The life of a person with arthrosis is divided into "first" and "after". Before the disease, there were large and small joys, sometimes insignificant problems. After that, only a daily struggle and a peaceful despair remained that normal life will never return. But you can solve the problem forever!
What is arthrosis
This is an joint disease, when the joint cartilage is destroyed over time, the joint ends of the bones are modified, the degenerate tissue periasty and the inflammation are actively flourishing.
Causes and development
Arthosis can develop due to excessive loads or joint lesions. In any case, the process is accompanied by a decrease in the quantity of proteoglycans (special complex proteins). Due to a decrease in the number of proteoglycans, the articulation loses water, since these are these molecules that keep it. As a result, the cartilage "dries", loses elasticity and elasticity, becomes rough and dry. For this reason, an abnormal friction occurs, consequently. Due to the friction, the joint is "canceled", the cartilage becomes thinner, becomes more thin. Due to constant microdamines, the growths are formed on joint osteophytes. The last phase is the complete disappearance of the cartilage.
By mistake, people take osteophytes for "salt", which must be "missing". But they are not salt deposits and there is nothing to disperse in the joints.
Risk factors for arthrosis determine the causes. Please note that if there is a factor (for example, the age of 50), arthrosis may not occur, but the possibilities of its appearance increase in the presence of 2 or more reasons, for example a 50 -year injury. All factors can be divided into non -general and genetic, external and internal.
Interior factors:
- Age. Over time, the body's ability to regenerate decreases and cell activity decreases. For this reason, the reproduction of collagen decreases, the synovial fluid in the joints becomes lower.
- Violation of the metabolism. Various metabolic disorders can lead to arthrosis. The most common motif is a decrease in estrogen levels and diabetes. Various metabolic pathologies are also leading to arthrosis.
Lack of minerals and vitamins. Everything is clear here. If there is no reception of the necessary substances, collagen and other substances simply have nothing to summarize. The pathology can develop against the background of anomalies in the assimilation of the substances. - Overweight. A bit of influencing the reason, since arthrosis occurs exclusively due to the excess of weight, a person must have a weight of over 150 kilograms. But it also has an influence, the probability of developing arthrosis increases.
- Violation of the development of bones, joints. These anomalies may appear not only for inheritance, but also for other reasons. The pathology of development is not a phrase, without prejudice to that some rules of arthrosis never arise.
- Arthritis. In the inflammatory process, the flow of blood to the joint is disturbed, the composition of the synovial fluid and the variations of the cartilage. Note that after getting rid of arthritis, the risk of developing arthrosis remains until the composition of the fluids and tissues of the joint returns to normal.
- Joint heart attack. In another way, the aseptic necrosis of the joint. It develops with thrombophilia - blood tendencies to the formation of blood clots. But usually thrombophilia does not lead to a joint joint, therefore the development of osteoarthritis requires the participation of other causes.
- Chronic stress. Depression and prolonged alarming conditions lead to a decrease in the level of regeneration, a decrease in the protective properties of the body. The probability of developing any disease, not only arthrosis, increases.
External factors:
- Injury. These include various types of dislocations, damage to the articulation bag, at the bone base of the joint. These accidents rarely occur and with an adequate step of treatment without trace. But in the presence of other factors, arthrosis can occur.
- Excessive load on the joint. It occurs in professional athletes or among workers who pass long distances. But this factor, subject to the coach's recommendations and, in the absence of other factors, rarely leads to arthrosis.
- Surgery(Menescntomy and others). After operations, patients are prescribed drug therapy, bed rest, other procedures to reduce the risk of complications. With their violation, the probability of arthrosis increases.
The main symptoms
The diagnosis of osteoarthritis is quite simple, even an unpaid person can do it, it is sufficient to understand the types of pain in the joints.
Types of joint pain:
- Pain occurs and increases from the load, weakens rest;
- If the patient is laid and the other person bends the limb, then the pain will occur as usual (due to the friction in the articulation);
- Pain from work gradually increases, with the course of the disease, it intensifies.
