Osteoarthritis: symptoms, treatment

Osteoarthritis - it is degenerative-degenerative diseases of the joints, characterized by slow and progressive destruction of intra-articular cartilage. Arthritis includes a group of joint diseases is destructive-inflammatory in nature, which have different causes and similar mechanisms of development.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common diseases in the world, which occupies a leading position in women and men above 30 years and with age the risk of developing the disease only increases.

The causes of the pathology

Osteoarthritis develops due to violation of metabolic processes in the joints, in the background, which is intra-articular cartilage begins to lose water and becomes flexible. Predisposing factors similar changes in the cartilage can be internal and external causes:

• hormonal changes;
• age features;
• genetic predisposition;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• excessive load on the joints;
• delegated injuries and injury – sprains, fractures, severe contusions, rupture of ligaments;
• changes in metabolism within the joint, associated with obesity, diabetes;
• hypothermia;
• defective and unbalanced diet, which sees the body loses calcium, omega-3 and 6, fats and proteins;
• the inflammatory process in the joint;
• violation of the blood supply to the femoral head – a disease Pertusa;
• problems with blood clotting, a hereditary disease;
• autoimmune diseases – lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis.

Trigger the development of arthrosis can also specific disorders that have nothing to do with the joints, and this:

• gonorrhea;
• syphilis;
• hyperthyroidism;
• thyroiditis.

In the risk group are people who are engaged in heavy physical work, are forced to constantly supercool and is experiencing an increased burden of musculoskeletal the musculoskeletal system – the miners, the blacksmiths, the athletes, the movers, but also pregnant women.

The symptoms of arthrosis

The first symptom of osteoarthritis is pain at the slightest load on the joint, which passes quickly, as soon as the joint left alone. Osteoarthritis is characterized by 4 basic clinical symptoms:

1. Feelings of pain – the pain in osteoarthritis has some of the features, apart from the painful feelings in accidental injury to the joint helena inflammatory process in it. First of all, you should pay attention to the occurrence of discomfort and pain with every movement and load on the affected joint. Worth the person to stop the movement and remove the burden, as is the pain instantly goes by, what happens when injuries helena inflammation of the joint. In the night, collapsing the joint virtually does not cause the patient unpleasant, painful sensations are possible only when changing the position of your body, but they pass quickly. When expressed the progression of the destructive processes within the joint in the night may experience a sharp shooting pain, which with time become stronger and make their adjustments in way of life. Acute pain appears when the weather changes, the alternation of the phases of the moon, the slightest exertion.
2. Crisis – this sound appears due to the reduction in the fineness of the rotation of the bone around the joint, which sees to the rubbing of the bones themselves and is accompanied by the characteristic crunch. With the progression of the degenerative processes in the joint, crunching becomes more pronounced, and is accompanied by pain.
3. Limitation of motion of the joint – in the initial stage of development of the defective process of explicit restrictions on the mobility is not, but with the progression of joint destruction from the inside the patient is still difficult to perform simple actions. Eventually, the affected joint becomes completely immobilized.
4. Deformation of the joint – on the surface of the bones are beginning to actively grow osteophytes and piling up of the synovial liquid. Deformation of the joint occurred in the running extent slow down the disease process.

Degenerative processes in the joint develops quickly, for the diseases are characterized by phases of exacerbation and remission, what the sick are in no hurry to seek medical help, and thereby contribute to the progression of the destructive processes within the joint.

Phase

The phase progression of the disorder process in the joint is determined by using x-ray studies. Issued just 4 degrees of the disease:

1. The first is that it is characterized by smaller joint space narrowing, while no pathological growths on cubes no;
2. Second – there is a slight narrowing of the joint space, on the surface of the bone to form osteophytes;
3. Third – articular slit is narrowed on the surface of the bone more osteophytes, there was deformation of the joint;
4. The fourth – articular cleft virtually any, are present more osteophytes, expressed deformation of the joint.

Extent

Osteoarthritis is expressed in the form of degenerative-destructive processes in the joint, due to which the affected cartilage, with the evolving changes in the capsule and synovial cover the joint, but also in the ligaments around it and bone structures. Depending on the severity and the seriousness of the aforementioned destruction, has decided to allocate 3 degrees of arthrosis.

The first degree

Referred to the deformation of helena the changes in the joint no, but is disturbed by the composition of the synovial fluid – this has resulted in sub-optimal securing of the joint tissues with nutrients, water and trace elements, thus the cartilage is quickly becoming flexible and not adapted to the load. Over time, this causes inflammatory processes and is accompanied by pain on movement and loading the joint.

