Causes, arthrosis symptoms, its complications and treatment methods

Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints, which is considered dystrophically and is associated with slow destruction of the cartilage in the joint.In the case of osteoarthritis, changes occur over a long time to restructure the joints of the bones, inflammatory processes underway and the degeneration of periosematic tissues occur.A something like "arthrosis" also does not include a very large group of joint diseases degenerative anti -inflammatory nature, which have different causes and similar mechanisms of their development.

According to statistical data, osteoarthritis is considered to be the most common joint diseases in the world in one or the other, up to 80% of the world's population under osteoarthritis.L of this kind are very common and are in third place according to oncology and cardiovascular diseases.

The likelihood of developing osteoarthritis with age increases many times over.The disease also affects both men and women, the exception is only osteoarthritis of the Inter -Phalanx joints, since it is most often noticed in women.Osteoarthritis overtakes people of working age - from the age of 30 and every year the number of sick people increases steadily and steadily.

The causes of osteoarthritis

The arthrosis develops due to metabolic disorders in the joint, which in turn means that cartilage loses elasticity.This can be facilitated by a complete or partial loss by the composition of the cartilage of prototoglycans.This usually happens due to rather deep cracks in the cartilage itself. The loss of protoglycanes can occur for another reason: due to the failure of their production by shared cells.

The following reasons can influence the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis:

• Earlier injuries proposed.It can be transfers, bruises, fractures, ligaments and other damage.
• Metabolic disorders.
• Excess body weight that leads to additional loads on the joints.
• The inflammatory process in the joints is acute purulent arthritis.
• Older age.
• Low quality of strength.
• Settlement.
• Autoimmune diseases - Red Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis.
• General poisoning of the body.
• Frequent colds.
• Specific inflammation - syphilis, tuberculosis, tick -encephalitis, gonorrhea.
• Thyroid diseases.
• Violation of blood clotting (hemophilia).
• The pertes disease is a violation of the blood supply to the thigh head.

In the near future, an illness such as osteoarthritis, the professions of which: Mason, Bergmann, Fischer, Schmied, Metallurg - and other activity areas are related to increased physical workers.

Symptoms of arthrosis

Symptom of osteoarthritisIn the load of the joint, which subsides when the joint subsides in peace;Reduction of mobility of the joint, crunch, a feeling of muscle tension in the joint.The joint affected by osteoarthritis can swell and deformed over time.

Consider the following 4 large groups of arthrosis symptoms:

• Pain.The presence of pain is the first sign of osteoarthritis of the joints.It can be assumed that similar sensations occur in the event of damage, but with osteoarthritis the pain is some characteristics.First, this is the occurrence of sudden pain or considerable complaints in movements.It is located in the place where the painful connection is located.If a person stops the movement and goes into a hibernation, the pain runs.At night, a person has practically no unpleasant sensations, unless the patient finds calmly during body activities when he finds the optimal position.During the break, pain only occurs in the progress of the disease.You have a certain resemblance to tooth harden if a person cannot fall asleep.They show themselves closer in the morning - at 5 a.m.At the beginning of the pain there is practically no pain, it can only be felt with load or palpation, over time the suffering of a person is reinforced, and the joint requires more and more peace periods.Then life completely turns into torture - the hyaline cartilage is diluted, the bone is exposed, osteophytes begin to grow.Acute pain torments almost constantly and increases even more in bad weather and full moon.
• Crunch.An equally individual symptom for osteoarthritis is the presence of crunch.It becomes audible because the softness of the rotation of the bones in the joint is reduced, rubbing them on top of each other, with a characteristic sound.There is crispiness in other diseases, and even if the joints are healthy.But it is exactly such a crispness that is characterized by the "dry" sound.The more the disease progresses, the brighter the sound becomes.When a crunch can be heard, the pain will also be felt.This is what makes it possible to distinguish the sound with arthrosis from the usual harmless click.
• Reducing mobility in the joints is another characteristic symptom of osteoarthritis.In the initial phase, this phenomenon does not disturb the patient, but with the progress of arthrosis, the germination of bone -navaloplasms means that the muscles are cramped and the articular gap almost completely disappears.This is the cause of the immobility of the limbs.
• Joint deformation.Its modification is determined by the fact that osteophytes grow on the surface of the bones and the synovial fluid arrives.Although the deformation is one of the latest symptoms, arthrosis is to a large extent.

The course of the disease is characterized by the stages of tightening and the remission stages.This makes the independent diagnosis of osteoarthritis significantly difficult and is only based on its own feelings.It is therefore necessary to clarify the diagnosis for the doctor.

