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, however, 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 should you 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 these body signals.However, these symptoms may indicate a serious illness - osteoarthritis.

Deforming osteoarthritis is a disease that involves the destruction and thinning of articular cartilage tissue.In this case, the joint tissue becomes looser and grows, leading to the appearance of bone spurs and inflammation inside the joint.

Initially, patients feel slight discomfort when moving, which they may not pay attention to.In the second stage of the disease, intense pain occurs, leading to limited joint mobility.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 development of arthrosis, help maintain limb mobility and avoid serious surgical interventions with the help of timely therapy - that is why it is so important to consult a rheumatologist at the first symptoms.

Osteoarthritis treatment

From the point of view of European medicine, the treatment of such a serious disease as osteoarthritis 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, kinesiotherapy, physiotherapy, and, if necessary, surgical intervention is prescribed.The treatment program is drawn up by a rheumatologist, taking into account the location of the disease, the characteristics of the patient's body, but necessarily includes a whole set of 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 joint.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.It is worth remembering that the use of this group of medications only alleviates the main symptoms of the disease.Furthermore, prolonged 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's pain.Unlike NSAIDs, analgesics alleviate 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 most often used in the form of injections to alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis, but they are ineffective in combating the disease itself.

Chondroprotectors are one of the most important components of drug treatment for arthrosis: they saturate 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 only be noticed after prolonged use of the drugs.Furthermore, they will not help if the disease reaches the third, more serious stage.

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

Physiotherapy

1. Shock wave therapy.The use of shock wave therapy (SWT) for arthrosis makes it possible to eliminate one of the main causes of pain: spinous bone processes - osteophytes.Under the influence of ultrasonic waves, the “thorns” 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 initial stages of arthrosis and has many contraindications, therefore it is prescribed with caution.
2. Automated electromyostimulation with verticalization.The use of electrical impulses to contract muscles is advisable mainly 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 osteoarthritis, 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 – ultrasonic waves and medicines.As a result, phonophoresis makes it possible to significantly increase the effect of medicines: thanks to ultrasound, their substances are delivered to the “target” cells and absorbed by them much more actively.
4. Ozone therapy.Introducing a mixture of gases into the joint capsule reduces pain and inflammation, helps restore joint mobility and improves blood circulation.As a rule, ozone therapy is prescribed in several injections, depending on the severity of the disease.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Methods

In Chinese medicine, restoring joint health begins with diagnosis, 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 thinnest needles at points of a certain combination;
• phytocompresses - “squeezes” medicinal herbs;
• moxotherapy - warming up with absinthe cigars;
• Tuina acupressure.

In this case, the main attention is paid to acupuncture as the most effective treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine.The results of therapy largely depend on the qualifications of the specialist.Being in the hands of a qualified 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 non-surgical treatment methods for osteoarthritis:

• Therapeutic exercise.Exercise therapy for osteoarthritis is considered an excellent way to improve blood circulation in the affected joint area, as well as strengthen the muscles.As a rule, doctors recommend starting with simple exercises and gradually increasing the number of repetitions.
• Mechanotherapy.Physiotherapy can be supplemented with mechanotherapy - exercises on special simulators.Devices allow you to increase the load during gymnastics (due to various weights), while protecting the sore joint from damage.Like exercise 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 the patient's pain.A course consisting of 10 to 12 sessions is carried out approximately once every six months 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 may also be used 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 down the development of osteoarthritis.Of course, maintaining a diet alone does not contribute to recovery, but in combination with other procedures it can have a certain effect.
• Lifestyle correction.To combat arthrosis, the patient will need to significantly reconsider his usual way of life and start wearing only comfortable shoes, using only comfortable furniture, and women will have to give up high heels.It is also advisable to get rid of bad habits and eliminate excessive physical activity.In some cases, the use of braces and regular visits to the pool and sauna will be beneficial.A comprehensive list of recommendations can be obtained 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 the disease.A needle is inserted into the joint capsule, removing part of the fluid - this makes it possible to obtain material for analysis, reduce the load on the capsule, and, if necessary, also inject corticosteroids directly into the site of inflammation.
2. Diagnostic arthroscopy.Arthroscopy involves introducing a special arthroscope device through microincisions in the skin.This allows you to thoroughly examine the joint, as well as 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 period.This radical effect is prescribed infrequently - the load on the patient's body is too great and the rehabilitation period is too long.
4. Endoprostheses.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, endoprosthesis for the patient is often the only alternative to the prospect of being immobilized.The service life of modern prostheses reaches twenty years, and during all these years the patient will be able to live a full life.

Symptoms and features of the treatment of arthrosis of different types

Despite the common characteristics of 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 fatty tissue, which prevents the medicine 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 joint osteoarthritis are (ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder, fingers and hip) and what treatment is appropriate for each case.

• Treatment of arthrosis of the joints of the hand (fingers).At an initial stage, the disease reveals itself only as a slight clicking sound 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 pulsation appears in the fingers.NSAIDs and corticosteroids are used to relieve pain and inflammation;Massage, chondroprotectors, and finger traction are used to slow cartilage destruction.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint.Painful muscle spasms, decreased mobility of the arms, “lumbago” when lifting them and moving them to the sides - all these are symptoms of arthrosis of the shoulder joint.Massage and physiotherapy are prescribed in combination with the use of antispasmodics and intra-articular injections of analgesics.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the elbow joint.Symptoms of elbow joint disease include a loud grinding sound when bending the elbows and moving the hands, “shooting” pain, and weakness in the muscles.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.Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is characterized by a “soft” crushing of the joints, painful or uncomfortable sensations in the lower back during movement or intense fatigue.When treating the disease, pain relievers are prescribed in the form of injections, capsules or tablets, compresses with anti-inflammatory solutions.
• Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint.In gonarthrosis, patients complain of crunching sounds when moving, pain in the calf region, especially with heavy loads, and an increase in the size of the joint.Complex therapy includes: shock wave therapy, joint traction, physiotherapy, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ointments) and the use of compresses.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint.Tingling sensation, redness, clicking, clicking in the foot area, rapid fatigue when walking - these symptoms indicate the development of arthrosis of the ankle joint.Physiotherapy, massages and therapeutic baths are effective in treating this type of disease.You should also reduce the load on the ankle.

To prevent the occurrence of osteoarthritis, especially if there is a predisposition, you must follow simple rules: wear comfortable shoes, maintain physical activity, take care when exercising, avoid injuries and hypothermia.To prevent the disease, it is especially important to maintain a normal weight, as each extra kilogram increases the load on the joints.