Causes, symptoms and treatment of osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a disease whose symptoms everyone should know.This dangerous and very common pathology can be almost invisible at an early stage, but as it progresses, it can cause unbearable pain and even lead to disability.We will talk about how to avoid this in our article.

Why does arthrosis appear and when should you start treating it?

Painful sensations in the joints, "clicks" during movement and reduced mobility of the limbs often go unnoticed: most people do not attach importance to such signals from the body.Meanwhile, these symptoms can indicate a serious disease - arthrosis.

Deforming arthrosis is a disease that involves the destruction and thinning of articular cartilage tissue.In this case, the joint tissue becomes looser and grows, eventually leading to the appearance of bone spurs and inflammation inside the joint.

At an early stage, patients experience slight discomfort when moving, which they may not pay attention to.In the second stage of the disease, severe pain appears, leading to limited mobility of the joints.The third stage, in addition to pain, is accompanied by complete or almost complete destruction of the articular cartilage tissue.

With the help of timely therapy, you can significantly slow down the development of arthrosis, help maintain the mobility of the limbs and avoid serious surgical intervention - that is why it is so important to consult a rheumatologist at the first symptoms.

Treatment of arthrosis

From the point of view of European medicine, the treatment of such a serious disease as arthrosis requires an integrated approach, taking into account the symptoms of different stages of the disease.The complex of therapeutic measures, in addition to taking drugs, includes weight loss measures, kinesitherapy, physiotherapy and, if necessary, surgical intervention is prescribed.The treatment program is drawn up by a rheumatologist, taking into account the localization of the disease, the characteristics of the patient's body, but necessarily includes a whole set of actions aimed at combating the manifestations of the disease.

Drug treatment

The first task that arises in the treatment of arthrosis is to relieve pain and inflammation in the joint.For this purpose, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, ketorolac, piroxicam, diclofenac and their derivatives are prescribed - in the form of tablets, injections, gels, ointments or rectal suppositories.Remember that the use of this group of drugs relieves only the main symptoms of the disease.In addition, long-term use of NSAIDs can accelerate the process of cartilage destruction, so they should be used with caution and only according to a doctor's prescription.

The use of analgesics is another way to relieve the patient's pain.Unlike NSAIDs, analgesics relieve inflammatory processes to a lesser extent, but are more effective in combating pain.If muscle spasms occur, antispasmodics such as Mydocalm are prescribed.Both groups of drugs are most often used in the form of injections to relieve the symptoms of arthrosis, but they are ineffective in fighting the disease itself.

Chondroprotectors are one of the most important components of the drug treatment of arthrosis: they saturate the cartilage tissue with nutrients, stimulating cell growth.The group of chondroprotectors includes, for example, glucosamine, produced in the form of tablets or capsules.You should not expect a quick effect from the use of chondroprotectors: an improvement in the condition of the cartilage can be noticed only after long-term use of the drugs.In addition, they will not help if the disease has reached the third, most severe stage.

Vasodilators are used to improve blood flow, as well as to relieve spasm of small vessels.Taking such drugs in combination with chondroprotectors enhances the effect of the latter: nutrients enter the cartilage tissue in greater volume.

Physiotherapy

1. Shock wave therapy.The use of shock wave therapy (SWT) in arthrosis allows us to eliminate one of the main causes of pain: spiny bone processes - osteophytes.Under the influence of ultrasound waves, the "spike" softens and dissolves over time, improving the efficiency of blood flow and metabolic processes.Despite all its advantages, shock wave therapy is effective only in the early stages of arthrosis and has many contraindications, so it is prescribed with caution.
2. Automated electromyostimulation with verticalization.The use of electrical impulses to contract the muscles is recommended mainly in bedridden patients, as well as in the presence of severe injuries, when the necessary physical exercises are contraindicated.Although electromyostimulation is not the most common goal in arthrosis, its use helps to increase muscle tone and improve blood circulation, which has a positive effect on the dynamics of recovery.
3. Ultraphonophoresis.This procedure combines two types of impact - ultrasound waves and medication.As a result, phonophoresis allows you to significantly increase the effect of drugs: thanks to ultrasound, their substances are delivered to the "target" cells and absorbed by them much more actively.
4. Ozone therapy.The introduction of a gas mixture into the joint capsule reduces pain and inflammation, helps restore joint mobility and improves blood circulation.As a rule, ozone therapy is prescribed in a course of several injections depending on the severity of the disease.

Methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Chinese medicine, the restoration of joint health begins with a diagnosis, during which the general condition of the body is assessed and the underlying cause of arthrosis is identified.The doctor then draws up a program to affect the biologically active points.Complex treatment of arthrosis includes the following TCM methods:

• acupuncture (acupuncture) - placement of the finest needles on points in a certain combination;
• phytocompresses - "squeezing" of medicinal herbs;
• moxa therapy - heating with wormwood cigars;
• Tuina acupressure.

In this case, the focus is on acupuncture as the most effective method of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.The results of the therapy largely depend on the qualification of the specialist.In the hands of a qualified doctor, the patient will soon be able to notice an improvement in well-being, accompanied by pain relief, restoration of joint mobility, strengthening of the immune system, normalization of blood circulation and metabolism [2].

