Arthritis and arthrosis are diseases that affect the joints. There are many varieties of these pathologies. If we consider arthrosis, then gradual age-related deformation of joints is divided into types depending on which particular human joints are affected by the pathological process:
Inflammation of the knees (gonarthrosis), cervical deformity (uncovertebral arthrosis), diseases of the hip joint (coxarthrosis), problems of the shoulder joint, primary polyosteoarthrosis, lesions of the ankle joint, diseases of the spine (spondyloarthrosis) are common.
Arthrosis develops in adulthood. They usually affect people over 40 years of age.
There are also several types of arthritis today. The disease, unlike arthrosis, affects younger patients.
Among the main preconditions that result in the development of arthrosis, special mention should be made of the natural aging of the body. With age, the cartilage tissue covering the surfaces of the joints loses its elasticity and loses its natural resistance to stress.
It is important to note that aging is not always the onset of arthrosis. The immediate impetus for the development of the problem will be the resulting mechanical injuries. An excessive degree of mobility of individual parts of the joint can also lead to arthrosis.
In addition to the above reasons, arthrosis is provoked by a person’s professional activity if it is associated with increased stress. For example, arthrosis of the knee joint is a common diagnosis among miners.
This chronic disease is characterized by changes that occur in the articulating joints that make up the bones. If at the very beginning of arthrosis pain can occur only in the inner area of the bursa, then soon, if there is no appropriate treatment, pain occurs in the cartilage covering the surface of the bones. Gradually this happens:
Moreover, along with this pathological process, a significant compaction of bone tissue is observed, which causes the formation of osteophytes (bone growths).
The changes that occur during the development of arthrosis affect only the joints. Most often they suffer from arthrosis of the knee joint, because it is this part of the leg that is most vulnerable. Typically, gonarthrosis of the knee joint affects older people. The pathological process covers the knee joint area on both legs, but only one of them can hurt.
With coxarthrosis, the most severe type of arthrosis that develops in middle-aged and elderly people, the patient feels severe, sometimes excruciating pain in the pelvic area. It is characteristic that women suffer much more often, and their pathology is more pronounced.
Uncovertebral arthrosis directly depends on the patient’s age: the older he is, the higher the chance of getting sick. This pattern is explained by the fact that over time the following is observed:
Shoulder arthrosis is no less common among our compatriots, but its treatment process is much easier and faster when compared with other groups of diseases. Pathology develops in older people.
Women are characterized by osteoarthritis of the hands, and it progresses after menopause. Signs of a problem will be:
If the ankle joint is affected, this occurs after injuries, dislocations, sprains and bruises of the foot ligaments. The causes of the disease can be diabetes mellitus, gouty arthritis, dysplasia and rheumatoid arthritis.
Spinal diseases are a separate group of arthrosis, in which the cartilage tissue of the spinal column is damaged. This provokes various overloads in its departments.
When a person suffers from weakening of articular ligaments and muscle dystrophy, then we are talking about primary polyosteoarthrosis. This type of disease develops in women during menopause and is explained by hormonal changes in the female body. The disease usually manifests itself as tendonopathy (damage to the tendon at the site of attachment to the bone) and discopathy (wear of the intervertebral discs).
There is another category of arthrosis, which occurs against the background of an injury received by a person and provokes damage to the joints. We are talking about post-traumatic illness, bruises, subluxations and sprains.
The inflammatory process in arthritis of the knee joint is usually accompanied by:
The pain does not stop even at rest and after a long rest. In some situations, the pain even intensifies.
The occurrence of arthrosis of the knee joint, elbow, and hip is associated with the development of inflammation in the patient’s body, hormonal disorders or excessive activity of the immune system, which, due to an error, directs all its work to actively fight against its own body.
Arthritis is characterized by an inflammatory process in one joint or several at once. When arthritis affects two or more joints, the condition is called polyarthritis.
Doctors distinguish several types of disease, depending on what exactly its prerequisites are:
The signs that appear as the pathology progresses largely depend on its cause. Common symptoms of arthritis will be pain in the joints, especially when the weather changes, swelling, increased overall body temperature, and decreased appetite.
If polyarthritis of an infectious nature develops, then redness of the skin over the diseased joint, limited mobility and swelling may be observed. With the rheumatoid form of the disease, the patient will notice a significant increase in temperature and pain in the internal organs.
