Causes, symptoms and treatment of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a disease whose symptoms everyone should know.This dangerous and very common condition may be almost invisible at an early stage, but as it progresses it can cause unbearable pain and even lead to disability.We will talk about how to avoid this in our article.

Why does osteoarthritis occur and when to start treating it?

Painful sensations in the joints, “clicks” during movement and decreased mobility of the limbs often go unnoticed: most people do not attach importance to such signals coming from the body.Meanwhile, these symptoms may indicate a serious disease - arthrosis.

Deforming arthrosis is a disease that involves the destruction and thinning of the joint cartilaginous tissue.In this case, the joint tissue loosens and grows, eventually causing bone spurs and inflammation to appear within the joint.

In the initial stage, patients feel slight discomfort during movement, which they may not pay attention to.In the second phase of the disease, severe pain occurs which leads to limited joint mobility.The third stage, in addition to pain, is accompanied by complete or almost complete destruction of the articular cartilaginous tissue.

You can significantly slow down the development of arthrosis, help maintain limb mobility and avoid serious surgery with the help of timely therapy, which is why it is so important to consult a rheumatologist at the first symptoms.

Treatment of osteoarthritis

From the point of view of European medicine, the treatment of such a serious disease as arthrosis requires an integrated approach, taking into account the symptoms at various stages of the disease.The complex of therapeutic measures, in addition to taking medications, includes weight loss measures, kinesitherapy, physiotherapy, and if necessary, surgery is prescribed.The treatment program is drawn up by a rheumatologist, taking into account the localization of the disease, the characteristics of the patient's body, but necessarily includes a whole series of actions aimed at combating the manifestations of the disease.

Pharmacological treatment

The first task that arises in the treatment of arthrosis is to relieve pain and inflammation in the joint.For this purpose, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, ketorolac, piroxicam, diclofenac and their derivatives, are prescribed in the form of tablets, injections, gels, ointments or rectal suppositories.Remember that the use of this group of drugs relieves only the main symptoms of the disease.In addition, long-term use of NSAIDs can accelerate the process of cartilage destruction, so they should be used with great caution and only as prescribed by a doctor.

The use of analgesics is another way to relieve the patient from pain.Unlike NSAIDs, analgesics relieve inflammatory processes 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 often used in the form of injections to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, but are ineffective in combating the disease itself.

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

Vasodilators are used to improve blood flow and also to relieve spasm of small vessels.Taking such drugs in combination with chondroprotectors increases the effect of the latter: nutrients enter the cartilage tissue in a larger volume.

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: the spinous bone processes - osteophytes.Under the influence of ultrasonic waves, the “tips” soften and dissolve 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. Automated electromyostimulation with verticalization.The use of electrical impulses to contract muscles is especially advisable for bedridden patients, as well as in the presence of serious injuries, when the necessary physical exercises are contraindicated.Although electromyostimulation is not the most common purpose for arthrosis, its use helps to increase 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: ultrasound 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 are absorbed by them much 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.

Methods of traditional Chinese medicine

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

• acupuncture (acupuncture) - placing the finest needles on points in a certain combination;
• phytocompresses - "juices" of medicinal herbs;
• moxotherapy - warming with absinthe cigars;
• Tuina acupressure.

In this case, the main focus is on acupuncture as the most effective treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine.The results of therapy largely depend on the qualifications of the specialist.By relying on an expert doctor, the patient will soon be able to notice 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 treatment of arthrosis:

• Therapeutic exercise.Physical therapy for osteoarthritis is considered a great way to improve blood circulation in the affected joint area and strengthen muscles.As a rule, the doctor recommends starting with simple exercises and gradually increasing the number of repetitions.
• Mechanotherapy.Physical therapy can be supplemented with mechanotherapy: exercises using special simulators.The devices allow you to increase the load during gymnastics (due to various weights), protecting the sore joint from damage.Like physical therapy, mechanotherapy helps improve blood circulation and increase muscle tone.
• Joint traction.The essence of the procedure is mechanical “stretching” of the joint using a special apparatus for 15-20 minutes.This allows you to reduce the load on the joint, slow down the development of arthrosis and significantly reduce pain in the patient.Approximately once every six months, a course consisting of 10-12 sessions is carried out to improve and consolidate the result.
• Lymphatic drainage and warming massage.These procedures help to warm the diseased area, relieve spasms and pain, and improve blood circulation in the joints.Lymphatic drainage and warming massage can be used even if the patient has limited mobility.
• Prescription of dietary nutrition.Weight correction is one of the ways to significantly reduce the load on the joint and slow the development of arthrosis.Of course, maintaining a diet in itself does not contribute to recovery, but in combination with other procedures it can give a certain effect.
• Lifestyle correction.To combat arthrosis, the patient will have to significantly reconsider his usual lifestyle and start wearing only comfortable shoes, using only comfortable furniture, and women will have to give up high heels.It is also recommended to eliminate bad habits and eliminate excessive physical activity.In some cases it may be useful to wear an orthosis and regularly go to the swimming pool and sauna.You can get a complete list of recommendations from the attending physician, which he will draw up based on the patient's condition.

Surgical treatment

1. Puncture (minimally invasive intervention).It is also used to diagnose disease.A needle is inserted into the joint capsule, removing part of the fluid: this allows you to obtain 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 arthroscopic device through microincisions in the skin.This allows you to thoroughly examine the joint and remove separate 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 a different angle.The operation allows you to reduce the load on the joint and eliminate pain for a long time.Such a radical effect is rarely prescribed: the load on the patient's body is too great and the rehabilitation period is too long.
4. Endoprosthesis.In cases where other types of treatment have not helped and the disease has completely or almost completely destroyed the joints, they are replaced with plastic, metal or ceramic prostheses.Endoprosthesis replacement is a difficult and expensive operation that requires long-term rehabilitation.Many patients experience pain for several months after surgery.However, the endoprosthesis for the patient is often the only alternative to the prospect of being immobilized.The lifespan of modern prostheses reaches twenty years and in all these years the patient will be able to live a full life.

Symptoms and features of treatment of arthrosis of different types

Despite the common features in symptoms, arthrosis of different joints has its own signs and treatment features.For example, the use of ointments for arthrosis of the hip joint is ineffective due to muscle and adipose tissue, which prevents the drug from reaching the site of inflammation.But the same ointments work well when applied to the knee or elbow joint.Let's see what the typical symptoms of arthrosis of the joints (ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder, fingers and hip) are and which treatment is suitable for each case.

• Treatment of arthrosis of the joints of the hand (fingers).At an early stage, the disease manifests itself only as a slight crunch and slight pain when moving the hands, but in the absence of treatment it becomes visually noticeable: noticeable thickenings appear on the phalanges in the joint area.The pain intensifies and becomes constant, a burning sensation and throbbing appear in the fingers.NSAIDs and corticosteroids are used to relieve pain and inflammation;massage, chondroprotectors and finger traction are used to slow the destruction of cartilage.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint.Painful muscle spasms, decreased mobility of the arms, "low back pain" when lifting and moving sideways - all these are symptoms of arthrosis of the shoulder joint.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 loud crunching noise when bending the elbows and moving the hands, "stabbing" pain, and weakness in the muscles.To eliminate 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.Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is characterized by a “soft” creaking of the joints, painful or uncomfortable sensations in the lower back during movement, or severe fatigue.In the treatment of the 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 creaking sounds during movement, 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, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ointments) and use of compresses.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint.A sensation of tingling, redness, crunching, clicking in the foot 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 ankle.

To avoid the onset of arthrosis, especially if there is a predisposition, it is necessary to stick to simple rules: wear comfortable shoes, maintain physical activity, take precautions during exercise, avoid injuries and hypothermia.To prevent the disease it is especially important to maintain a normal weight, because every extra kilogram increases the load on the joints.