Symptoms, treatment and prevention of arthrosis
Every day a person moves and understands what a blessing this is, only when serious diseases of the musculoskeletal system develop. One of these pathologies is arthrosis. Why does this disease occur, will injections help with arthrosis of the shoulder joint, what are the consequences of arthrosis of the knee joint - these and other questions are often asked by patients at the doctor's appointment.
Arthrosis is the name given to dystrophic changes in one or another joint, in which cartilage tissue inside the joint itself is destroyed. This is a very complicated process with nuances of therapy - it should be prescribed only by a doctor (even, it seemed, banal knee pads for knee arthrosis).
The disease develops slowly but surely. At the same time, the following changes are observed:
- disorders from the articular cartilage;
- reorganization of the articular ends of bones;
- degenerative changes in the tissues that are located next to the joint.
Arthritis and arthrosis - what is the difference? In arthritis, an inflammatory lesion is observed, the tissues of the joint are not destroyed (unless we are talking about an advanced pathology). In arthrosis, there is no inflammation (it can join, but this is already a secondary disorder on the part of the joint), and the cartilage tissues suffer from the processes of destruction.
Which doctor treats arthrosis of bones, feet and similar impressions of other localizations? This is an orthopedist, orthopedic traumatologist and rheumatologist.
Causes of arthrosis
The main reason for the development of arthrosis is a decrease in the amount of proteoglycans in the cartilage. It is observed due to a number of factors that need to be known in order to eliminate them. Otherwise, medicines for arthrosis of the foot, hands, and knees simply will not help. These reasons are:
- inadequate load on the joints is the most common provoking factor;
- disorders of metabolism;
- hormonal failures;
- deterioration of joint blood flow;
- burdened heredity;
- old age;
- earlier injuries;
- some diseases - in particular, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
When dealing with the treatment and prevention of arthrosis, it should also be remembered that its development is facilitated by:
- intoxication;
- disorders from the blood coagulation system;
- poor nutrition;
- frequent hypothermia;
- autoimmune diseases and some other factors.
Symptoms of arthrosis of the knee joint and other localizations
The first manifestation of arthrosis is a pain syndrome. Pain in arthrosis of the uncovertebral joints of the cervical spine is as unpleasant as in the case of similar damage to the knee, elbow and other joints.
Symptoms such as:
- decrease in active and passive mobility of the joint;
- an unpleasant crunch;
- sensation of muscle tension in the joint area;
- swelling of soft tissues;
- with further progression of the disease - deformation of the joint.
Symptoms of arthrosis of the knee joint, hand joints, feet, intervertebral joints will be the same. At the same time, it should be taken into account that different joints are subjected to different loads. Thus, the dystrophic process can equally cover the patient, for example, the joints of the hands and feet. But at the same time, it will seem to the patient that his legs hurt more than his hands, because at that moment he can, depending on the circumstances, move more than perform some manual (manual) work.
The intensity of symptoms depends on the degree of development of the disease. As an example, consider the degrees of arthrosis of the hip joint:
- mild degree - pain sensations appear after intense physical exertion, after rest they disappear on their own. Other symptoms are not detected;
- medium degree - the pain syndrome is more intense, may occur with minor physical exertion. During a long walk, the patient begins to limp, the thigh muscles lose their strength;
- severe degree – pains occur at rest and even at night, the patient walks with difficulty, while he cannot do without a crutch. Movements in the joints are sharply limited, atrophic processes begin in the muscles.
Treatment tactics depend on the degree of the disease observed - therapeutic gymnastics and massage for arthrosis of the elbow joint will not help with its severe degree, medical assistance is required.
Diagnosis of arthrosis in the clinic
The most popular method in the diagnosis of arthrosis is radiography of the affected joint. Thanks to it, the degree of progression of the disease is determined:
- 1st stage (doubtful arthrosis) – the joint space is slightly narrowed, osteophytes (bone growths) are absent;
- 2nd stage (mild arthrosis) - insignificant narrowing of the joint space is observed, osteophytes are present;
- 3rd stage (moderate arthrosis) – pronounced narrowing of the joint space, multiple osteophytes are identified, signs of joint deformation are observed;
- 4th stage (severe arthrosis) – the joint gap is practically absent, there is a large number of osteophytes and pronounced deformation of the joint.
Diagnosis of arthrosis in the clinic also consists in the use of such methods as:
- computed tomography of the joint - to assess bone structures;
- magnetic resonance imaging - for the purpose of studying soft tissues;
- rheumatological tests - if there is a need to carry out a differential diagnosis of the described disease with rheumatoid impression of the joint.
Treatment. Methods of arthrosis therapy in sanatoriums
The treatment of arthrosis is based on the following purposes:
- deprivation of diseased joints from excessive loads;
- remedial physical education – a complex of physical therapy exercises for arthrosis of the knee joint may differ from exercises for damage to the elbow or hip joint, so all appointments should be given by a specialist;
- proper nutrition in order to maintain a normal weight and relieve diseased joints;
- physiotherapy course - magnetotherapy, shock wave, laser therapy and many others have proven themselves especially well;
- sanatorium-resort treatment;
- intra-articular oxygen therapy - saturation of the joint with oxygen;
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- chondroprotectors are medicinal products that protect cartilage.
One of the main methods of arthrosis therapy in sanatoriums is mud treatment and balneotherapy.
You can get more information about this disease on our website Dobrobut.com. We are also waiting for you in our clinic. Experienced specialists will answer all your questions - about the causes and symptoms of deforming arthrosis of the ankle joint, complications of arthrosis of the elbow joint, modern methods of treatment for damage to the intervertebral joints, and so on.
Related services:
Remedial physical education (Exercise)
Massage
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