As for polyarthritis, not everything is clear with it either. Rheumatoid polyarthritis is associated with the penetration of infections into the cavity of the joint capsule. This type of disease provokes the development of chronic damage in several joints, for example, inflammation of the knee and ankle joint.
The disease is extremely difficult to treat, especially if it is advanced. As a result of the disease, damage to the connective tissues of the joint occurs.
Infectious polyarthritis covers the joints following an infectious disease suffered by the body. Provided timely and high-quality treatment, getting rid of it will not be difficult, however, there are exceptions. If therapy is ignored, the normal functioning of the knee joint and the entire body is disrupted.
The metabolic type of polyarthritis is a condition that arose against the background of disruptions in metabolic processes. The main reason for the problem is the accumulation of salts (urates) in the joints, for example, lesions:
Psoriatic inflammation in several joints can begin to bother a person even at an early age. Most often, the ankle and knee joint area are affected, and only six months after the first symptoms characteristic of the skin pathology of psoriasis. The causes of psoriasis have not been fully studied by medicine at the moment. It is believed to be caused by problems with the immune system.
Reactive polyarthritis is distinguished by a special, peculiar reaction of the human body to infectious infections of internal organs (one or more). This variation of arthritis causes colitis, polyneuritis and conjunctivitis, which significantly complicates treatment.
The surfaces of the bones that form the joint are covered with a special hyaline cartilage - smooth, providing the least friction force during the motility of the articular surfaces. If arthrosis is diagnosed, this means that the cartilage is in the process of destruction.
As it progresses, the destructive process spreads to the bones and then to the joint capsule.
The disease has a universal code according to ICD 10 - M15-M19, which classifies it as a class of pathologies of musculoskeletal and connective tissues.
According to medical statistics, 12% of the world's population suffers from osteoarthritis, most of whom are elderly people over 65 years of age. However, every year there is an alarming trend towards an increase in the number of cases among young people.
The diagnosis is not fatal, but arthrosis is insidious with its relapses and the threat of complete disability.
The disease develops gradually; four stages can be roughly distinguished:
If the pathological process is not stopped, the joint will undergo the following adverse changes:
This disease affects absolutely any articular surfaces! Moreover, despite the same mechanism of pathology, it is classified into several types.
So, depending on which joints are sick, they distinguish:
According to the specifics of the pathological process in cartilage tissue, the following are distinguished:
According to the causes of pathology, they are distinguished:
It is important to know! There is no arthrosis of internal organs, for example, arthrosis of the heart is not a type of disease, but a consequence: disruption of cardiac activity as a result of destruction of the cartilage of the thoracic region.
There is another classification, based on whether the disease is independent or caused by provoking factors:
There are quite typical signs of arthrosis of all localizations, which, depending on the degree of development of the pathology, differ in their severity:
The very initial signs of disorders make themselves felt by mild or moderate, short-term pain, which almost never occurs at night, but usually appears only with load on the articular surface.
When the inflammatory processes have reached their final stage, the patient begins to feel unbearable, “gnawing” pain due to stagnation of blood and increased pressure in the joint capsule. The pain is characterized by a long duration, at any time of the day, and regardless of whether the affected area is at rest or in motion.
This symptom is characteristic of a fairly advanced disease. At the same time, in the early stages, the patient still feels in the morning, after waking up, discomfort when moving in the form of a feeling of some stiffness.
As destructive reactions progress, the patient notices:
Ultimately, at the fourth stage of the pathology, ankylosis forms in the form of replacement of articular tissues with scars, with a complete loss of functionality.
Crunching can be accompanied by any problem with bones and cartilage, not only caused by arthrosis.
However, it is characteristic of this disease that the sound:
Noticeable changes appear in the later stages. Thus, the axis of the affected limb is bent, and the articular area itself is deformed - it grows in size, and its shape changes unsightly.
All this indicates irreversible destruction of the joint, inside which a new tissue without a specific structure has formed.
If such a disease-causing process occurs in the knee, it means that the load on the ankle and metatarsophalangeal joints will increase, which will eventually damage them too.
