeletal system, blacksmiths, athletes, movers, as well as pregnant women.

OsteoarthritisThe first symptom of osteoarthritis is pain at the slightest load of the joint, which passes quickly as soon as the joint is left alone. Osteoarthritis is characterized by 4 basic clinical signs:Pain - Pain in osteoarthritis has certain characteristics, unlike pain in the event of random bruising of the joint or inflammatory process. First of all, you should pay attention to the occurrence of discomfort and pain with any movement and load on the affected joint. It is worth a person to stop moving and withdrawing the load, because the pain passes immediately, which does not occur when injured or inflammation of the joint. At night, the articulation collapses practically hardly causes discomfort to the patient, painful sensations are only possible when the position of the body is modified, but they pass quickly. With a pronounced progression of destructive processes inside the joint, sharp pain can occur at night, which end up becoming stronger and make their adjustments to the lifestyle. Acute pain occurs with any change of time, the change of the moon phases, the slightest load.CRYST - This sound appears following a decrease in the softness of the rotation of the bones around the joint, which leads to the friction of the bones against each other and is accompanied by a characteristic crunch. As degenerative processes are progressing in the joint, the crunch becomes more pronounced and is accompanied by pain.Limiting the mobility of the articulation - at the initial stage of the development of the pathological process of the pronounced mobility restrictions, but as the destruction of the articulation progresses, it is increasingly difficult for the patient to carry out simple actions. In the end, the assigned articulation becomes completely immobilized.Joint deformation - osteophytes begin to actively develop on the surface of the bone and the synovial fluid accumulates. The deformation of the joint is observed in an advanced degree of pathological processes. The degenerative processes in the joint do not develop quickly, the disease is characterized by the stages of exacerbation and remission, from which patients are not in a hurry to request medical aid, thus contributing to the progression of destructive processes within the joint.

StepsThe stage of progression of the pathological process in the joint is determined using the examination of X -rays. Only 4 stages of the disease are distinguished:First of all - characterized by a slight narrowing of the joint gap, while there is no pathological growth on the bones;The second - there is a slight narrowing of the joint gap, osteophytes are formed on the surface of the bone;The third - the joint space is narrowed, on the surface of the osteophytes multiple bones, the joint is observed;The fourth - there is practically no joint deviation, there are several osteophytes, a pronounced joint deformation.

DegreeOsteoarthritis is expressed in the form of destructive degenerative processes in the joint, accordingly of which the cartilage is affected, changes in the capsule and the synovial joint of the joint develop, as well as in the ligaments which surround it and the bone structures. Depending on the severity and severity of these destruction, it is usual to distinguish 3 degrees of osteoarthritis.

The first degreeThere is no pronounced deformation or changes in the joint, but the composition of the synovial fluid is disrupted - this leads to an insufficient supply of joint tissues with nutrients, water and micro -elements, following which the cartilaanic does not quickly become elastic and not adapted to the charges. Over time, this causes inflammatory processes and is accompanied by pain during movement and load on the joint.In the first degree of osteoarthritis, none of their patients requires medical aid, attributing discomfort and pain to an uncomfortable pose during sleep, fatigue and an incorrect lifestyle. Sometimes the patient can notice a characteristic crisis in the area of the affected articulation, but that is not accompanied by serious pain, but only by discomfort, to which no one pays significant attention again. If osteoarthritis is accidentally diagnosed in the first step, the disease is easily treated.

The second degreeAt this stage, the disease is accompanied by processing processes of cartilage fabric inside the joint. The osteophytes develop intensely on the surface of the bone, and the more the load on the damage area is intensive, the more destruction will progress.At the same time, the patient complains of constant pain of real nature, which passes periodically and cannot be felt long. Then the disease progresses again. In the context of such a pathological process, the muscles surrounding the fiery joint gradually lose their functions, the patient of which is quickly tired and cannot resist physical activity, which he easily endured earlier. In the second degree of osteoarthritis, the patient progressively progresses in the deformation of the cartilage and the joint.

The third degreeIt is the most difficult. The intra-articular cartilage of the affected joint is thinner and intensively destroyed, which leads to a clearly perceptible deformation and to altered functions of the affected limb. The ligaments and muscles located next to the joint are a deficiency in nutrients and oxygen and gradually atrophy, which is accompanied by a pronounced loss of mobility. At the same time, the patient is tormented by acute pain all the time, which is improved by any attempt to modify the position of the body, with changes under the weather conditions and the phases of the moon and gradually leads to a complete loss of legal capacity.

