Arthosis is a progressive joint disease in which a slow destruction of its cartilage occurs. If it is not treated, the mobility in the joint eventually deteriorates bruscily and the person becomes disabled. The article considers information on what arthrosis, its symptoms and treatment, characteristic signs and causes of appearance is.
What you need to know about this disease
The despotic destruction of the joint and cartilage is the most common joint disease on the entire planet. The statistical data are surprising: four out of five people all over the world suffer from one degree or another from the injury of the joint fabric and all the consequences of this pathological process.
The disease is equally often found in men and women. For a long time it was believed that arthrosis was a disease of the joints in the elderly. But recently, the joints have started to be affected by people under the age of 30.
This arthrosis is very dangerous, because it can quickly lead to the development of immobility in a person. Unfortunately, every year the number of degenerative changes of the joints increases.
What is the difference between arthrosis and arthritis? The inflammation of the intra -articular tissue occurs with arthritis. But with arthrosis, a person suffers from progressive deforming damage to the musculoskeletal system.
Because it was born
The main cause of arthrosis is a violation of the metabolism in the articulation. For this reason, cartilage gradually loses elasticity. The causes of this joint disease are:
- pronounced disorders of the metabolic process;
- hormonal imbalance;
- decrease in the volume of blood that feeds the joint;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- psoriasis;
- Increase in physical activity on the joints (including athletes), due to which they begin to collapse, and this happens at a relatively tender age.
The presence of arthrosis and its further progression can affect these factors;
- injuries (more injured and more heavier, the degree of development of the highest pathology);
- increase in body weight (leads to an excessive load on the joint and, consequently, also a faster development of the disease);
- Purulent arthritis;
- age (in elderly patients, the disease occurs much more often);
- Scarce diet -four, unbalanced;
- frequent hypothermia;
- penetration of the infection in the articulation;
- some autoimmune pathologies;
- general poisoning of the body, including alcohol and nicotine;
- Specific infectious diseases - such as syphilis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis;
- Some pathological states of the thyroid gland;
- haemophilia;
- Pertes syndrome.
Characteristics characteristics
The most obvious and characteristic sign of arthrosis is pain. It easements if the affected organ is at rest and intensifies if it is subject to intensive loads. We learn everything about arthrosis, more on these groups of signs, since in some cases they are the first to enroll in the development of bone injuries and cartilage.
Pain
If the joint begins to get sick, this is the first sign of his defeat. The unpleasant sensations are intensified if a person makes acute movements. Localization of the symptoms of the pain of arthrosis - precisely in the place where the pain is located. But in some cases, it can also apply to other sections of the musculoskeletal system, which are not influenced by the pathological process.
It is characteristic that at night a person does not feel almost pain. If he finds the optimal position of the body, then he will go asleep calmly. Close in the morning, they are activated, which forces a person to wake up. In the last stages of the pathology, the pain becomes so serious as to deprive a person of peace.
Crystal in the joints
This is a distinctive symptom of the degenerative injury: due to the fact that the elasticity of the organs is reduced, the bones begin to rub each other, which is accompanied by a characteristic sound. Sometimes it can hear it at a distance.
The sound will be the brightest, more actively this disease progresses. And in any case, it will be significantly different from the crackle.
Limitation of mobility
In the initial phase of the development of the pathology, the volume of active movements is preserved. But if arthrosis progresses, bone formations begin to sprout in the cartilage tissue, which is why muscle spasm occurs. The movements active by this are violated, since the mobility of the joint is guaranteed by a sufficiently developed cartilage.
A decrease in the activity of the movements also derives from the fact that the body cannot cope with conventional loads. That's why in the last stages of the development of this pathology, the movement is almost impossible.
Deformation
This symptom appears from the fact that growth appear on bone surfaces, cartilage. Due to constant irritation, the production of synovial fluid is activated, which is why the organ swells.
Important! Deformation is one of the late symptoms of arthrosis. The joint is already influenced by the disease to a large extent and often the conservative treatment does not bring results.
Disease phase
In total, doctors in the classification of the severity of the disease distinguish four stadiums (degrees) of arthrosis.
- At 1 degree, the osteophytes in the diagnosis are not detected. There is a certain narrowing of the joint gap.
- With damage to the 2nd degree joint, the gap is slightly restricted and the osteophytes have already managed to hit the surface of the bone. With acute arthrosis, very serious pain is observed.
- With damage to the 3rd degree, the gap is considerably restricted and on the surface of the bone there is a large number of osteophytes. With exacerbation, the temperature increases.
- The fourth phase of osteoarthritis of bones and joints is characterized by the fact that there is practically no joint gap and the cavity is almost completely influenced.