If an externally deformed part of the body is also swollen or swollen, this means inflammation of the synovial membrane, due to which synovial fluid accumulates in large quantities in the joint capsule, causing severe pain.
Pathology can occur in a single joint or spread to several. This disease occurs most rarely at a young age - there is still enough vitality for the body to self-heal.
However, for all age groups, the causes of occurrence in their direction of influence are:
Internal causes are factors that provoke negative changes in the joint in the form of inflammation of the joint. There are inflammations of various origins:
In addition, the causes of internal effects include congenital or acquired disorders of the structure of cartilage tissue and poor nutrition, which may be associated with:
Exacerbation of many diseases of the musculoskeletal skeleton also leads to cartilage degeneration.
External causes of the development of the disease are factors damaging the joint, such as:
According to clinical manifestations and the process of disease progression, four stages of arthrosis are distinguished:
All four stages proceed unevenly: during the pathological period, sharp exacerbations and moments of remission are possible.
It has been clinically proven that treatment and prevention in the form of eliminating the provoking factors of damage to hyaline cartilage, although they do not eliminate the disease at the initial stage, stop its development and restore the functionality of the joint.
Basically, the disease of mild and moderate severity is treated with conservative methods. In case of serious destruction of the cartilage surface, resulting in bone destruction, surgical endoprosthetics is indicated.
In this case, the main principles in treatment are:
When receiving comprehensive treatment, but at home, you can additionally resort to healing recipes from traditional healers who offer effective treatment for health problems through herbs and bee products.
From plants they use:
Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint with burdock also helps: a leaf is bandaged to the sore spot, which is insulated throughout the night.
It is important to know! Using herbal medicine, to enhance the effect, it is necessary to forget bad habits and take care of proper nutrition.
Drug treatment related to the classical method of therapy is divided, depending on the dosage form used, into drugs:
The pharmacological industry produces medical ointments based on natural, highly active components:
Voltaren, containing 1% diclofenac, helps well: Voltaren in the form of a gel is applied to the skin.
Injections not only intravenously and intramuscularly, but also directly into the affected area, for example, with non-steroidal drugs, have proven themselves very well in treatment.
Thus, intra-articular injections are administered into damaged joint tissues:
A special group in drug therapy are the so-called chondroprotectors for arthrosis, which contain structural elements of hyaline cartilage, and thereby restore it.
These drugs are produced in the form of tablets and capsules intended for oral administration through the gastrointestinal tract (orally):
Additionally, patients are prescribed NSAIDs, anti-inflammatory drugs for arthrosis of the non-steroidal group, which relieve acute pain and relieve exacerbations.
These are medications such as:
Painkillers are also used in the form of novocaine blockade.
Additionally, complex vitamins are prescribed for arthrosis.
Among natural topical preparations, medical bile is recommended, applied in the form of compresses to the skin.
Special exercises and therapeutic exercises (therapeutic gymnastics) have proven themselves to be excellent, the complex of which provides physical activity on the unhealthy part of the body in a gentle, dosed manner.
Doctors Bubnovsky and Evdokimenko developed their own sets of therapeutic exercises.
It is important to know! Physical exercises are very effective in helping to restore health, but only if you resort to them at the very beginning of the development of the disease!
Medical massage also has a very beneficial effect on treatment, improving microcirculation and nutrition of deep tissues.
With this condition, it is important to adhere to proper, balanced nutrition in order to slightly improve the patient’s condition. It is recommended to refrain from overeating, eliminating animal fats and fried foods.
It is important to know! Additionally, in the fight for healthy cartilage, it is necessary to use physical therapy in the form of magnetic therapy, electrophoresis, paraffin wraps and therapeutic mud.
Which doctor treats arthrosis
First of all, if you complain about pain in the joints of the bones, you should go to a therapist. It is he who, having summarized the patient’s history and questioned him in detail, will give a referral to the right specialist.
These may be, depending on the cause of the disease and its type, doctors of such profiles as:
Arthrosis (osteoarthrosis, deforming arthrosis) is a fairly heterogeneous group of diseases, which are based on damage to the constituent parts of the joints . The main reason for the development of arthrosis is a change in cartilage tissue that occurs due to injury to the joints, excess weight, heredity, estrogen deficiency in women, and previous joint surgeries.
