Causes, symptoms and treatment of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a disease whose symptoms everyone should know.This dangerous and very common condition can be almost invisible in its early stages, but 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 develop and when should treatment begin?

Painful sensations in the joints, “clicks” during movements and reduced mobility of the limbs often go unnoticed: most people do not attach importance to such signals from the body.Meanwhile, these symptoms may indicate a serious illness – osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis deformans is a disease associated with the destruction and thinning of articular cartilage tissue.In this case, the joint tissue becomes looser and grows, which ultimately leads to the development of bone spurs and inflammation inside the joint.

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

With timely therapy, you can significantly slow down the development of osteoarthritis, maintain mobility of the limbs and avoid serious surgical interventions - that is why it is so important to see a rheumatologist at the first symptoms.

Treatment of osteoarthritis

From the perspective of European medicine, the treatment of such a serious disease as osteoarthritis requires an integrated approach that takes into account the symptoms at different stages of the disease.The complex of therapeutic measures includes, in addition to taking medications, weight loss measures, exercise therapy, 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 and the characteristics of the patient's body, but necessarily includes a whole range of measures to combat the manifestations of the disease.

Drug treatment

The first task when treating osteoarthritis 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.Remember that taking this group of drugs only relieves the main symptoms of the disease.In addition, long-term use of NSAIDs can accelerate the process of cartilage destruction, which is why they must be used with great caution and only as prescribed by a doctor.

The use of analgesics is another way to relieve the patient of pain.In contrast to NSAIDs, analgesics relieve inflammatory processes to a lesser extent, but are more effective in controlling pain.If muscle cramps 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 the cartilage tissue with nutrients and thus stimulate cell growth.The group of chondroprotectors includes, for example, glucosamine, which is produced in the form of tablets or capsules.No quick effect can be expected from taking chondroprotectors: an improvement in the condition of the cartilage is only noticeable after taking the medication for a long time.In addition, they do not help if the disease has reached the third, most severe stage.

Vasodilators are used to improve blood flow and relieve spasms of small vessels.Taking such drugs in combination with chondroprotectors enhances their effect: nutrients enter the cartilage tissue in a larger volume.

Physiotherapy

1. Shock wave therapy.By using shock wave therapy (SWT) for osteoarthritis, we can eliminate one of the main causes of pain: spiny bone processes - osteophytes.Under the influence of ultrasonic waves, the “tips” soften and dissolve over time, improving the efficiency of blood flow and metabolic processes.Despite all the advantages, shock wave therapy is effective only in the early stages of arthrosis and has many contraindications, which is why it is prescribed with caution.
2. Automated electromyostimulation with verticalization.The use of electrical impulses to contract muscles is particularly useful for bedridden patients and for serious injuries when the necessary physical exercises are contraindicated.Although electromyostimulation is not the most common purpose in arthrosis, 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 – ultrasound waves and drugs.This allows you to significantly increase the effect of medications using phonophoresis: thanks to ultrasound, their substances are delivered to the “target cells” and absorbed by them much more actively.
4. Ozone therapy.Introducing a gas mixture into the joint capsule relieves 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.

Methods of traditional Chinese medicine

In Chinese medicine, restoring joint health begins with diagnostics, during which the general condition of the body is assessed and the cause of osteoarthritis is determined.The doctor then creates a program to influence biologically active points.The complex treatment of arthrosis includes the following TCM methods:

• Acupuncture (acupuncture) – placement of the finest needles on points in a specific combination;
• Phytocompresses – “pressures” made from medicinal herbs;
• Moxotherapy – warming with wormwood cigars;
• Tuina acupressure.

The main focus is on acupuncture as the most effective treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine.The success of the therapy depends largely on the qualifications of the specialist.In the hands of an experienced doctor, the patient will soon notice an improvement in well-being, accompanied by pain relief, restoration of joint mobility, strengthening of the immune system, and normalization of blood circulation and metabolism[2].