Degree of arthrosis

Arthrosis is characterized by degenerative dystrophic changes in the joints that a person pursue in the form of a chronic disease.The result of such a destruction is the defeat of the cartilage joint, pathological changes in its capsule and the synovial bowl in ribbons and bone structures.

It is common to distinguish between three degrees of arthrosis that characterize the different severity of the course of the disease and have different symptoms.

1 degree of arthrosis

In the first stage of the development of osteoarthritis, serious changes in the joint morphology are not observed.Only the composition of the synovial fluid is disturbed.It delivers the articular fabric with poorer nutrients, so that the cartilage loses its earlier resistance to the burdens familiar to it.This means that cartilage tissue is inflamed, a person pain.

The patient can complain about insignificant stiffness in the joints, but most often he does not pay attention to this feeling, with tracing such a violation of health changes in the weather, unpleasant pose, etc.

Sometimes a weak crisis can be heard in the area of the affected joint.Pain can be painful.If the disease is diagnosed at this stage, it is possible to cope with conservative methods.

2 arthrosis level

The second arthrosis level is accompanied by the destruction of cartilage.Bone growth appear on the edges of the joint.The more intensely the cargo, the stronger the cartilage tissue of the connection is destroyed.

One person experiences constant pain to which they get used to.The inflammation now calms down and then worsens again.

The muscles that surround the joints lose their earlier functions, but mostly such disorders are weak or moderate.At this stage, a person can therefore refuse to visit the doctor.

After a short load on the legs, a person can experience fatigue.At the same time, the painful pain in the joints becomes acute.The crystal during the movement increases, which is explained by bone growth.

The deformation process begins in the second degree of the development of arthrosis in the joints, so that you definitely have to search for medical help.

3 arthrosis degree

The third degree of arthrosis is most serious.The joint cartilage of the affected joint is not only diluted, but also began to collapse, and the pathological herds are already quite large.The connection is very deformed, which influences the normal axis of the extremity.

The ligaments that had surrounded the joint earlier lose their functional activity, which will be short, which influences the mobility of the arms or legs.

During this time, a person has contract and subluxation.The muscles that surround the joint are shortened and stretched, they are difficult to forgive.The connection itself and the nearby fabrics suffer from inadequate nutrition.

A person is tortured by severe pain, it is acute and sharp.Even in peace, the patient experiences significant symptoms.The third arthrosis degree is associated with the risk of a complete loss of human capacity.

Types of osteoarthritis

Depending on the cause of osteoarthritis, a disease is distinguished with unclear etiology, i.e. idiopathic osteoarthritis.Most of the time, it is diagnosed in people over 40 years.There is also secondary osteoarthritis that occurs against the background of obvious causes (after joint inflammation, with endocrine diseases, etc.).

In addition to the fact that arthrosis is classified depending on the cause of their occurrence, the following varieties of the disease are differentiated:

• Knee osteoarthritis or gonarthrosis.This is the most common type of illness.At the same time, the knee joints suffer.Pathology is most commonly diagnosed in people with an excess body weight, against the background of the metabolic impairment in the body and due to stress.The disease develops over the years, in the late phase the knee completely loses its mobility.
• Ankle arthrosis.The ankle joint is affected in this type of illness.The disease develops against the background of injuries, with the ligaments stretch due to the available dysplasia, gout and diabetes.Sometimes the cause of pathology is rheumatoid arthritis.In most cases, ankle arthrosis is diagnosed in humans whose work is associated with excessive loads in this area: for dancers, athletes, women who wear shoes shoes.
• Shoulder arthrosis.The main reason for the pathology is regarded as innate defects of the shoulder joint or as excessive loads.The risk group includes carriers, plasters and people who are busy with hard manual work.This also includes osteoarthritis of the elbow joint.
• Osteoarthritis of the hip joint or coxarthrosis.This is one of the heavy types of pathology.The main reason is age -related changes in joint tissues.The risk group comprises people over 40 years.
• Cervical arthrosis.The reasons that can lead to the development of this pathology: inadequate mobility of the cervical spine, obesity and injuries.The risk group includes people who deal with sitting work.In addition to the main symptoms of arthrosis in the form of pain and restrictions on joint mobility, patients have dizziness, headache and sometimes even loss of consciousness.This is due to the participation of the vertebral artery in the pathological process that feeds the brain.
• Osteoarthrosis of the hands and fingers.In this case, the blinding joint is damaged, the joints of the fingers etc. Mostly women who occurred during the menopause suffer from a pathology.
• Spondyl arthrosis in which the joints and cartilage of the spine suffer.After 65 years, the disease is most common in people in old age.Women are mainly suffered from him, which is explained by a decrease in estrogen level according to the climax.
• In polyosteoarthrosis.This is a degenerative disease in which peripheral joints, ligaments and tendons suffer.The joints of the spine can be involved in the pathology.

