Osteoarthritis: symptoms, treatment

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease which is a slow, but gradual destruction of articular cartilage. Arthritis includes a group of common diseases destructive inflammatory in nature, which is different look, similar development mechanisms.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common disease in the world, will occupy a still position in the women, no matter, the men more than 30 years, but the age a risk of developing the disease only increases.

The look of a pathologist

Osteoarthritis develops as a result of the violation of metabolic processes in the joints, against which intra-articular cartilage loses water, it becomes elastic. Factors a changes in the such cartilage of a internal, you don't mind a external look:

• hormonal changes;
• age characteristics;
• genetic predisposition;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• the excessive load on the joints;
• a traumatic, injury – sprains, fractures, contusions, torn ligaments;
• changes in the metabolism within a community, associated with obesity, diabetes;
• hypothermia;
• is not high, unbalanced diet, which the body loses calcium, omega-3 and 6 fats, protein;
• an inflammatory process in the joint;
• violates the blood supply of the femoral head – Perthes disease;
• problems with blood clotting hereditary disease;
• autoimmune diseases – lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis.

To trigger the development of osteoarthritis, certain diseases, to which sammi to do with joints, namely:

• gonorrhea;
• syphilis;
• hyperthyroidism;
• thyroiditis.

In danger are the people who are involved in a heavy physical work, forced hypothermia, and experience increased stress on the musculoskeletal system – miners, Smiths, athletes, movers, and pregnant women.

The symptoms of a osteoarthritis

The first symptom of osteoarthritis is pain in a lowest common stress that passes quickly, as soon as a joint is left alone. Osteoarthritis is characterized by 4 main clinical symptoms:

1. The pain – a pain if you have osteoarthritis, some services, in contrast to the pain, accidental injury, a common inflammation or in it. The first is that you need to pay attention to in the event that an unpleasant feeling of pain any movement load is concerned common. There's a person to stop the movement and remove the strain, the pain is going away like the, like the, which is not possible, trauma or inflammation of a joint. In the evening, collapse is a common practically do not cause the patient discomfort, the pain is only possible, if you change a test situation, but it quickly goes away. Severe progression of a destructive processes in joints at night may be sharp, stabbing pain, which sooner or later will be stronger to perform settings lifestyle. Acute pain occurs any change in the weather, a changing the phases of the moon, the smallest load.
2. Crunch – just a result of a decrease in the softness, the rotation of the bones around the joint, which leads to rubbing of bones against each other, accompanied by a characteristic crunch. Progression of a degenerative process in a joint, the crisis is becoming more pronounced, accompanied by pain.
3. The restriction of a common mobility – a profile section, the development of the pathological process is an expressed limitation of mobility, but like the progression of destruction of the joint within the patient more difficult simple operations. Eventually the affected joint is completely immobilized.
4. Deformation of a joint – a bone surfaces starts to increase, joint, and synovial fluid accumulates. Deformation of a joint can be observed running extent of a pathological process.

Degenerative process in a joint does not develop quickly, a disease characterized by phases of exacerbation and remission, the patients are reluctant to seek medical help, thereby contributing to a progression to a destructive process in a community.

Stage

On the stage and progression of the pathological process, a joint is determined by using x-rays. Allocate only 4 stages of the disease:

1. Characterized by The first mild stenosis, a common space, there is abnormal growth a van bone;
2. Second – there is a small joint space narrowing of the surface of a bone-joints are formed;
3. A third joint space is narrowed, the surface of a bone in multiple joints, deformation of a joint;
4. Fourth – joint gaps almost there more joints, severe deformation of a joint.

Degree

Osteoarthritis is expressed in the form of degenerative and destructive processes in a joint that affects cartilage, develop changes in a capsule, or synovial membrane of a joint and the ligaments around it, as well as bony structures. Depending on the severity of, or ezek intensity of LR-b is accepted to allocate 3 degrees of osteoarthritis.

The first degree

Expressed as a deformation or there is no common change one, but disturbances in synovial fluid – this is not a high provision in the joint tissue nutrients, water and minerals that the cartilage is quickly becoming, not flexible, not a high load. Over time, this causes inflammation accompanied by pain, the movement, the stress of the joint.