Arthrosis primarily affects articular cartilage , then deformation occurs in the bone located under the softened cartilage. Further, the degeneration process involves the articular membrane, ligaments, capsules and periarticular muscles.
Typically, at the initial stage of the disease, pain occurs periodically, only after serious physical exertion, and quickly passes. However, as arthrosis progresses, the intensity of pain increases, and the pain no longer goes away after rest, but often appears at night.
Since the reasons for the development of arthrosis have not yet been precisely established, popular medical literature often presents the hypothesis that premature “wear and tear of the joint” is caused by physical activity. Serious medical studies refute this erroneous premise and demonstrate with factual material that sports activities do not lead to osteoarthritis . On the contrary, any form of physical activity aimed at strengthening muscles, maintaining joint mobility and improving coordination of movements helps the body resist arthrosis.
Doctors recommend that all patients at risk for this disease (low physical activity, joint injuries and excess weight) perform exercises with measured stress on the joints. These include: cycling, swimming, climbing stairs and walking.
Moving on to the description of methods for treating arthrosis with the help of medicinal plants , it should be said that they help to achieve the desired result only in a general set of internal and external measures, ranging from proper nutrition to herbal baths and massages. Cartilage tissue in our body is restored extremely slowly and unevenly, so treatment of this disease can take more than one year.
An important auxiliary factor in the treatment of arthrosis is an increase in the diet of calcium , which is found in abundance in almonds and fermented milk products, as well as vitamin E, which is rich in sprouted wheat and oil from its sprouts (wheat germ oil). B vitamins are also extremely important for the treatment of this disease . Replace table salt in your diet with herbs that are rich in vitamins, such as cilantro, parsley and basil. But sour fruits - oranges, lemons and grapefruits should be completely removed from the menu .
When starting to take any herbal mixture, first be sure to familiarize yourself with the possible contraindications that the herbs included in its composition have.
Here are some of the simplest recipes, the ingredients for which can be found in any pharmacy:
• Mix 100 grams of aloe juice, 200 grams of honey with 300 grams of vodka. After leaving in a dark place for 3 days, make a compress and apply it overnight. The course of treatment is 10-12 days, repeated every other week.
• For compresses on the metatarsal joint, you need to take a burdock leaf and apply a thin layer of turpentine to its reverse side. Apply the sheet to the joint, cover it with polyethylene and secure with a bandage.
Common juniper is another useful plant for the prevention and treatment of arthrosis. Juniper needles and fruits help improve metabolism and have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect . The recipes for their medicinal use are very simple. To do this, you need to scald dry juniper needles with boiling water, cool and spread them evenly on gauze. After this, a compress is applied to the joint. It is covered with polyethylene on top, insulated with woolen fabric and left overnight.
Preparation of juniper fruit infusion for oral administration:
Pour 1 tablespoon of crushed fruit into 200 ml of boiled water, heat in a water bath for 15 minutes, then cool for 45 minutes and strain, squeezing the remaining fruit into the solution. Adults can take the infusion 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day after meals, but not more than 2 weeks. Internal intake of juniper fruit infusion promotes the elimination of uric acid, which is extremely important for patients with arthrosis in combination with gout .
Boil 200 grams of juniper needles and fruits for 30 minutes in 2 liters of water, strain and add to the bath. The duration of the procedure is 30 minutes at a water temperature of +37°C.
Alcohol tinctures based on available plants have proven themselves well in the treatment of arthrosis - burdock root, comfrey , sweet clover herb, hops, wild rosemary, wheatgrass and thyme. They are prepared using traditional technology: crushed grass or roots (50 grams) are poured into 0.5 liters of vodka and left for 2 weeks in a dark place. After filtering, the solution is ready for rubbing and oral administration.
For internal use, we can recommend the following recipe:
I would especially like to cancel the powerful regenerating effect of drugs based on the roots of comfrey . This is one of the few plants that activates the processes of regeneration of cartilage tissue. The tincture prepared according to the above recipe should be taken for at least 3 months, 20-30 drops in half a glass of water 3 times a day before meals.
Collections consisting of several medicinal herbs relieve pain due to arthrosis well . For example, from birch leaves, nettles and tricolor violet flowers. Just pour 1 tablespoon of the dry mixture of these herbs with a glass of boiling water and heat it in a water bath for 15 minutes. Take the infusion 4 times a day, half a glass.