Complications of arthrosis

If osteoarthritis does not pay proper attention, do not treat them in time and correctly, this can not only lead to the full destruction of the diseased joint, but also to change the biomechanics of the spine, which is why hernias can occur in the intervertebral discs and the development of osteoarthritis in other healthy joints can begin.The complication of the arthrosis of the joints is better not to be allowed.

The following pathologies differ as the main complications of arthrosis:

• Destruction of the joint.
• Joint deformation.
• The impossibility of performing movements.
• Disability of the patient.
• Violation of the biomechanics of the spine and other joints.
• Hernia of the intermediate disc discs.
• Reduction of the patient's standard of living.

Diagnosis of osteoarthritis

In order to make a diagnosis, the doctor must ask and examine the patient.Then he will appoint him an X ray of the affected joints.

X -Ray pictures are most often listed in 2 projections.With the study you can visualize dystrophic changes in the tissue, damage to cartilage and adjacent bones.The joint gap in patients with osteoarthritis is narrowed, the bone site is deformed, bone growth, osteophytes can be left.Sometimes the joint itself loses stability, which leads to transfers.

The first sign of osteoarthritis that can be made visible in an X rays is the presence of osteophytes.First, the edges of the joint surface are simply sharp.They will thicken in the future and then appear out, and then spikes appear on them.The common gap is already in the course of the pathology.

Depending on the resulting radiological image, the doctor can make the following diagnosis (the classification of Kellgren-Lawrence is assumed as the basis):

• Arthrosis is doubtful.It is not possible to determine the degree of narrowing of the common gap, but small osteophytes are visible.
• Soft arthrosis, in which osteophytes are clearly visible, but there are doubts about the narrowing of the common gap.
• Medium -heavy osteoarthritis is diagnosed when the joint column is clearly narrowed and the osteophytes are clearly visible.Sometimes bone formations are found.
• Heavy osteoarthritis is accompanied by a significant narrowing of the common gap and the formation of large osteophytes.The connection is deformed.

If the doctor needs further information about the condition of the joint, he can instruct the patient to hand over the CT, arthroscopy or the MRI.In order to evaluate the quality of the synovial fluid, joint puncture is carried out.

Treatment methods

It is better to treat pain joints in an early stage, the treatment itself should be pathogenetic and complex.The essentials of the treatment is to eliminate the causes that contribute to the development of this disease.It is also necessary to eliminate inflammatory changes and to restore the previously lost functions.

A comprehensive treatment of osteoarthritis includes medicines with anti -inflammatory and analgesic properties.Physiotherapeutic methods should also be carried out, which have an analgesic effect on the joints.If the treatment is carried out in a spa resort, it consists under climatic conditions that have a favorable effect on the joints and in the use of mineral water and mud.

The treatment of osteoarthritis is based on several basic principles:

• Damaged connections should be removed from an excessive load.If possible, it must generally be reduced to a minimum during treatment.
• According to the established orthopedic regime.
• Classes of physiotherapy exercises.
• The passage of physiotherapy, which includes magnetic and electrotherapy, a shock wave and laser therapy.
• Sanatorium treatment.To do this, on the recommendation of a doctor, it is necessary once a year to deal with course treatment in specialized resorts.
• Seating the joint with oxygen or the so -called joint oxygen therapy inside.
• Therapy with drugs.
• Inside, bone blockade and decompression of metrophet.
• Rational approach to nutrition.

Physiotherapeutic treatment

They can be dealt with with osteoarthritis with physiotherapeutic treatment methods.