The first degree of osteoarthritis in one of the patients don't seek medical care, writing off an unpleasant feeling of pain in an uncomfortable position during sleep, the fatigue, unhealthy lifestyle. It may happen Sometimes that a patient will notice with a characteristic crunch affected joint, but this is not accompanied by severe pain, but just discomfort, again, no one paid attention to.

If the osteoarthritis is diagnosed accidentally stage to the first, the disease is very treatable.

Quadratic

At this stage, the disease is accompanied by destructive processes in cartilage tissue in joints. The surface of a bone is definitely female joint, and the more intense the load on the affected area, a pronounced progress of the destruction.

This is a patient complaining of constant aching pain, shooting character, which are held regularly and for a long time to make itself felt. The disease progresses again. Against the backdrop of a pathological process in the muscles around an inflamed joint, gradually lose their functions, which easily tires the patient is not able to resist a physical stress that easily endured before. The second is the grade of osteoarthritis, the patient gradually progressing deformity of a cartilage or joint.

Third grade

The most serious. Intra-articular cartilage in the affected joint thin, hard to break, which means that it is clearly visible deformation, dysfunction of the affected limb. Located next to joint ligament and misst the same lack of nutrients, oxygen, gradually wither away and that is accompanied by severe loss of mobility. In this case, the patient while suffering from the acute pain which increases with any attempt to change a test situation, when the weather changes and the moon phases, as well as full gradually leads to a loss of function.

Arthritis

Depending on what the reason for triggered process by abnormal a common primary osteoarthritis, secondary or idiopathic.

Primary develops as an independent disease, a secondary consequence of injury or infection, and the cause is not known idiopathic form. Classified women with a disease depending on the causes of the pathological process distinguish osteoarthritis, the site of localization of destructive changes:

1. Gonarthrosis is the most common type of pathology characteristic lesion of the knee. Osteoarthritis most commonly detected in people with obesity, chronic diseases, metabolism, a test, a weak immune system. Knee osteoarthritis progresses for a while, will lead to gradually motor a complete loss of function.
2. Osteoarthritis ankle – a main reason for the development of the degenerative process, ankle, or injuries, sprains, strains, fractures. In some cases the pathological process may trigger autoimmune disease – rheumatoid arthritis. Ankle arthrosis is exposed to, the dancers, the women in high heels, athletes.
3. Shoulder joint arthrosis is a main cause of the degenerative process or at this stage, congenital defects of a shoulder joint or excessive load zone a, for example, when a carrying heavy bags on your shoulder.
4. Coxarthrosis, arthrosis, or of the hip joint – a main cause of the appearance or the age-related changes in the tissues of a joint. At risk are people over 45 years old.
5. Encountres arthrosis, or cervical look, injuries to the neck, progressive low back pain, obesity, sedentary lifestyle. In danger for working people to have a computer in the office. In addition to the expressed pain in the neck in patients with significant dizziness, depression of consciousness, impaired memory, and fatigue. Ezek a symptoms caused by compression of the vertebral artery, through which the publisher receives nutrients, oxygen.
6. Spondiloarthrosis – destructive destruction of the affected tissue in a spine, namely the lumbar a ministry. Vulnerable women during this period, the menopause, the mint spondylosis progresses, the background of a lack of a female sex hormones.
7. Osteoarthritis of the fingers – formed for a spondylosis.
8. A polyarthrosis – characterized by the involvement of more joints with progressive degenerative process them, whereas a pathological process ligaments, muscles, and tissues around a joint.

Possible complications

In the absence of timely diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis progress to involve other joints development gruzevich projecting the development of full polyarthrosis.

Complications a osteoarthritis, as follows:

• the destruction of the integrity of a joint;
• shape deformation;
• the restriction;
• the disability of the patient.

Ezek a complications lead to a significant reduction in, the quality of life of the patient, attached to the related diseases, disorders, completely immobilizing the patient.

Diagnostic methods

The diagnosis of the disease, the patients seek the help of a traumatologist-orthopedist. In order to differentiate osteoarthritis other diseases of the joints and musculoskeletal system specifications x-ray in 2 projections. This will help a test to determine a modified part of the tissue next to the band concerned the presence of damage in the bones, ligaments, osteopenia expansion.

If necessary, the doctor will also prescribe MRI, CT, and arthroscopy. In some cases, produce a puncture of a joint, a sample of synovial fluid.

Treatment of Osteoarthritis

A treatment arthritis best way in the early stages, a disease better respond to the conservative therapies. It is important that the reason for creating progressive destructive changes in a joint, or the time that such an arrest factors.