Other methods for non-surgical treatment of osteoarthritis:

• Therapeutic exercise.Exercise therapy for osteoarthritis is considered an excellent way to improve blood circulation in the affected joint and strengthen the muscles.As a rule, the doctor recommends starting with simple exercises and gradually increasing the number of repetitions.
• Mechanotherapy.Physiotherapy can be supplemented with mechanotherapy - exercises using special simulators.The devices allow you to increase the load during gymnastics (using different weights) and at the same time protect the painful joint from damage.Like exercise therapy, mechanotherapy also helps improve blood circulation and increase muscle tone.
• Joint traction.The essence of the procedure is to mechanically “stretch” the joint using a special device 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.To improve and consolidate the results, a course with 10-12 sessions is conducted approximately every six months.
• Lymphatic drainage and warming massage.These procedures help warm up the diseased area, relieve spasms and pain, and improve blood circulation in the joints.If the patient has limited mobility, lymphatic drainage and heat massage can also be used.
• Prescription of dietary nutrition.Weight correction is one way to significantly reduce the load on the joint and slow the development of osteoarthritis.Of course, adherence to a diet alone does not contribute to recovery, but in combination with other procedures it can have a certain effect.
• Correction of lifestyle.In order to combat arthrosis, the patient must significantly reconsider his usual lifestyle and only wear comfortable shoes, use only comfortable furniture and women must avoid high heels.It is also advisable to break bad habits and avoid excessive physical activity.In some cases, wearing an orthosis and regular visits to the swimming pool and sauna are beneficial.A comprehensive list of recommendations can be obtained from the treating doctor, which he will create depending on the patient's condition.

Surgical treatment

1. Puncture (minimally invasive procedure).It is also used to diagnose the disease.A needle is inserted into the joint capsule and removes some of the fluid.This allows you to obtain material for analysis, reduce the load on the capsule, and, if necessary, also inject corticosteroid drugs directly into the site of inflammation.
2. Diagnostic arthroscopy.During arthroscopy, a special arthroscope device is inserted into the skin through microincisions.This allows a thorough examination of the joint and removal of separated fragments of cartilage, thereby 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.Surgery allows you to reduce the load on the joint and eliminate pain for a long period of time.Such a radical effect is rarely prescribed - the load on the patient's body is too great and the rehabilitation period is too long.
4. Endoprosthetics.In cases where other treatment methods have not helped and the disease has completely or almost completely destroyed the joints, they are replaced with prostheses made of plastic, metal or ceramic.Replacement of an endoprosthesis is a difficult and expensive operation that requires long-term rehabilitation.Many patients continue to suffer from pain for several months after surgery.However, endoprosthetics is often the only alternative for the patient to the prospect of immobilization.The service life of modern prostheses is twenty years, and during all these years the patient can live a full life.

Symptoms and features of the treatment of arthrosis of various types

Despite the common 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 drug from reaching the site of inflammation.However, the same ointments work well when applied to the knee or elbow joint.Let's take a look at what symptoms are typical for osteoarthritis of the joints (ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder, finger and hip) and what treatment is suitable for each.

• Treatment of arthrosis of the joints of the hand (fingers).In the early stages, the disease is only noticeable through a slight crunch and slight pain when moving the hands, but without treatment it becomes visually noticeable: noticeable thickenings appear on the phalanges of the fingers in the joint area.The pain intensifies and becomes constant, burning and pulsation appear 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 cramps, reduced mobility of the arms, “lumbago” when lifting and moving sideways – these are all symptoms of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint.Massage and physiotherapy are prescribed in combination with the use of antispasmodics and intra-articular injections of painkillers.
• Treatment of osteoarthritis of the elbow joint.Symptoms of elbow joint disease include a loud grinding sound when bending the elbows and moving the hands, “stinging” pain, and muscle weakness.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 “mild” crunching of the joints, painful or unpleasant sensations in the lower back when moving, or severe fatigue.When treating the disease, painkillers are prescribed in the form of injections, capsules or tablets, as well as compresses with anti-inflammatory solutions.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint.In the case of gonarthrosis, patients complain of crunching noises when moving, pain in the calf area, especially under heavy strain, and enlargement 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 osteoarthritis of the ankle joint.Tingling, redness, crunching, clicking in the foot area, rapid fatigue when walking - these symptoms indicate the development of osteoarthritis of the ankle joint.Physiotherapy, massage and therapeutic baths are effective in treating this type of disease.You should also reduce the stress on your ankle.

To avoid the occurrence of arthrosis, especially if there is a predisposition, you should adhere to simple rules: wear comfortable shoes, ensure physical activity, be careful during training, avoid injuries and hypothermia.In order to prevent the disease, it is particularly important to maintain a normal weight, because every additional kilogram increases the strain on the joints.