Another characteristic symptom is a dry crew in the joint when it moves. Normally, the joints also creak, but the sound of a healthy articulation is sound and acute, the joints do not hurt. With arthrosis, the creaking is dry, at the beginning it is listened badly, but constantly accompanies the movement. At the same time, a person experiences severe pain.
With the development of the disease, other characteristic symptoms appear: low mobility, joint deformation. The X -ray image shows a decrease in the joint gap, bone excrements on the heads of the bones, their deformation.
Arthosis often occurs in the joints of the knee and hip, since they are the ones who experience increased loads. Less commonly, it occurs in the joints of the shoulder and elbow, on the fingers or on the legs. There is a generalized variety of arthrosis, in which all the body joints are affected simultaneously.
Disease phase
With arthrosis, joint cartilage, bones and adjacent tissues are damaged to them. The arthrosis phases are distinguished according to the degree of damage to the articulation.
1st stadium
In this phase, the degenerative processes influence only collagen fibers and proteoglycan molecules in the cartilage. Due to the change in the composition of the cartilage or synovial fluid, pathological friction occurs, which leads to painful sensations. Pain occurs after an intense physical effort, at rest disappears. The joint movements are not yet difficult, the changes do not refer to muscle fibers, joint bag and surrounding blood vessels. At this stage, the changes are not visible in the X -ray or are insignificant.
Phase 2
Due to the abnormal friction, the cartilage loses the properties of elasticity and strength, gradually more subtle and no longer protects the heads of the bones. Consequently, they are flattened, due to which the area of their contact increases. At the edges of the joint platform, the excrement - osteophytes clearly visible in a X -ray image are formed.
At this stage, the pain pursues the patient not only with loads, but already with minor movements. Peace does not give complete relief, although it can reduce pain. The joint partially loses mobility, the patient himself also tries not to load the limb concerned.
Due to the lack of mobility, the blood flow to the joint worsens. Consequently, the composition of the synovial fluid changes, becomes viscose, loses the lubricating properties, which accelerate the course of the disease. The X-ray shows a decrease in the lumen of the joint gap of 50-70%, the joint deformation becomes evident.
Phase 3
At this stage, the cartilage disappears completely or partially. The mobility of the joint disappears, the patient suffers from severe pain not only when he moves, but also at rest. The joint gap and the synovial fluid disappear and the wrinkles and the atrophies of the joint bag. At this stage, only surgical treatment is possible with the replacement of the joint with an artificial prosthesis. If this is not done, ankylosis will occur with the impossibility of the movement.
Treatment methods
Even with a 100% dedication of the doctor and the patient, the joint is completely restored only in 1 stadium of arthrosis. In 2 phases, a bone deformation is observed, so it will not work to return the articulation to the joint. But you can delay the operation for a long time or even completely avoid it. Phase 3 of arthrosis is treated exclusively surgically.
In the treatment of 1 and 2 stages of osteoarthritis, many methods are used. First of all, it is a pharmacological treatment. Various physiotherapy, biological treatment methods, massage are also used. With overweight, the normalization of food is required.
Symptomatic therapy
To eliminate pain, non -pound anti -inflammatory drugs are used. Furthermore, all funds have many contraindications are not recommended for prolonged use, since they worsen the synthesis of proteoglycans in the articulation.
To alleviate pain, it is better to use selective anti -anti -inflammatory drugs. They do not cause complications, have few contraindications and can be accepted vaguely for a long time. To improve blood circulation, it is possible to use vasodilated drugs or local irritating ointments.
Specific therapy
It is consisted in taking the chondropropropprometer (glucosamine and condroitin sulphate) - drugs for the restoration of the cartilage. Glucosamine stimulates the activities of the chondrocytes, it is also a raw material for the creation of proteoglycan molecules. The condroitin sulphate increases the ability of the proteogoglycation to grasp and retain water. In addition, it stimulates the formation of collagen fibers and blocks the enzymes that dissolve them.