Types of osteoarthritisDepending on the cause of the pathological process, primary, secondary and idiopathic osteoarthritis is distinguished within the joint.The primary develops as an independent, secondary disease, following an injury or an infection, and the cause of the idiopathic form is not known. In addition to the classification of the disease, depending on the cause of the pathological process, osteoarthritis is distinguished instead of location of destructive changes:Gonarthrosis is the most common type of pathology, characterized by damage to the knee joints. Most often, gonarthrosis is detected in people with an excess weight, with chronic metabolic diseases in the body, low immunity. Knee osteoarthritis is progressing for a long time and gradually leads to a complete loss of the motor function.The ankle osteoarthritis - The main causes of the development of degenerative processes in the ankle joint are injuries, dislocations, stretching, fractures. In some cases, the development of the pathological process can cause an autoimmune disease - rheumatoid arthritis. Ankle osteoarthritis is subject to dancers, women wearing high heels, athletes. The osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is the main cause of degenerative processes in this area are congenital anomalies in the development of the shoulder joint or excessive loads on this area, for example, when wearing heavy on the shoulders.Coksartrose or osteoarthritis of the hip joint - The main cause of occurrence is age -related changes in the tissues of the joint. At risk, people over 45.Arthritis in the cervical region - the causes are neck injuries, progressive osteochondrosis, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle. At risk, people working on the computer are in offices. In addition to the intense pain in the neck, patients pronounced stunning, inhibition of consciousness, memory and fatigue disorders. These symptoms are due to the compression of the vertebral artery through which nutrients and oxygen penetrate the brain. Spondylarthrosis - destructive destruction is subject to the tissues of the spine, namely its lumbar service. To the risk group of a woman during the occurrence of menopause, since spondylrosis progresses in the context of a deficiency of female sex hormones.Fingers' osteoarthrosis - is developing for the same reason as spondylrosis.Polyarthrosis - characterized by damage to several joints with progressive degenerative processes, while ligaments, muscles and surrounding the tissue joint are involved in the pathological process.

OsteoarthritisThe treatment of osteoarthritis is done better in the first stages, then the disease succumbs better to the conservative methods of therapy. It is very important to correctly establish the cause of progressive destructive changes in the joint and to stop these factors in time.The treatment of osteoarthritis is carried out in depth and consists in eliminating the inflammatory process, stopping pain syndrome, stopping the progress of the pathological process and, if possible, to restore lost joint functions. Conservative therapy includes the selection of medicines and physiotherapeutic treatment methods.

DrugsThe treatment of osteoarthritis is different with different places of location of the pathological process: Fingers and hands osteoarthritis - prescribe non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs in the form of cream ointments, gel. To prevent the progress of the pathological process, the chondroprotective technique is shown. After stopping an acute inflammatory process, massage therapy and physiotherapeutic methods are prescribed.With osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint - inside the joint, the patient is injected with injectively pain relievers and non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs. Ocuraly may prescribe admission drugs that will soften the muscles and slightly reduce the intensity of the pain. After the relief of acute inflammation and pain, physiotherapy and massage are indicated.Osteoarthritis of the knee joint - Locally prescribing non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs in the type of compresses, ointments, gels. The area of the affected joint shows physiotherapeutic therapy methods.Osteoarthritis of the hip joint - the compresses impregnated with ointment or frost of the group NSAIDs are applied to the area of the lesion and the analgesics injected into the joint.The osteoarthritis of the knee joint - ointments and gels with an analgesic effect is applied to the area of damage, and after the relief of acute pain and inflammation, physiotherapeutic treatment methods are indicated.Ankle osteoarthritis - The patient is recommended by strict rest with the maximum rest of the affected joint. As the acute inflammatory process reaches, physiotherapeutic procedures, baths, massage are prescribed.

Physiotherapeutic treatmentEffective physiotherapeutic methods, often used at various degrees of arthritis severity, include: The treatment with shock waves eliminates the patient from the growth of osteophytes, thus eliminating pain and restrictions from joint mobility;Muscle stimulation around the articulation affected by electricity - this procedure is very effective for patients with a pronounced limited mobility and allows you to improve blood circulation in the joint, to speed up regenerative processes, to increase muscle tone;Ozonotherapy - A gas mixture is introduced into the cavity of the affected joint, due to which the patient decreases, the mobility of the joint is normalized and signs of inflammation disappear. For the maximum effect, ozone therapy is carried out in the courses;Phonophoresis - The effect on the damage area by ultrasound waves using medication. This method of using medication is much more effective, as ultrasonic waves deliver the medication directly to the lesion.In addition, the treatment of physiotherapy includes exercise therapy, massages, manual therapy, mechanotherapy.

Food nutritionThe diet with osteoarthritis should be the most balanced and richer in polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, trace elements. It is recommended to include fresh fish, vegetable oils, cottage cheese, dairy products, meat, fresh vegetables and fruit in diet.Flour products and "fast" carbohydrates, chocolate, coffee, alcohol, pork, fatty and sharp dishes must be excluded from the diet.