Causes, symptoms, complications and treatment methods of arthrosis

More precisely, arthrosis, which is called osteoarthrosis, is a chronic disease of a dystrophic nature caused by the destruction of cartilage tissue in the joint, therefore, the treatment of arthrosis of the joints is extremely necessary.If such a disease occurs, irreversible inflammatory processes begin at the ends of the bones and tissues around the joints, causing their degeneration.In addition, arthrosis refers to a number of additional degenerative joint diseases, which are characterized by numerous similar causes and development mechanisms.

According to various statistics, arthrosis affects 80% of the inhabitants of our planet, which makes it the most commonly diagnosed joint disease.And it is in the 3rd place among all diseases.

The older a person is, the higher the probability of developing arthrosis.Both sexes are equally susceptible to it, except that arthrosis of the interphalangeal joints occurs most often in women.The working-age population over 30 years of age suffers the most.Year by year, the proportion of patients only increases.

Causes of arthrosis of a diseased joint

The development and causes of arthrosis are accompanied by the deterioration of metabolism in the joint, due to which the cartilage tissue loses its elasticity.This may be due to the complete or incomplete loss of proteoglycans in the cartilage, which most often occurs due to severe cracks in the cartilage.The loss of these complex proteins can also occur due to a disruption in their production by joint cells.

According to experts, the destruction of cartilage can occur due to the following reasons: hormonal imbalance, deterioration of blood flow in the joint, deterioration of metabolism, hereditary reasons, advanced age, injury and other diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and lichen planus.However, the most important cause of osteoarthritis is excessive stress on the joints at a time when they are most vulnerable.

Additional causes of arthrosis of the joints include:

• previous injuries;
• excessive body weight;
• inflammation due to the development of a severe form of purulent arthritis;
• poor daily diet;
• hypothermia;
• Libman-Sachs disease;
• intoxication of the whole body;
• frequent colds;
• syphilis, tuberculosis, purulent inflammation of the urinary tract, spring-summer tick-borne meningoencephalitis;
• thyroid diseases;
• chronic bleeding (hemophilia);
• osteochondropathy of the femoral head.

The causes of osteoarthritis are genetic:

• arthrosis of bones and fingers can be hereditary;
• dysplasia - as a result of abnormal processes during the development of joints and ligaments in the womb - causes wear and arthrosis of the joints;
• Pathogenic change in type 2 collagen - when the fibrillar protein of connective tissue is damaged.

People with the following professions or hobbies are most susceptible to the disease: mason, fisherman, blacksmith, porter, athlete.

Symptoms of arthrosis for various reasons

Symptoms of arthrosis can be divided into four groups:

• Painful in nature.The occurrence of pain first of all indicates the initial symptoms of arthrosis.Pain can be caused by various reasons, but with arthrosis it is special.First, the pain is characterized by acute manifestations, and a person may feel some discomfort when moving.The pain goes away with rest.At night, the pain can be felt only when turning to the side.Pain at rest is stable only in severe forms of the disease.In the initial stages of the disease, pain is felt only during heavy load or during palpation.As the condition worsens, the pain intensifies and requires more breaks to relieve it.In severe forms, the pain becomes unbearable, osteophytes appear due to cartilage thinning and exposed bone.Bad weather and a full moon make the pain worse.
• The appearance of a crisis.This type of symptom is also very important when making a diagnosis.It is caused by friction between rotating bones whose ends have lost their softness and elasticity.A crisis may indicate other diseases or may not be accompanied at all, but it has a special feature that differs from arthrosis in its "dryness".This causes pain.
• Deterioration of motor functions of the joint.This symptom is characteristic of the advanced stages of arthrosis and occurs due to the appearance of bone tumors that cause spasms in the joint and almost completely fill the joint cavity.The result is a partial immobilization of the compound.
• Joint deformation.The shape of the joint changes due to the growth of osteophytes in the bones and the entry of synovial fluid into the joint.This symptom is characteristic of the most advanced forms of the disease.

Arthrosis can alternately go from a state of exacerbation to a state of remission, which makes it very difficult to diagnose the disease yourself.For this reason, it is recommended to consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis.

Thanks to X-rays, the doctor will be able to determine the symptoms that indicate one of the four stages of arthrosis:

• Stage 1. The articular lumen can be slightly reduced;osteophytes are not observed.
• Stage 2. The decrease in the lumen may be more obvious and osteophytes begin to form.
• Stage 3. The narrowing of the lumen is clearly observed and there are many osteophytes.
• Stage 4. The articular lumen almost completely disappears and a pathological change in the shape of the joint begins due to many osteophytes.