Intra -articular injections of hyaluronic acid are also used. It is a raw material for collagen fibers and an integral part of the synovial fluid. The treatment method is common and has shown its effectiveness. To obtain the effect of specific therapy, it takes long years-1-1, 5 years, until the cartilage is completely restored.
Surgery
The last and most radical method for the treatment of arthrosis. During the operation, the articulation concerned is disconnected, the head of the joint and the arches bed are removed. In their place, an artificial joint is placed with a titanium head and a lodge made of high resistance polyethylene. The entire structure is fixed in the bones with the help of the pin.
The operation to replace the hip or knee joint is complex and dangerous. Often leads to complications (pulmonary thromboembolia, infectious diseases). Even with a successful operation, the prosthesis "shatters" over time and requires replacement. This happens in a maximum of 10-15 years and the minimum period is 1-3 years.
Other procedures
Many procedures aim to eliminate the harmful friction in the joint, improving the flow of blood. Treatment methods, many of all should be used complete or alternately. We will analyze only some of the most effective treatment methods:
- Manual therapy. In the process, the manual "extends" the joint, reducing the pressure with the cartilage. The procedure must be performed often and regularly, but the effect appears immediately.
- Another way of limiting the joint -hardware traction. It is actually used on the knee joint, the knee is stretched on a special table using the apparatus. There are enough 2 courses per year for 10-12 course sessions.
- Therapeutic massage. After the procedure, the circulation of the joint fluid improves, increases the flow of blood and increases the plasticity of the joint. The massage is contraindicated in inflammatory processes.
- Ultrasound therapy. With ultrasound vibrations, "massage" of muscles, blood vessels and cartilage tissue occur. Ultrasound accelerates the metabolism due to biochemical exposure. It also has a thermal effect when the mechanical energy from sound goes into thermal energy.
- INOperating therapyWith arthrosis, many exercises are included, including unusual training, which are used exclusively for arthrosis.
Here is an example of exercises of which Artrologs's specialized doctor speaks with explanations for each exercise.
Eating for arthrosis
For a long time it was believed that irregular nutrition leads to arthrosis and that it can be treated with a diet. Today it has become completely clear that nutrition was not directly related to arthrosis.
Of course, excess weight is one of the factors that accelerate the course of arthrosis, therefore the diets are useful, but only for a certain circle of people. The normalization of osteoarthritis nutrition should be understood to be taken from excess weight.
The reduction of weight is particularly important for people who suffer from gonartrosis, because the main weight of the body is on its knees.
When leaving the weight, it is necessary to understand and use different rules that will simplify the activity and provide a guarantee of the result:
- Psychological work. The desire to "eat strictly" rises due to some psychological attitudes, as well as the desire to reward or calm the nerves with the help of the cake. These psychological problems deprive weight loss and the increase in stress aggravates the situation. Losing weight without solving psychological problems will only give a temporary effect.
- Not weight loss, but normalization of food. The main cause of excess weight is an improper diet. If you lose body weight, but do not eliminate the unbalanced diet, after a while the person earns new weight. It is necessary to remove the root of the problem. That is, it is necessary to normalize nutrition not to a certain "period of weight loss", but forever.
- Gradual introduction of all rules. It is very difficult to lose weight psychologically, therefore all the rules of a healthy diet must be introduced gradually. First of all, a rule is introduced (for example, not after 19: 00), after you are used to one rule, introduces another.
- Must be deleted from the menuFried meat, any dishes prepared in oil, pastry chefs made of white flour. You have to eat more vegetables, fruit, simple cereals on the water. It is recommended to stop the daily diet in 5-6 meals, refuse to eat 3-4 hours before bedtime, drink more water.
Arthosis is a terrible disease, but with a systematic and timely approach to the treatment, it retires. To defeat it, you have to know its essence, the development mechanisms, the risk factors and the causes of development. If all recommended therapy methods are used, the care of arthrosis will be quite simple.