The regenerative properties of the bark of some trees are very useful in the treatment of arthrosis. To do this, take 100 grams of birch bark, 100 grams of aspen bark and add 10 grams of oak bark to them. Everything is finely ground in a coffee grinder, and then 1 tablespoon of the bark mixture is poured with boiling water, boiled for 7-8 minutes and filtered. Take half a ½ glass once a day.
Calendula flowers mixed with willow bark , birch and nettle leaves mixed in equal parts are good for the treatment of arthrosis. Two tablespoons of this mixture are poured into 1 liter of boiling water and left for 12 hours. Drink half a glass of the decoction half an hour before meals 3 times a day. The duration of treatment is 2 months.
, marsh cinquefoil has taken a leading position in the treatment of joint diseases . An alcohol tincture from this plant can not only be used for compresses, but also taken orally, 0.5-1 tablespoon, diluted with one glass of water. The course is long - 6 months.
Compared to the therapeutic effect of taking cinquefoil, an alcohol tincture of the fruits of orange maclura . When treating joint problems, maclura is the first remedy. The maximum effect is achieved by combining the use of maclura tincture, maclura ointment and a water infusion of marsh cinquefoil (brew 1 tablespoon of cinquefoil stems with a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain and drink in equal parts throughout the day). As you know, cinquefoil effectively relieves joints of salts, but often causes severe exacerbations, which can be mitigated with the help of maclura preparations. The effect of taking cinquefoil occurs after 4-6 months of use, maclura acts almost immediately, so combining these two remedies gives the most noticeable and lasting results even in advanced stages of the disease. As part of the treatment complex, maclura ointment externally on the joints of the arms and legs, as well as on the spine 2-3 times a day, rubbing vigorously.
Herbal baths with decoctions of not only juniper pine and fruits, but also chamomile, valerian root and St. John's wort, followed by a light massage of the joint, have a beneficial effect on sore joints. Ideal for such a massage: 30% Turpentine Balm - a mixture of vegetable oils with cedar resin (resin) or Maclura Oil (an infusion prepared by infusing fresh maclura fruits with any vegetable base oil for 2 months). Baths + rubbing can quickly relieve pain, providing a relaxing, anti-inflammatory and powerful local healing effect directly on the sore joint.
When using herbal remedies, it should be borne in mind that a course of herbal medicine brings improvement no earlier than after 3 weeks of regular use of herbal infusions, baths, rubs, and ointments. A lasting effect in the treatment of arthrosis in its early stages occurs only after 9-12 months.
Repeated courses of herbal medicine for osteoarthritis should be carried out after 1.5-2 months, as well as during the period of surgical interventions, respiratory diseases, in spring and autumn for 4-5 years. Reducing or increasing breaks between courses should be focused on the general condition of the patient.
The main types of arthrosis of the joints include a wide range of pathologies covering different joints of the musculoskeletal system. All types of the disease have a similar clinical picture and are characterized by destruction of cartilage tissue with further involvement in the pathological process of the capsule, ligament, periarticular muscles and other parts of the joint. As the disease develops, it leads to loss of ability to work and disability, so it is very important to visit a medical facility in a timely manner and undergo a diagnostic examination, which will allow the doctor to determine the type of arthrosis and prescribe the necessary therapeutic course.
Arthrosis is a chronic disease and is a consequence of biological and mechanical effects on the joints. There are many reasons for its appearance. Depending on what caused the development of the pathology, two types of arthrosis are distinguished:
When considering what types of arthrosis there are, it is worth mentioning the stages of development of the disease. Sometimes the disease proceeds for many years without any noticeable signs and only periodically reminds itself of itself with slight soreness during physical exertion. But it also happens that the disease develops very rapidly, moving from one stage to another in just a few months. Depending on the course, the disease is divided into three types:
When figuring out what types of arthrosis there are, it should be mentioned that this type of disease is the most common form of joint damage. The incidence tends to increase with the age of the population. In old age, about one third of people suffer from arthrosis. The most susceptible to pathology are the joints of the spine, hand, foot, knees, shoulder or pelvis, which are affected more often than others and pose the greatest threat to human health.
