The causes of arthrosis, its symptoms, complications and treatment methods

Arthrosis, more precisely called osteoarthrosis, is a chronic disease of a dystrophic nature, caused by the destruction of cartilage tissue in the joints, therefore the treatment of joint arthrosis is extremely necessary.If such a disease occurs, irreversible inflammatory processes begin at the ends of the bones and in the tissues around the joints, leading to their degeneration.Moreover, arthrosis refers to a number of additional degenerative joint diseases, which are characterized by many similar causes of occurrence and progression mechanisms.

Arthrosis, according to various statistical information, affects up to 80% of the inhabitants of our planet, which makes it the most frequently diagnosed joint disease.And among all diseases it is in the 3rd place.

The older a person grows, the higher the chance of developing arthrosis.Both sexes are equally susceptible to it, except that arthrosis of the interphalangeal joints occurs more often in women.The most affected is the working population over 30 years old.From year to year the percentage of patients is only increasing.

Osteoarthritis causes a diseased joint

The development and causes of arthrosis are associated with a deterioration of the metabolism in the joint, due to which the cartilage tissue loses its elasticity.The reason for this may be the complete or incomplete loss of proteoglycans in the cartilage, which most often occurs due to severe cracks in the cartilage.The loss of these complex proteins can also occur due to a disruption in their production by joint cells.

According to experts, the destruction of cartilage can occur due to: hormonal imbalance, deterioration of blood circulation in the joints, deterioration of metabolism, due to hereditary reasons, due to mature age, injury and other diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and lichen planus.However, the most important cause of osteoarthritis is excessive stress on the joints at a time when they are most vulnerable.

Additional causes of arthrosis of the joints include the following:

• previous injuries;
• excess body weight;
• inflammation due to the development of a severe form of purulent arthritis;
• poor daily diet;
• hypothermia;
• Libman-Sachs disease;
• intoxication of the whole body;
• frequent colds;
• syphilis, tuberculosis, purulent inflammation of the urinary tract, spring-summer tick-borne meningoencephalitis;
• thyroid diseases;
• chronic bleeding (hemophilia);
• femoral head osteochondropathy.

The causes of osteoarthritis are genetic:

• arthrosis of bones and fingers, may be hereditary;
• dysplasia - as a result of abnormal processes during the development of joints and ligaments that occurs in the womb - leads to joint wear and arthrosis;
• pathogenic change in type 2 collagen - when the fibrillar protein of the connective tissue is damaged.

People who have the following professions or hobbies are more susceptible to the disease: mason, fisherman, blacksmith, porter, athlete.

Symptoms of arthrosis for various reasons

Symptoms of arthrosis can be divided into four groups:

• Painful nature.The appearance of pain first of all indicates the initial symptoms of arthrosis.Pain can be caused by various reasons, but with arthrosis it is special.First, the pain is characterized by sharp manifestations, and a person may feel discomfort when moving.The pain goes away with rest.During the night, the pain can be felt only when you turn from one side to the other.At rest, the pain becomes constant only in severe forms of the disease.In the initial stages of the disease, pain is felt only during heavy efforts or during palpation.As the condition worsens, the pain intensifies and more and more breaks are required to relieve it.In severe forms, the pain becomes unbearable, osteophytes appear due to thinning of cartilage and exposed bone.Bad weather and a full moon make the pain worse.
• The appearance of a crack.This type of symptom is also very important during diagnosis.It occurs due to friction between rotating bones, the ends of which have lost their softness and elasticity.A crack may indicate other diseases, or it may not be accompanied by them at all, but with arthrosis it has a special character, which is distinguished by "dryness".This causes pain.
• Deterioration of joint motor functions.This symptom is typical in the advanced stages of arthrosis, and appears due to the appearance of bone tumors in the joints, which cause spasms and almost completely fill the joint space.The result is partial immobilization of the joint.
• Deformation of joints.A change in the shape of the joint occurs due to the growth of osteophytes in the bones and the entry of synovial fluid into the joint.This symptom is characteristic of the most advanced forms of the disease.

Arthrosis can alternately pass from a state of worsening to a state of remission, which greatly interferes with the diagnosis of the disease itself.For this reason, it is recommended to consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis.

Thanks to X-rays, the doctor will be able to determine the signs that indicate one of the four stages of arthrosis:

• Stage 1. The articular lumen can be slightly reduced;no osteophytes are observed.
• Stage 2. Lumen reduction may be more pronounced and osteophytes begin to form.
• Stage 3. A narrowing of the lumen is clearly observed and there is a large number of osteophytes.
• Stage 4. The articular lumen almost completely disappears and a pathological change in the shape of the joint begins due to many osteophytes.