Methods of treatment of arthrosis

It is better to start the treatment of arthrosis at the initial stage of its development, and it should be comprehensive and pathogenetic in nature.Treatment should be aimed at eliminating the causes that aggravate the disease.In addition, it is necessary to eliminate pathogenic changes caused by inflammation and restore the functionality of the joint.

An integrated approach to the treatment of joint disease consists of the use of drugs and physiotherapeutic measures.It is possible to prescribe sanatorium-resort treatment, because in some cases the climate, mineral waters and mud have an effective effect.

The treatment of joint arthrosis consists of a number of basic principles:

1. diseased joints should not experience excessive stress and should practically disappear during treatment;
2. following orthopedic rules;
3. engage in recreational physical education;
4. conducting physiotherapy consisting of laser, shock wave, electro- and magnetic therapy;
5. to be treated at health resorts at least once a year as prescribed by a doctor;
6. oxygen therapy - feeding the inside of the joint with oxygen;
7. drug treatment;
8. intraosseous injection of drugs and metaepiphysis decompression method;
9. establishment of proper nutrition.

Drug therapy consists of the use of the following drugs:

• Anti-inflammatory drugs.Thanks to an integrated approach, you can not only stop the development of the disease, but also make your life easier to some extent.In part, drug treatment is aimed at relieving pain and inflammation in the joint.For this purpose, non-steroidal drugs are used.Experts advise not to use the oral method of taking these drugs, as they can cause quite severe pain in the stomach.In this regard, depending on a specific drug, intravenous or intramuscular injections are used.Additional means such as ointments are practically not used because their effectiveness is quite low.
• Hormonal corticosteroids.Such drugs are prescribed in case of exacerbation of the disease.Medicines are injected into the joints.For external use, use a patch, tincture or ointment.
• Chondroprotectors.It is prescribed to restore the cartilage tissue and improve the quality of the structure of the synovium.Among these drugs, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are the most preferred.The duration of this course may be significant until improvement occurs.However, if the necessary result is not observed within six months, such drugs should no longer be taken.In addition, along with chondroprotectors, it is recommended to inject drugs with the addition of hyaluronic acid.Such drugs help the formation of articular cartilage cells.

In particularly severe cases, the appointment of narcotic analgesics is not excluded.However, such drugs are prescribed very rarely, only when other drugs do not give the desired effect.

Proper nutrition for arthrosis

An important role in the aggravation of the disease should be given to proper nutrition.It should be balanced.You can't eat less, but you shouldn't overeat.Due to excess weight, the load on the joints will increase, during nutrition, the cartilage tissue lacks important microelements, as a result, it degrades.However, the main thing is to create a diet that will help you get rid of excess weight.You will have to give up fast carbohydrates in sweets and flour products.In addition, the consumption of alcoholic beverages, especially beer, is prohibited.

Fish dishes are accepted, there are practically no restrictions.Only fatty types should be avoided - due to their high calorie content, you can gain excess weight again.

Jellied meat is especially valued in the treatment of arthrosis.It may seem strange, but without exception, all doctors recommend using it, because it contains a large amount of various trace elements.Collagen in jellied meat is useful because it is a component of connective tissues, so in this case it is able to fill the missing amount in the body.As a result, the joints gain better mobility and the cartilage tissue becomes more elastic and flexible.

Vitamins, especially group B, play an important role for the body as a whole in this disease.It is this group that allows you to normalize metabolic processes in the body.A properly functioning metabolism will keep your joints feeling great.Thiamine, after entering the body from beans or peas, will accelerate the synthesis of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

To increase hemoglobin, you need pyridoxine, which can be obtained from bananas, nuts, potatoes and cabbage.It is recommended to pay attention to greens and beans - they contain folic acid.The body also needs liver, mushrooms, eggs and fermented milk products.The whole list of these vitamins is, of course, in vitamin complexes, but it's no secret that natural elements are absorbed better, which means that the healing process will be faster and more effective.

When eating, you should follow the basic simple rules:

• Before going to bed, you should not eat hard-to-digest foods, because they can cause an arthrosis attack;
• food should be taken more often, but in small portions;
• Always monitor your body weight so that it does not increase, otherwise great loads will be provided on the joints, buy a good product for weight loss and weight control;
• to take walks during the periods of disease relief after eating;
• the daily diet should be balanced and drawn up together with the doctor.

It is very important to seek help from a doctor in time.By following his specific guidelines, you can not only stop the progression of osteoarthritis, but reverse it, allowing you to enjoy your normal life again.