Damage to the knee joints is called gonarthrosis and is the most common among all arthrosis. The risk group includes people with excess body weight and those who have suffered a meniscus injury, although the disease is often caused by increased loads, stress, and metabolic disorders. Often, gonarthrosis is diagnosed on both legs at once, but the signs of the disease on different knees can be expressed to varying degrees - weaker on one limb, more severe on the other.
The disease lasts for many years and initially makes itself felt with mild pain when moving. When moving to the second stage, the pain intensifies and appears not only during exercise, but also at rest. Next, the person notices deformation and swelling of the knee; sometimes, when moving the leg, a characteristic crunching sound occurs in the joint. Gradually, the leg partially loses mobility, flexion and extension are accompanied by severe pain, and at a later stage the knee becomes completely immobile.
Ankle lesions develop mainly as a result of injuries, sprains, and dysplasia. Sometimes the causes of the disease are gout, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. The disease is characterized by degenerative processes with proliferation and deformation of bone tissue. At the first stage, arthrosis practically does not manifest itself, which makes it difficult to diagnose. With the subsequent development of the pathology, characteristic symptoms appear:
People whose work involves excessive stress on the ankle are more susceptible to ankle arthrosis. These include dancers, athletes, and women who regularly wear high-heeled shoes.
Among the main causes of damage to the shoulder joints are congenital defects, metabolic disorders and disproportionate loads. The disease affects people in older age groups, and people of certain professions are more likely to get sick - painters, plasterers, and other specialists engaged in heavy manual labor. Treatment of the disease is considered easier compared to other types of arthrosis.
As in other cases, shoulder joint disease begins with minor pain, which often intensifies at night. In the initial stages, movements are not limited, but pain is felt when swinging the arm and moving it back. In second-degree pathology, the pain becomes more severe, movements are limited and accompanied by muscle spasms.
At the third stage, the patient cannot raise his arm, and a characteristic deformation is noticeable at the junction of the scapula and shoulder. It is worth noting that shoulder arthrosis rarely progresses to the last degree. This happens mainly to those people who continue to do hard work.
Damage to the hip joint (coxarthrosis) is considered one of the most complex and difficult to tolerate diseases among the types of arthrosis. The pathology is equally characteristic of both sexes, but women have a more severe course. In most cases, the cause is natural aging of the body, but if the disease develops before the age of 40, it is most often due to joint dysplasia.
The disease is accompanied by pain, which radiates to the groin or lateral thigh when moving. After prolonged immobility of the joint (usually after sleep), stiffness is observed, which disappears after its return to working condition.
In later stages, atrophy of nearby muscles may occur. Due to pain, a person is in a bent state, and if arthrosis is unilateral, then his pelvis is forced to tilt towards the affected joint. The patient is forced to use a cane and, while walking, tries to balance his body in a healthy direction. Subsequently, the diseased limb shortens, the general condition worsens, the person becomes depressed and suffers from insomnia.
A disease that develops in the neck area is called uncoarthrosis. Its causes may be traumatic injuries, excess weight, low mobility due to sedentary work. Sometimes congenital anomalies lead to the disease. With the development of arthrosis, damage occurs to the joints located between the cervical vertebrae. The main features are:
The disease is very serious, since the proliferation of osteophytes leads to damage to blood vessels and pinched nerves. With the disease, vertebral artery syndrome may develop, which manifests itself in the form of lumbago in the head, dizziness, and sometimes loss of consciousness.
This disease refers to several types of pathologies that cover different areas of the hand - the wrist joint, distal or proximal interphalangeal joints, etc. The disease is more common in women, and often develops during menopause.
When the interphalangeal joints are affected, nodules appear on the fingers, which in appearance resemble peas, and upon palpation give pain. Depending on the location, the nodes are called Heberden or Bouchard. The former are formed mainly on the back of the fingers, the latter - on the sides.
In addition to the development of nodes, the patient experiences a burning or tingling sensation, limited finger movement, crunching in the joints when moving, and swelling. Over time, the muscle fibers atrophy, the fingers “curl” and cannot perform their direct functions.
