Causes, symptoms and treatment of arthrosis

Arthritis is a disease that everyone should know about.This dangerous and very common pathology can be almost invisible in the early stages, however, when it develops, it can cause unbearable pain and even cause disability.We will talk about how to avoid this in our article.

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

Painful sensations in the joints, "clicks" during movement and decreased mobility of the limbs are often not noticed: most people do not pay attention to such signals from the body.Meanwhile, these symptoms may indicate a serious disease - arthrosis.

Arthrosis deformans is a disease that involves the destruction and thinning of articular cartilage tissue.In this case, the joint tissue becomes looser and enlarged, eventually leading to the appearance of bone spurs and inflammation in the joint.

In the early stages, patients experience some discomfort when moving, which they may not notice.In the second stage of the disease, severe pain occurs, which leads to limited joint movement.The third stage, in addition to pain, is accompanied by complete or almost complete destruction of articular cartilage tissue.

You can significantly slow down the progression of arthrosis, help maintain limb mobility and avoid serious surgical intervention with the help of timely therapy - that's why it's so important to consult a rheumatologist at the first symptoms.

Treatment of arthrosis

From the point of view of European medicine, the treatment of serious diseases such as arthrosis requires an integrated approach, taking into account symptoms at various stages of the disease.A complex of therapeutic measures, in addition to taking medication, includes weight loss measures, kinesiotherapy, physiotherapy, and, if necessary, surgical intervention is prescribed.The treatment program is prepared by a rheumatologist, taking into account the localization of the disease, the characteristics of the patient's body, but necessarily including various 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 joints.For this purpose, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are prescribed, such as ibuprofen, ketorolac, piroxicam, diclofenac and their derivatives - in the form of tablets, injections, gels, ointments or rectal suppositories.Remember that the use of this group of drugs only relieves the main symptoms of the disease.In addition, long-term use of NSAIDs can accelerate the process of cartilage destruction, so they must be used very carefully and only as prescribed by a doctor.

The use of analgesics is another way to relieve the patient's pain.Unlike NSAIDs, analgesics relieve the inflammatory process 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 not effective in combating the disease itself.

Chondroprotectors are one of the most important components of drug treatment for arthrosis: they weave cartilage tissue with nutrients, stimulating cell growth.The group of chondroprotectors includes, for example, glucosamine, which is 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 cartilage can only be observed after long-term use of drugs.In addition, they will not help if the disease has reached the third stage, the worst.

Vasodilators are used to increase blood flow and also relieve small vessel spasms.Taking the drug in combination with chondroprotectors increases the effect of the latter: nutrients enter the cartilage tissue in greater quantities.

Physiotherapy

1. Shock wave therapy.The use of shock wave therapy (SWT) for arthrosis allows us to eliminate one of the main causes of pain: spinous bone processes - osteophytes.Under the influence of ultrasonic 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. Automatic electromyostimulation with standing.The use of electrical impulses to contract muscles is particularly advisable for bedridden patients, and also in the presence of severe injuries, when the necessary physical exercise is contraindicated.Although electromyostimulation is not the most common purpose for arthrosis, its use helps improve muscle tone and improve blood circulation, which has a positive effect on the dynamics of recovery.
3. Ultraphonophoresis.This procedure combines two types of effects - ultrasonic waves and drugs.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 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.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Chinese medicine, restoring joint health begins with diagnostics, where the general condition of the body is assessed and the cause of arthrosis is identified.Then the doctor makes a program to influence the biologically active eye.Complex treatment of arthrosis includes the following TCM methods:

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

In this case, the main attention is given to acupuncture as the most effective treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine.The decision of the therapy largely depends on the qualifications of the specialist.Being in the hands of a skilled doctor, the patient will soon be able to see 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 arthrosis treatment:

• Therapeutic exercise.Exercise therapy for arthrosis is considered the best way to improve blood circulation in the affected joint area, as well as to strengthen the muscles.As a rule, doctors recommend starting with simple exercises and gradually increasing the number of repetitions.
• Mechanotherapy.Physical therapy can be supplemented with mechanotherapy - training using a special simulator.The device allows you to increase the load during gymnastics (due to various weights), while protecting painful joints from damage.Like exercise therapy, mechanotherapy helps improve blood circulation and improve muscle tone.
• Joint traction.The essence of the procedure is the mechanical "stretching" of the joint using a special tool for 15-20 minutes.This allows you to reduce the load on the joints, delay the development of arthrosis and significantly reduce pain in patients.A course consisting of 10-12 sessions is conducted approximately once every six months to improve and consolidate the results.
• Lymphatic drainage and warming massage.This procedure helps heat the diseased area, relieves spasms and pain, and improves blood circulation in the joints.Lymphatic drainage and heating massage can also be used if the patient has limited mobility.
• Nutritional prescription.Body weight correction is one of the ways to significantly reduce the load on the joints and delay the development of arthrosis.Of course, maintaining a diet by itself does not contribute to recovery, but in combination with other procedures it can provide a certain effect.
• Lifestyle correction.To combat arthrosis, patients need to reconsider their usual way of life and start wearing comfortable shoes, use only comfortable furniture, and women need to give up high heels.It is also advised to get rid of bad habits and eliminate excessive physical activity.In some cases, wearing orthotics and frequent visits to swimming pools and saunas will be beneficial.A comprehensive list of recommendations can be obtained from the attending physician, which he will make based on the patient's condition.

Surgical treatment

1. Puncture (minimally invasive intervention).It is also used to diagnose diseases.A needle is inserted into the joint capsule, taking part of the fluid - this allows you to get material for analysis, reduce the load on the capsule, and, if necessary, also inject corticosteroid drugs directly into the site of inflammation.
2. Diagnostic arthroscopy.Arthroscopy involves the introduction of a special arthroscope tool through a micro incision in the skin.This allows you to carefully examine the joint, as well as remove the separated fragments of cartilage, 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 different angles.This operation allows you to reduce the load on the joints and eliminate pain for a long time.Such radical effects are rarely prescribed - the burden on the patient's body is too great and the recovery period is too long.
4. Endoprosthetics.In cases where other types of treatment do not help, and the disease has completely or almost completely destroyed the joints, they are replaced with prostheses made of plastic, metal or ceramics.Endoprosthesis replacement is a difficult and expensive operation that requires long-term rehabilitation.Many patients experience pain for several months after surgery.However, endoprosthetics for patients is often the only alternative to the prospect of immobility.The service life of modern prostheses reaches twenty years, and during this time the patient will be able to live a full life.

Symptoms and treatment features of various types of arthrosis

Despite common features in symptoms, different arthrosis of joints has its own signs and treatment features.For example, the use of ointment for arthrosis of the hip joint is ineffective because of muscle and fat tissue, which prevents the medicine from reaching the site of inflammation.But the same ointment works well when applied to the knee or elbow joints.Let's see what symptoms are typical for arthrosis of the joints (ankles, knees, elbows, shoulders, fingers and hips) and the appropriate treatment for each case.

• Treatment of hand (finger) joint arthrosis.In the early stages, the disease manifests itself only as a slight cramp and slight pain when moving the hand, but if there is no treatment it becomes visually noticeable: a noticeable thickening appears on the phalanges in the joint area.The pain increases and becomes constant, burning sensations and pulsations appear in the fingers.NSAIDs and corticosteroids are used to relieve pain and inflammation;massage, chondroprotectors, and finger grips are used to slow cartilage destruction.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint.Painful muscle spasms, reduced arm movement, "lumbago" when lifting and moving it to the side - all these are symptoms of shoulder joint arthrosis.Massage and physical therapy are prescribed in combination with the use of antispasmodics and intra-articular injections of painkillers.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the elbow joint.Symptoms of elbow joint disease include a strong throbbing sound when bending the elbow and moving the hand, "shooting" pain and muscle weakness.To get rid of this type of arthrosis, physiotherapeutic procedures, compresses and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of ointments are used.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint.Arthrosis of the hip joint is characterized by "soft" joint irritation, painful or uncomfortable sensations in the lower back when moving or severe fatigue.When treating this 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 a cracking sound when moving, pain in the calf area, especially with heavy loads, and an increase in the size of the joint.Complex therapy includes: shock wave therapy, joint traction, physical therapy, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ointments), and the use of compresses.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint.Tingling sensation, redness, throbbing, clicking in the leg area, rapid fatigue when walking - these symptoms indicate the development of arthrosis of the ankle joint.Physiotherapy, massage and therapeutic baths are effective in treating this type of disease.You should also reduce the load on your ankles.

To prevent the occurrence of arthrosis, especially if there is a tendency, you should follow simple rules: wear comfortable shoes, maintain physical activity, while taking precautions during exercise, avoid injuries and hypothermia.To avoid this disease, it is very important to maintain a normal body weight, because every extra kilogram increases the load on the joints.