In the first stage of arthrosis, no one of their patients ignore medical advice, writing off the discomfort and pain in the unpleasant posture of your body during sleep, fatigue, bad way of life. Sometimes the patient can perceive the characteristic crunch in the affected joint, however, this is not accompanied by severe pain, but just discomfort, again, no one pays much attention.

If arthrosis randomly diagnosed in the first stage, the disease is easily treatable.

The second stage

In this stage of the disease is accompanied by destructive processes of cartilage inside the joint. On the surface of the bone to hard growth of osteophytes, with the more intense load on the area of the lesion, the more pronounced will be the progress of destruction.

When this patient complains of constant pain, yelping and shooting character, which are held regularly by themselves and may for a long time to make itself known. Then the disease again progresses. On the background of such a defective process of the muscles that surround the joint pain, gradually lose their function, of which the patient quickly gets tired, and cannot resist physical stress, which are without a job endured previously. In the second stage of arthrosis in a patient gradually develops deformity of the articular cartilage and the joint.

The third degree

It is the most difficult. Intra-articular cartilage of the affected joint, thinner and hard to break down, which sees to a clearly noticeable distortion and violation of the functions of the affected limb. In the vicinity of the joint ligaments and missty suffer from a lack of nutrients and oxygen, and gradually atrophy, which is accompanied by a significant loss of mobility. While sick the whole time suffering from acute pain, which is amplified each time you try to change the position of your body when the weather changes and the phases of the moon and gradually see to the complete loss of legal capacity.

Types of arthrosis

Depending on what reason caused the disease process in the joint, we distinguish primary osteoarthritis, secondary and idiopathic.

The primary develops as an independent disease, the secondary, as a result of an injury, helena of infection, and the reason why the idiopathic form is not known. In addition to the classification of the disease depending on the cause of the disturbance process we distinguish between arthritis in the place of localization of destructive changes:

1. Gonarthrosis – the most common kind of pathology, which is characterized by the defeat of the knee joints. Most of gonarthrosis detect in people with overweight, with chronic diseases of the metabolism in the body, weak immunity. Knee osteoarthritis progresses over a long period of time and gradually see to the complete loss of motor function.
2. Osteoarthritis ankle – the main causes of the development of degenerative processes in the area of the ankle joint are delegated trauma, dislocation, sprains, fractures. In some cases the development slow down the process of the disease can trigger an autoimmune disease – rheumatoid arthritis. Ankle arthrosis exposed to dancers, women who wear high heels, athletes.
3. Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint – the main cause of degenerative processes in this section are congenital anomalies of development in the area of the shoulder joint helena excessive load on the guest, for example when carrying heavy luggage on shoulders.
4. Coxarthrosis helena arthrosis of the hip joint – the main cause is age-related changes in the tissues of the joint. In the risk group of people over the age of 45.
5. Encountres helena osteoarthritis of the neck – the reasons are neck injuries, progressive degenerative disc disease, obesity, a sedentary way of life. In the risk group of people working at computers in the offices. In addition to the expression of pain in the neck in patients with celebrated, expressed dizziness, depression of consciousness, memory disorders and fast fatigue. These symptoms are caused by compression of the vertebral artery, through which the brain come nutrients and oxygen.
6. Spondiloartrozom – destructive prone to tissue destruction of the vertebral pillar, and that is the reason lumbar of his department. In the risk group of women in the period of the onset of menopause, because spondiloartrozom progresses on the background of the lack of female sex hormones.
7. Osteoarthritis of the fingers on the hands – develops from the same reason that spondiloartrozom.
8. On the polyarthrosis – is characterized by the defeat of the multi-joints with progressive degenerative neural processes in them, and yet the disease process involved ligaments, muscles and surrounding tissues of the joint.

Possible complications

In the absence of timely diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis will deepen, spread to other joints, promote the development of gruzevich lugs and development total for polyarthrosis.

Complications of arthritis are the following conditions:

• the destruction of the integrity of the joint;
• the deformation of the shape;
• restrictions on mobility;
• the patient's disability.

All of these complications lead to a significant reduction in the quality of life of the patient, compliance with related diseases and disorders, complete immobilize the patient.

Methods of diagnosis

For the diagnosis of the disease, the patient should seek the assistance of traumatologist-orthopedist. In order to distinguish arthritis from other diseases of the joints and musculoskeletal system prescribe x-rays in 2 planes. This study allows to determine the modified sections of tissue adjacent to the affected joints in between, the availability destruction in the bones and ligaments, osteopenia growths.

If necessary, the doctor may prescribe additional patient MRI, ct scan, arthroscopy. In some cases, produce a puncture of the joint to supply a sample of synovial fluid.