Other methods of non-surgical treatment of arthrosis:

• Physical therapy.Exercise therapy for arthrosis is considered an excellent way to improve blood circulation in the area of the affected joint, as well as to strengthen the muscles.As a rule, the doctor recommends starting with simple exercises and gradually increasing the number of repetitions.
• Mechanotherapy.Physical therapy can be supplemented with mechanotherapy - exercises using special simulators.The devices allow you to increase the load during gymnastics (due to different weights), while protecting the inflamed joint from damage.Like exercise therapy, mechanotherapy helps improve blood circulation and increase muscle tone.
• Stuck.The essence of the procedure is mechanical "stretching" of the joint using a special apparatus for 15-20 minutes.This allows you to reduce the load on the joint, delay the development of arthrosis and significantly reduce the patient's pain.A course consisting of 10-12 sessions is held approximately once every six months to improve and consolidate the result.
• Lymphatic drainage and warming massage.These procedures help to warm the diseased area, relieve spasm and pain, improve blood circulation in the joints.Lymphatic drainage and warming massage can also be used if the patient has limited mobility.
• Dietary nutrition prescription.Weight correction is one of the ways to significantly reduce the load on the joint and delay the development of arthrosis.Of course, following a diet alone does not contribute to recovery, but in combination with other procedures it can give a certain effect.
• Lifestyle adjustment.To fight arthrosis, the patient will have to significantly revise his usual lifestyle and start wearing only comfortable shoes, using only comfortable furniture, and women will have to give up high heels.It is also recommended to get rid of bad habits and eliminate excessive physical activity.In some cases, wearing a brace and regular visits to the pool and sauna will be beneficial.A comprehensive list of recommendations can be obtained from the attending physician, which he will compile based on the patient's condition.

Surgical treatment

1. Puncture (minimally invasive intervention).It is also used to diagnose the disease.A needle is inserted into the joint capsule, which takes away part of the fluid - this allows you to get material for analysis, reduce the load on the capsule and, if necessary, inject corticosteroid drugs directly into the site of inflammation.
2. Diagnostic arthroscopy.Arthroscopy involves the introduction of a special arthroscopic apparatus through microincisions in the skin.This allows you to thoroughly examine the joint, as well as remove the separated cartilage fragments, eliminating the causes of the inflammatory process and pain.
3. Corrective osteotomy.The essence of this surgical procedure is to file the patient's bones and then fix them at a different angle.The operation allows you to reduce the load on the joint and eliminate pain for a long period of time.Such a radical effect is rarely prescribed - the load on the patient's body is too great and the rehabilitation period is too long.
4. Endoprosthetics.In cases where other types of treatment have not helped and the disease has completely or almost completely destroyed the joints, they are replaced with prostheses made of plastic, metal or ceramics.Arthroplasty is a difficult and expensive operation that requires long-term rehabilitation.Many patients experience pain for several months after surgery.But arthroplasty is often the patient's only alternative to the prospect of immobilization.The service life of modern prostheses reaches twenty years, and during all these years the patient will be able to live a full life.

Symptoms and features of the treatment of different types of arthrosis

Despite the common characteristics of the symptoms, arthrosis of different joints has its own signs and characteristics of treatment.For example, the use of ointments for arthrosis of the hip joint is ineffective due to muscle and fat tissue, which does not allow the medicine to reach the site of inflammation.But the same ointments work well when applied to the knee or elbow joint.Let's look at what symptoms are characteristic of arthrosis of the joints (ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder, fingers and hip joint) and what treatment is suitable for each individual case.

• Treatment of arthrosis of the joints of the hand (fingers).At an early stage, the disease manifests itself only as a slight crunch and slight pain when moving the hands, but in the absence of treatment it becomes visually noticeable: noticeable thickenings appear on the phalanges in the joint area.The pain intensifies and becomes constant, a burning sensation and pulsation appear in the fingers.NSAIDs and corticosteroids are used to relieve pain and inflammation;massage, chondroprotectors, and finger traction are used to slow cartilage destruction.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint.Painful muscle spasms, reduced mobility of the hands, "lumbago" when lifting and moving to the side - all these are symptoms of arthrosis of the shoulder joint.Massage and physiotherapy are prescribed in combination with the use of antispasmodics and intra-articular injections of pain relievers.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the elbow joint.Symptoms of elbow joint disease include a loud cracking sound when bending the elbows and moving the arms, "shooting" pain and weakness in the muscles.To get rid of this type of arthrosis, physiotherapy procedures, compresses and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of ointments are used.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint.Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is characterized by "soft" crunching of the joints, painful or uncomfortable sensations in the lower back when moving or severe fatigue.In the treatment of the disease, painkillers are prescribed in the form of injections, capsules or tablets, compresses with anti-inflammatory solutions.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint.With gonarthrosis, patients complain of crunching sounds when moving, pain in the calf area, especially with heavy loads, an increase in the size of the joint.Complex therapy includes: shock-wave therapy, traction of the joints, physiotherapy, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ointments), use of compresses.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint.Numbness, redness, crunching, clicking in the leg area, rapid fatigue when walking - these symptoms indicate the development of arthrosis of the ankle joint.Physiotherapy, massage and medicinal baths are effective in the treatment of this type of disease.You should also reduce the load on the ankle.

To avoid the appearance of arthrosis, especially if there is a predisposition, you should adhere to simple rules: wear comfortable shoes, maintain physical activity while observing exercise precautions, avoid injuries and hypothermia.In order to prevent the disease, it is especially important to maintain a normal weight, because every extra kilogram increases the load on the joints.