Methods of treatment of arthrosis

It is better to start treatment of arthrosis at the initial stage of its development and it should be comprehensive and pathogenetic in nature.Treatment should be aimed at eliminating the causes that aggravate the disease.In addition, it will be necessary to eliminate the pathogenic changes caused by inflammation and restore the functionality of the joint.

An integrated approach to the treatment of joint disease consists in the use of medications and physiotherapeutic measures.It is possible to prescribe sanatorium-resort therapy, since in some cases the climate, mineral waters and mud have an effective effect.

The treatment of joint arthrosis consists of a number of basic principles:

1. diseased joints should not experience excessive stress, and during treatment they should be practically absent;
2. respect the orthopedic order;
3. engage in recreational physical education;
4. performing physiotherapy, consisting of laser, shock wave, electro- and magnetic therapy;
5. undergo treatment at health resorts at least once a year according to the doctor's recommendation;
6. oxygen therapy - internal feeding of the joint with oxygen;
7. drug treatment;
8. the method of intraosseous administration of drugs and decompression of the metaepiphysis;
9. placing the right food.

Drug therapy consists of the use of the following drugs:

• Anti-inflammatory medications.Thanks to an integrated approach, you can not only stop the development of the disease, but also make your life easier to some extent.In part, drug treatment is aimed at eliminating pain and inflammation within the joint.For this, non-steroidal drugs are used.Experts advise not to use the oral method of administering these drugs, as they can cause severe stomach pain.In this regard, based on a specific drug, intravenous or intramuscular injections are used.Additional means, such as ointments, are practically not used, as their effectiveness is extremely low.
• Hormonal corticosteroids.Such drugs are prescribed in case of worsening of the disease.Medicines are injected into the joint.For external use, use a patch, solution or ointment.
• Chondroprotectors.Prescribed for the restoration of cartilage tissue and to improve the quality of the structure of the synovium.Among these drugs, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are most often preferred.The duration of this course may be important until improvement occurs.However, if the desired result is not observed within six months, then such drugs should no longer be taken.In addition, together with chondroprotectors, it is recommended to inject drugs into the joints with the addition of hyaluronic acid.Such medications help in the formation of articular cartilage cells.

In particularly severe cases, the prescription of narcotic analgesics is not excluded.But such drugs are prescribed very rarely, only in cases where other medications have not had the desired effect.

The right food for arthrosis

An important role in the aggravation of the disease should be devoted to proper nutrition.It must be balanced.You can't eat less, but you shouldn't overeat either.Due to excess weight, the load on the joint will increase, and in case of malnutrition, the cartilage tissue will lack important microelements, as a result of which it will degrade.However, the main thing is to create a diet that will help you lose excess weight.You will have to give up fast carbohydrates, which are found in sweets and flour products.In addition, the consumption of alcoholic beverages, especially beer, is prohibited.

Fish dishes are welcome, there are practically no restrictions.Only fatty varieties should be avoided - due to their high calorie content, you can gain excess weight again.

Jelly meat is especially valued in the treatment of arthrosis.It may seem strange, but all doctors without exception recommend its use because it contains a large amount of various microelements.The collagen found in jelly meat is useful because it is an integral part of connective tissue, so in this case it is able to fill the missing amount in the body.As a result, the joints gain better mobility and the cartilage tissue becomes more elastic and elastic.

Vitamins, especially group B, play an important role for the organism as a whole in this disease.It is this group that allows one to normalize metabolic processes in the body.A properly functioning metabolism will allow your joints to feel good.Thiamine, after entering the body from beans or peas, will accelerate the synthesis of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

To increase hemoglobin, you need pyridoxine, which can be obtained from bananas, nuts, potatoes and cabbage.It is recommended to pay attention to greens and beans - they contain folic acid.The body also needs liver, mushrooms, eggs and fermented milk products.All this list of vitamins, of course, is contained in vitamin complexes, but it is no secret that natural elements are absorbed better, which means that the healing process will be much faster and more effective.

When eating, you must follow simple basic rules:

• Before going to bed, you should not eat hard-to-digest foods, as they can provoke an attack of arthrosis;
• food should be taken more often, but in small portions;
• Monitor your body weight all the time so that it does not increase, otherwise large loads will be provided on the joints, buy a good product for weight loss and weight control;
• during periods of relief of the disease after eating, take a walk;
• the daily diet must be balanced and compiled together with the doctor.

It is very important to seek help from a doctor in time.By following some of his instructions, you can not only stop the development of arthrosis, but also reverse it, which will give you the opportunity to enjoy your normal life again.