Treatment of arthrosis

Treatment of arthrosis is best to produce in the early stages, then the disease better defies conservative methods of therapy. It is very important to correctly establish the cause of progressive destructive changes in the joint and in time to stop these factors.

Treatment of arthrosis currently underway to comprehensively and involves the removal of the inflammatory process, relief of pain syndrome, stop the progression of the failure process and on the possibility of restoring lost functions of the joint. Conservative therapy includes the selection of drug medication and physiotherapy methods of treatment.

Treatment treatment

Treatment of arthritis of different in different places of localization of the faulty process:

1. Osteoarthritis of the fingers, hands and arms – the patient is to reduce pain syndrome prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of ointment, cream, gel. For the prevention of progression of disorders of the process is shown receiving chondroprotectors. After a cupping of an acute inflammatory process prescribe massage and physiotherapy methods and therapy.
2. When osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint – in joint of the patient introduced the injection of analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Orally may prescribe the intake of antispasmodic drugs that will relax the muscles and some to reduce the intensity of pain. After the relief of acute inflammation and pain proven, therapeutic exercise and massage.
3. Osteoarthritis of the knee joint – prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs topically in the form of compresses, ointments, gels. The guests of the affected joint, showing the rehabilitation methods and therapy.
4. Arthrosis of the hip joint – to the guests of the action of the trigger compresses, soaked boban friends helena gel NSAIDS, and intra-joint injection of the analgesic injections.
5. Osteoarthritis of the knee joint – the zone of destruction, causing the ointments and gels with painkillers effect, and after the relief of acute pain and inflammation shows rehabilitation therapy.
6. Ankle osteoarthritis – the patient is advised strict bed rest with maximum peace of mind in the affected joint. How remitting acute inflammatory process are assigned physiotherapy, baths, massages.

Physiotherapy treatment

To effective physiotherapy techniques, which are often used in different degrees of severity of osteoarthritis include:

• The shock characteristic treatment – effectively relieves the patient from the growths of osteophytes, thereby eliminating the pain and limitation of motion of the joint;
• Stimulation of the muscles around the affected joint current – this procedure is very effective for patients with scars limited mobility and it helps to improve blood circulation in the joint, accelerate regenerative processes, improve muscle tone;
• Ozone therapy – in the cavity of the affected joint is introduced in the gas mixture, due to which the patient, reduces pain, normal mobility of the joint, disappear signs of inflammation. For the maximum effect of ozone therapy is performed by courses;
• Phonophoresis – the impact on the guests of the action of ultrasonic waves with the help of drugs. This method of application of drugs is much more effective, because the ultrasonic waves are bringing the drug directly to the lesion.

In addition, physiotherapy to treat include exercise therapy, massage, manual therapy, mechanotherapy.

Diet

Diet for osteoarthritis should be a maximum balanced and rich polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, trace elements. It is recommended to include in the diet of fresh fish, vegetable oils, cottage cheese, dairy products, meat, fresh vegetables and fruits.

From the diet is necessary to exclude flour products and "fast" carbohydrates, chocolate, coffee, alcohol, pork meat, fatty and salty foods.

Surgical treatment

If conservative methods of treatment have led to the anticipation of the outcome of the helena osteoarthritis diagnosed on the running stage, when they are expressed degenerative changes of the joint with the scars reduced mobility, then the patient is prescribed operative intervention.

Surgical treatment of arthritis takes place in several ways:

1. Puncture of the affected joint, this way it is simultaneously diagnostic and therapeutic. Plot a sample of synovial fluid makes it possible to accurately determine the nature of the origin of the disease and to pick up effective used drug. during The operation, when the injection into the joint injected corticosteroids and various anti-inflammatory drugs that instantly relieves pain and relieves pressure on the joint.
2. Arthroscopy – into the cavity introduces an arthroscope for a thorough examination of the joint from the inside. During the surgery, the doctor can immediately remove the growths on the bone, and various neoplasms.
3. Osteotomy – in the course of the operation the bones of the joint a little adjusting special tools and fix it in the correct position, which not only allows you to restore the musculoskeletal system function, but also to relieve the patient from discomfort and severe pain.
4. Prosthetic joint – a ruined joint is removed and in its place install a prosthesis of high quality material, which is fully taking on the position of the lost joint, to provide full mobility of the limbs, and relieve the patient from pain.

Prevention

Prevention of arthrosis lies in a comprehensive trip:

• maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle;
• rational and complete nutrition;
• exclusion of bad habits;
• prevention of injury and damage to the joints;
• timely treatment of inflammatory processes.

People of the group risks it is necessary to pay particular attention to the countless changes in the work of the joints and upon the occurrence of the pain, the crunch and creak immediately seek the advice of traumatologist-orthopedist.