This includes:

• UVT.Shock wave therapy enables osteophytes to get rid of osteophytes that are bone processes.You will be the main cause of pain.The waves soften them and after a while they are absorbed.At the same time, the performance of the joint improves, metabolic processes are normalized.This procedure is only effective in the early stages of the development of the disease.In addition, it can only appoint a doctor because he has many contraindications.
• Myostimulation.The method is based on muscle stimulation by electrical impulses.The procedure is shown to treat bedridden patients who are forced to stick to the bed rest after an injury.This method is not very often prescribed for osteoarthritis, although you can normalize blood flow in the problem area and increase the muscle tone, which enables the deadlines for restoring the joints.
• Phonophoresis.With this treatment method, the joint is exposed to ultrasound waves and drugs.The effect of medicinal products increases because they are delivered "exactly at the goal" and the cells will learn better.
• Ozonotherapy.This method includes the introduction of a gas mixture into the connection.The patient disappears, the inflammation decreases, the joint mobility is normalized and the blood circulation improves.The treatment is carried out in courses.Their duration depends on the severity of the pathological flow.

Surgical treatment types

If it is not possible to finish with conservative methods with the disease, the patient will be directed to the company.

The methods of surgical intervention include:

• Implementation of the puncture.This is not only a therapeutic, but also a diagnostic method.During its implementation, the needle is inserted into the connection, with a small amount of liquid.It will be sent for analysis in the future.With this method you can remove the load from the joint and make medicines, for example corticosteroids.
• Arthroscopy.At the same time, an arthroscope is inserted into the joint, for which several small cuts are made on the skin.This procedure enables the state of the joint to evaluate from the inside.During arthroscopy, the doctor can remove unnecessary cartilage and thus provide a person of pain.
• Near the articular osteotomy.In this way, the company runs out of the fact that you can reduce the load of the defeat zone and maintain a person from pain.Although the procedure is sufficiently effective, you rarely use it because it is carried out under anesthesia and requires a long recovery phase.
• Replace your own connection with a prosthesis.Endoprosthetics are used if the joint is very deformed and cannot be restored.This is a difficult company that costs a lot of money.The prosthesis itself consists of materials such as: metal, ceramics, plastic.After the intervention, a person is restored for a long time and can suffer from pain.Although it is often impossible to help patients with other methods, a person can otherwise be completely immobilized.A high -quality prosthesis can take 20 years.During this time, a person will have no problems with the movement.

Drug treatment

Let us look at the drug treatment in more detail:

• Anti -inflammatory medication.The starting therapy of osteoarthritis is comprehensive, they can slow down the course of the disease and largely improve the quality of life.It is worth living in more detail at some treatment points.Therapy with drugs in particular includes in the early stages - this is the removal of pain and the elimination of inflammatory processes that occur in the joints.
• Hormonal corticosteroids.When arthrosis is in the agitation stage, hormonal corticosteroids are advisable.They are inserted into the joint.Externally, you can use a special patch, an ointment or a tincture that are made on the basis of burning pepper.
• Preparations for the restoration of cartilage and the improvement of the high -quality composition of synovial fluid are not superfluous.The course takes a rather long time until the moment the improvement occurs.  

If the case is particularly difficult, the absorption of narcotics can be prescribed.However, they are used extremely rarely if the rest of the funds did not achieve the desired effect.

Proper nutrition for osteoarthritis

Regardless of this, it is worth living through nutrition while worsening the disease.There are also certain recommendations here - you cannot eat too much, as this contributes to the accumulation of additional pounds, but it is impossible to starve because the supply of cartilage is broken with important elements.The priority task, which opposes the patient with excess weight, is the acceptance.To do this, it is simply necessary to remove fast carbohydrates from the diet.They are contained in all flour products and sweets.Alcohol falls under the ban and above all beer.

There are absolutely no complaints about fish dishes - they can of course be used quite often in appropriate quantities.But they shouldn't rely on their fat varieties because they have many calories, which means that additional pounds do not get long.

A cold bowl is assigned an important role in the treatment of osteoarthritis.Surprisingly, this dish is recommended to include all doctors in the diet.Such foods will be a real warehouse of trace elements for aching joints.The most important component in this dish is a collagen of natural origin.It is absorbed by the body pretty quickly and is the basis for every connective tissue.Thanks to the regular consumption of the jelly, good results can be achieved - the joints become more mobile, the fabrics that line their fabrics - elastic, and cartilage and bones will gain strength.

Do not forget the regular absorption of vitamins with food.B vitamins are particularly relevant in patients with osteoarthritis

Pyridoxin helps to manufacture hemoglobin."You can get it ”by eating bananas, nuts, cabbage and potatoes. It is worth stepping away with green and legumes. They become a source for folic acid. The liver, fungi, dairy products and eggs are useful. They are rich in pieces of frame.

If you observe the treatment scheme prescribed by the doctor, it can be achieved that the disease withdraws and damaged tissue begin to recover.