Depending on the type and place of damage to the joints of the disease:
- Osteoartrosis is a degenerative dystrophic disease of a motor support system with cartilage damage;
- multiple degenerative damage to the joints;
- Spoken bone injury;
- defeat of the shoulder joint;
- Coksartrosis is the arthrosis of the knee;
- Reactive arthrosis is damage to the joints after an infectious disease;
- Wandering - transient arthrosis;
- injuries of the ankle joint, who came from wrist;
- Degenerative hands of the hands.
What is the danger of osteoarthritis
Without the desired treatment, this disease is dangerously multiple complications:
- complete destruction of the organ;
- significant deformation;
- damage to the peripheral joints;
- Almost complete impossibility of performing any movements that threaten the development of disability;
- Violation of the spine, the development of intervertebral hernias in it;
- A significant reduction in the quality of life of the patient.
Diagnostic methods
The diagnosis of joint diseases includes:
- general inspection;
- palpation;
- a procedure that allows you to diagnose the volume and amplitude of the movements performed;
- blood test (general and biochemical);
- Urine analysis;
- X -ray ray;
- study of a fragment of cartilage fabric under a microscope;
- Ultrasound;
- Mri.
How to treat the joint
It is necessary to start treating arthrosis as soon as possible: this is the only way to suspend the development of the pathology and prevent the complete immobilization of the patient. The main task of the doctor and the patient is to eliminate the causes of destruction, the elimination of inflammatory processes, pain. Remember that it is impossible to completely restore the joints, but the treatment can improve its conditions.
The principles of the treatment of the disease are as follows:
- get rid of excessive loads;
- Classes of medical gymnastics in arthrosis;
- prescription of physiotherapy;
- the purpose of walking on the knees;
- spa treatment;
- oxygen therapy;
- pharmacological treatment;
- Diet optimization.
These drugs are prescribed by drugs for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
- Non -pounded anti -inflammatory drugs. With their help, you can effectively relieve pain, reduce the intensity of inflammatory processes. In addition, the prescription of ointment drugs will be the most effective: they eliminate the damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa.
- Corticosteroid drugs relieve inflammatory phenomena and pain in the process of exacerbating the process. Intra -articular drug administration is shown (this procedure is performed only in clinical conditions). These products can be used for rheumatoid arthrosis.
- Arthrosis tablets that help to restore the cartilage tissue of the joint. These funds must be used until a pronounced improvement and increase in the volume of the joint movements performed. It is shown that it uses all drugs based on hyaluronic acid. The use of these drugs is often justified in the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint.
- With arthrosis, the use of other means is indicated. The improvement after the start of treatment with these drugs does not occur before, as in a month, provided that medicine is constantly applied. Effective treatment with these drugs is possible if the patient complies with all the doctor's prescriptions and, above all, has dropped an excess weight.
With very serious pains, the doctor may prescribe analgesics of the narcotic series. However, their use is limited due to the risk of complications.
The treatment of osteoarthritis with popular remedies can be used as the therapy auxiliary type. In addition, the doctor selects the most effective tool individually for each patient. An important place in this therapy is occupied by proper nutrition.
Be careful! The care of arthrosis, including the deforming of the arthrosis of the knee joint, is completely impossible. With the help of effective treatment, it is possible to suspend the further destruction of the fabrics and prevent the immobilization of the patient.
Nutrition and arthrosis
With the progressive chronic destruction of joint cartilage, great attention should be paid to correct diet. The overbearing is strictly prohibited, since excess body weight can cause further destruction of the joint. To reduce weight, flour products must be excluded from the diet, sweet. Alcoholic beverages and mainly beer is forbidden to drink.
But the fish should be on the table with arthrosis every day. It is better if it is low. Particularly useful in the destruction of the joint is in jelly. Contains a large amount of collagen health. It is very quickly absorbed by the body and fills the lack of cartilage tissue. The regular use of this tasty and healthy dish makes the mobile joints and the cartilage makes it elastic.
The daily menu should have more products and dishes containing vitamin B6 - pyridossin. It is found in legumes, nuts, potatoes, vegetables. It is useful to eat eggs, liver, dairy products -caseari: they are rich in riboflavin.
Prevention of osteoarthritis
The methods to prevent this disease are as follows:
- normalization of motor activity, elimination of hypodynamia;
- An occupation only of those sports that does not require an excessive load (fitness and Aerobics will be very useful for such a person);
- Avoidance of a strong physical work, which leads to an intensive destruction of the joints;
- Prevent excessive food, fight overweight in all available and harmless ways;
- Eradication of all bad habits;
- regular walks in the fresh air;
- I swim;
- Exclusion of stressful situations.
Arthosis is much easier to warn than to treat it later. At the first appearance of pain in the articulation, creaking and restrictions of the doctor, it is necessary to visit the doctor immediately to check the joints. The timely beginning of the treatment will prevent the development of complications. Arthosis is dangerous because a person can be disabled thanks to him.