With spondyloarthrosis, damage occurs to the cartilage and joints of the spinal column. Predisposing factors to the development of the disease are age (usually over 65 years), female gender, which is associated with maximum estrogen production during menopause, as well as excess fat or bone mass. Like other types of disease, this disease begins with pathological changes in cartilage tissue and leads to gradual sclerosis (replacement of bone tissue with connective tissue) with the development of an inflammatory process.
Based on the course of the disease, a wide range of types of spondyloarthrosis are distinguished - deforming, facet, polysegmental, degenerative, ankylosing. Regardless of the type, the main symptoms of the disease include:
If the pathology appears in the costovertebral joints, then additional signs may be neuritis in the affected area, and with disease of the joints in the lumbar region (lumboarthrosis), a person’s gait and posture are disturbed.
The types and treatment of arthrosis are of interest to every person who is faced with this serious disease. Before prescribing therapy, any specialist identifies the form and degree of the disease, for which several types of research are used:
Treatment of arthrosis is a rather lengthy process and is carried out mainly on an outpatient basis. The treatment measures are based on physiotherapeutic procedures, limiting the load on the sore joint, exercise therapy, and eliminating symptoms through painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Additionally, chondroprotectors, laser therapy, and intraosseous blockades are used. In some cases, the doctor considers it advisable to perform joint replacement.
Spa treatment and a special diet aimed at strengthening cartilage tissue play an important role in therapy. Patients are recommended to eat foods high in collagen (for example, jellied meat), vegetables, fruits, and fish oil. In addition, the patient is advised to reconsider his lifestyle and give up bad habits - smoking, excessive alcohol consumption.
Once you realize that you are suffering from arthrosis, you should not panic. Timely treatment can stop the degenerative destruction of cartilage and, if not completely get rid of the disease, then at least return a person to a normal quality of life.
Human cartilage consists of two main elements: cells (2%) and intercellular substance (98%). In turn, one of the most important components of the intercellular substance is hyaluronic acid. It is responsible for the unique properties of synovial fluid, such as viscoelastic, shock-absorbing and lubricating properties.
What drugs are used to treat osteoarthritis?
A healthy knee joint contains about 2 ml of synovial fluid, and the concentration of hyaluronic acid ranges from 2.5 to 4 mg/ml. Hyaluronic acid is an important component of articular cartilage. It is hyaluronic acid in the synovial fluid that ensures the creation of optimal conditions for reducing the coefficient of friction and provides thin-film lubrication of the articular surfaces.
In patients with osteoarthritis, there is a decrease in the concentration of hyaluronic acid in the synovial fluid by 2-3 times compared to the normal level. A decrease in the concentration of hyaluronic acid leads to a decrease in the viscosity and shock-absorbing properties of synovial fluid. At the same time, the surfaces of the joint begin to quickly wear out and collapse, which causes severe pain and ultimately leads to loss of joint mobility.
— Onset of the disease: crunching when moving, weather sensitivity.
— Development of the disease: the appearance of pain during exercise.
— The final stage of the disease: severe constant pain that gets worse at night. During arthroscopy, destruction of the cartilaginous covering of the joint is observed.
· reduction of excess body weight;
· orthopedic mode (prolonged walking, standing on your feet is prohibited, frequent ascents and descents of stairs, etc. are not recommended)
· physical activity (physical activity)
The former are quite effective, but are contraindicated for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and with their long-term use they can lead to such diseases. Steroid drugs (hormones), as studies have shown, with frequent use can destroy articular cartilage. Chondroprotectors, for the most part, are intended for oral administration.
Although this route of drug administration is relatively safe and the most common in practical medicine, for the drug itself it is the longest and most difficult path, as a result of which natural losses of the most active (medicinal) substance occur. In addition, the effectiveness of these drugs can be significantly influenced by the state of the patient’s gastrointestinal tract, physiological processes in the digestive system, food intake, diet, etc.
Injection of the drug directly into the affected joint has been practiced for more than 50 years and is currently an integral component of the complex treatment of osteoarthritis. In this case, the active substance is in direct contact with the affected tissues, eliminating the effect of the drug on the entire body and associated side effects.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) in their composition can be of either animal or biotechnological origin. The administration of drugs of animal origin (Gialgan) is associated with the risk of serious allergic reactions.
HA in drugs can have different molecular weights. Studies have shown that HA with greater weight has a more pronounced analgesic effect.