Osteoarthritis management is very complex, but involves the elimination of the inflammatory process, relieve pain, stop progression of the pathological process and the restoration of the lost functions of a community. Conservative therapy includes the selection of a drug and physiotherapy treatment methods.

Medication

Treatment of Osteoarthritis varies in different places of localization of a pathological process:

1. Osteoarthritis of the fingers, hands of the patient, to reduce pain prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in the form of ointments, cream and gel. To prevent the progression of a pathological visible process host chondroprotectors. After relief of the acute inflammatory process that required massage, physiotherapy treatments.
2. In the case of arthrosis of a shoulder joint of a joint injection the patient painkillers, as well as the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Oral can appointment antispasmodic drugs relaxes the muscles, reducing some of the pain intensity. After the relief of acute inflammation, pain visible therapeutic physical training and massage.
3. Osteoarthritis in a knee – applied non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents topically in the form of compresses, ointments, gels. The affected joint can be seen in physical therapy treatments.
4. Osteoarthritis of a hip joint– to the affected area apply compresses soaked in an ointment or gel is an NSAID group, in a joint injected with a painkiller injection.
5. Osteoarthritis in a knee affected area to apply the creams, gels, an analgesic effect after the relief of acute pain, inflammation of visible treatment physical methods.
6. Ankle osteoarthritis – the patient is recommended strict bed rest, the maximum concerned common. A subsiding of the acute inflammatory process is assigned, physiotherapy, spa, massage.

Physiotherapy treatment

Effective methods of physiotherapy are often used with varying degrees of severity of osteoarthritis are the following:

• Shock wave treatment is effective in relieving the patient a growths in joints, thereby eliminating the pain, limitation of mobility of joints mobility;
• The stimulation around the muscles affected joint by the electric current, this is a very effective procedure a severe patients with reduced mobility help to improve the circulation of blood into a joint, accelerates the processes of regeneration, improves the muscle tone;
• Ozone therapy, in the cavity of the joint, the gas mixture is introduced, reducing the patient's pain, normal joint flexibility, fade, the signs of inflammation. For maximum effect, ozone therapy courses are conducted;
• Phonophoresis – a area affected effect of ultrasonic waves, use of the drug. This is a method of drug treatment is much more efficient, because the ultrasound waves deliver a drug directly to the lesion.

In addition to the physiotherapy treatment includes physical therapy, massage, manual therapy, mechanotherapy.

Diet

Diet osteoarthritis should be balanced, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, trace elements. We recommend that the diet contain fresh fish, vegetable oils, cheese, dairy products, meat, fresh fruit and vegetables.

The diet should be excluded from the flour products, as well as a "fast" carbohydrates, chocolate, coffee, alcohol, meat, fat, away food.

Surgical treatment

If the conservative treatment has not led to the expected result, or osteoarthritis diagnosed at an advanced stage, when pronounced degenerative changes in a joint with severe mobility limitations to the patient, the doctor the surgery.

Surgical treatment of osteoarthritis is carried out in several ways:

1. Insert a relevant community is – this is a method of mind is a diagnostic and therapeutic. Sampling synovial fluid will allow to determine precisely the bought nature of the origin of the disease and to select effective drugs. During the operation, a puncture of a joint cavity applied corticosteroids, various anti-inflammatory medicines which immediately relieve the pain, reduce the load on a joint.
2. Arthroscopy of a joint cavity with an arthroscope, a thorough examination of a community from the inside. During the operation, the doctor removes growths of the bones, as well as various tumors.
3. Osteotomy – an operation on a bone of a small joint set of special tools, and is fixed in a high position, which allows you to not only a restored motor function, but the sick relieve the discomfort to severe pain.
4. Joint replacement was destroyed in a joint is removed, and a install the place of prosthesis, high quality material, which is fully believed that the functions of the lost community, which the full mobility of a limb to save the patient the pain.

Prevention

The prevention of osteoarthritis of the integrated campaign:

• maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle;
• rational, as well as a high nutrition;
• eliminate the bad habits;
• injury prevention and damage to the joints;
• timely treatment of inflammatory processes.

People risk groups should be especially attentive to a change in the joints to a minimum, and the appearance of pain, crunching, and creaking seek the advice of traumatologist-orthopedist.