Causes, symptoms and treatment of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a disease whose symptoms everyone should know.This dangerous and very common pathology can 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 types of signals from the body.Meanwhile, 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 loosens and grows, eventually leading to bone spurs and inflammation within the joint.

At an early stage, patients experience slight discomfort when moving, which they may not pay attention to.In the second stage of the disease, severe pain occurs that limits joint mobility.The third stage, in addition to pain, is accompanied by complete or almost complete destruction of the articular cartilage tissue.

You can significantly slow down the development of osteoarthritis, help maintain mobility of the limbs and avoid serious surgical intervention with the help of timely therapy, which 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 a disease as serious as osteoarthritis requires an integrated approach, taking into account the symptoms at different 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 localization of the disease, the characteristics of the patient's body, but it necessarily includes a wide range of actions aimed at combating the manifestations of the disease.

Pharmacological treatment

The first task in the treatment of osteoarthritis is to relieve pain and inflammation of the joint.To do this, 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.Remember that the use of this group of drugs only relieves the main symptoms of the disease.Additionally, 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 pain relievers is another way to relieve the patient's 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 most 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 drug treatment of osteoarthritis: they saturate cartilage tissue with nutrients and stimulate cell growth.The group of chondroprotectors includes, for example, glucosamine, produced in the form of tablets or capsules.A quick effect should not be expected from the use of chondroprotectors: an improvement in the condition of the cartilage can only be noted after long-term use of the drugs.In addition, they will not help if the disease has reached the third, most serious stage.

Vasodilators are used to improve blood flow and also to relieve spasms of small vessels.Taking such drugs in combination with chondroprotectors enhances 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 osteoarthritis allows us to eliminate one of the main causes of pain: the spinous bone processes - osteophytes.Under the influence of ultrasonic waves, the "spikes" 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 osteoarthritis and has many contraindications, so it is prescribed with caution.
2. Automated electromyostimulation with verticalization.The use of electrical impulses to contract muscles is advisable mainly in 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 goal of osteoarthritis, its use helps to increase muscle tone and improve blood circulation, which has a positive effect on the recovery dynamics.
3. Ultraphonophoresis.This procedure combines two types of effects: ultrasonic waves and medications.As a result, phonophoresis makes it possible 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.

Traditional Chinese medicine methods

In Chinese medicine, restoring joint health begins with diagnosis, during which the general condition of the body is evaluated and the root cause of osteoarthritis is identified.Then the doctor draws up a program to influence biologically active points.The complex treatment of osteoarthritis includes the following methods of traditional Chinese medicine:

• acupuncture (acupuncture) - placement of the finest needles on points in a certain combination;
• phytocompresses - "grips" from medicinal herbs;
• moxotherapy: warming with wormwood 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 methods of non-surgical treatment of osteoarthritis:

• Therapeutic exercise.Exercise therapy for osteoarthritis is considered a great way to improve blood circulation in the affected joint area, as well as strengthen muscles.As a rule, the doctor recommends starting with simple exercises and gradually increasing the number of repetitions.
• Mechanotherapy.Physiotherapy can be complemented by mechanotherapy, exercises using special simulators.The 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 makes it possible to reduce the load on the joint, slow down the development of osteoarthritis and significantly reduce pain in the patient.Approximately once every six months, a course consisting of 10 to 12 sessions is carried out to improve and consolidate the result.
• Lymphatic drainage and warming massage.These procedures help warm the diseased area, relieve spasms and pain, and improve blood circulation in the joints.Lymphatic drainage and warming massage can also be used if the patient has limited mobility.
• Diet nutrition prescription.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 give a certain effect.
• Lifestyle correction.To combat osteoarthritis, the patient will have to significantly reconsider his usual way of life and start wearing only comfortable shoes, 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, it will be beneficial to wear an orthosis and regularly visit the pool and sauna.You can get a complete list of recommendations from the treating doctor, 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 some of the fluid;This allows you 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 the introduction of a special arthroscopic 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.Such a radical effect is prescribed infrequently: 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.Stent replacement is a difficult and expensive operation that requires long-term rehabilitation.Many patients experience pain for several months after surgery.However, stents for the patient are often the only alternative to the prospect of being immobilized.The useful 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 treatment for osteoarthritis of different types.

Despite the common characteristics of symptoms, osteoarthritis of different joints has its own signs and treatment features.For example, the use of ointments for osteoarthritis of the hip joint is ineffective due to muscle and fatty 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 symptoms are typical of osteoarthritis of the joints (ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder, fingers and hip) and what treatment is appropriate for each case.

• Treatment of osteoarthritis 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 down the destruction of cartilage.
• Treatment of osteoarthritis 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 osteoarthritis of the elbow joint.Symptoms of elbow joint disease include a loud cracking sound when bending the elbows and moving the hands, "shooting" pain, and muscle weakness.To get rid of this type of osteoarthritis, physiotherapeutic procedures, compresses and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of ointments are used.
• Treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip joint.Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is characterized by a "soft" cracking of the joints, painful or uncomfortable sensations in the lower back when moving, or severe fatigue.In the treatment of 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.With gonarthrosis, patients complain of crunching sounds when moving, 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, physiotherapy, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ointments) and use of compresses.
• Treatment of osteoarthritis of the ankle joint.Tingling sensation, redness, crunching, 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 the treatment of this type of disease.You should also reduce the load on your ankle.

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