It is important that the drug is as ready for use as possible and requires a minimum number of preparatory manipulations in order to exclude possible infection.
Unlike other drugs, where a course of 5 injections is required to achieve an annual effect, Hyalual ARTRO requires 3 injections.
Unlike drugs where HA is the only active ingredient, Gialual ARTRO additionally contains sodium succinate. HA restores the balance of joint fluid, gives it the necessary physical and chemical properties, and affects the intercellular substance. Succinate acts on cartilage cells, normalizing intracellular metabolism of joint tissue and a number of physiological indicators. Thus, an effect on both structural elements of cartilage is achieved.
· Hyalual ARTRO (Hialual ARTRO) is intended only for intra-articular administration by a qualified specialist.
· Be sure to make the final decision on the administration of the drug together with your doctor.
According to statistics, about 15% of all inhabitants of our planet suffer from arthrosis. Most often, this disease manifests itself after the age of 30, and by the age of 60, almost everyone suffers from arthrosis! Women are affected twice as often as men. And if you think that crunching knees or pain in the hip joint are harmless and arise from overwork, you are mistaken. Over time, the pain will intensify, joint mobility will be limited, and if arthrosis develops, there is a high probability of complete immobility and disability. As you can see, arthrosis is no joke. And the sooner it is detected, the fewer consequences this disease can have for you.
But, fortunately, a friend of my friend’s doctor (an orthopedist) volunteered to help. He said that it was arthrosis and that it was very serious. They saved my knee joints with the whole world. The doctor prescribed me a painkiller and a drug containing chondrotin (Teraflex). A pharmacist friend advised me to use “Dikul Balm for Joints” and another gel containing cinquefoil. For two months I took pills, lubricated my sore joints and never parted with my woolen knee pads. A month later, the pain went away, the crunching decreased.
I have been living with arthrosis for 6 years now, I drink Teraflex for two months every six months, I try to put less strain on my knees and eat a lot of jellies (my grandmother’s advice). By the way, during pregnancy the crunching disappeared altogether, apparently this is a feature of the body. I advise everyone to take care of their joints and not endure pain! Physiotherapy (electrophoresis, acupuncture, relaxing massage, magnetic therapy) is carried out in combination with the three main stages of treatment. They are carried out only under the supervision of a doctor, according to an individual scheme and are prohibited during exacerbations.
Many clinics will offer you treatment for arthrosis with leeches, which will effectively relieve pain and inflammation of the joint.
For better restoration of cartilage, it is necessary to undergo a course of mud therapy or radon baths. This is how arthrosis is treated in the sanatoriums of Evpatoria, Sak, and Pyatigorsk. If you can’t afford a ticket, try to at least get out to sea and swim more.
To prevent arthrosis and to relieve tired joints during treatment, you will be prescribed a course of physical therapy. The peculiarity of the exercises is that they do not create a load on the sore joint; they are performed in a lying position, sitting or in the pool. However, no exercise should cause pain in the joint.
A few words about traditional methods of treatment. It is impossible to cure arthrosis using folk methods alone, but this method can be used as an addition to treatment. Gels and ointments based on cinquefoil, as well as those containing mumiyo, have a good effect on cartilage tissue.
My neighbor has not left her apartment for several years due to arthrosis of her knee joints. And recently I met her at the entrance. She walked on her own and quite confidently. She told me that she healed her knees in a week. I bought internal fat at the market (sold from butchers, not salted!), wrapped it around my sore knees, with cellophane and a woolen scarf on top. The neighbor had been unable to get out of bed for a long time without outside help, so lying down for a week (as was stated in the recommendations of traditional healers) was not difficult for her. At first the pain went away, and a week later she unwrapped the bandage, and a thin film remained from the centimeter layer of internal fat - all the fat was absorbed by the knee. Literally immediately after this, the neighbor got back on her feet, and a week later she repeated the wrap again, and now she goes to the nearest store herself.
I still want to try this recipe for myself, but lying down for a week with our hectic pace of life is almost unrealistic. I would like to say that in particularly advanced cases of arthrosis of the joints, when the joint becomes immobile and the cartilage tissue is destroyed, they resort to surgical intervention. In particularly severe cases, even joint replacement is possible. But it’s better and cheaper not to let the joints get into such a state.