Osteoarthritis among the diseases of joints are well known and widespread arthrosis. What is it and how to treat it? What are the symptoms of a disease manifests itself and what are its main causes?
What is arthrosis
Osteoarthritis – a disease that has a devastating impact on the joints, causing them inside the degradation of cartilage.
Long period of the disease leads to changes in bone endings, and inflammatory processes destroy the surrounding tissue.
The list of joint diseases that are related to arthritis is not small, and is a group of diseases that have a similar devastating effect, but have different causes and processes of flow.
According to statistics obtained by different kinds of arthritis affects up to 80% of the population, making it the most common articular disease. The disease is so widespread that to provide it to third place after cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Due to non-compliance with a healthy lifestyle, over time the risk of disease increases significantly.
Osteoarthritis this is not a bulkhead of the disease and are able to affect both men and women, loyal only acting at the interphalangeal joints. The disease affects people who has reached 30 years, and over time their number grows freely.
Causes of osteoarthritis
The cause of this arthritis and treatment of disorders of metabolic processes in the joint. This leads to loss of cartilage strength and elasticity.
The reason that is a considerable reduction or complete disappearance of them proteoglycans due to the large cracks in the cartilage.
Also can contribute to other causes, for example, disrupting the normal production of proteoglycans by the cells.
Additional reasons that have a devastating impact on your joints:
- violation of metabolic processes in the body;
- the deterioration of hormonal background;
- slowing of blood circulation in the joints;
- hereditary reasons;
- old age;
- various injuries;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- psoriasis.
But the main reason is the failure normal stress on the joints in daily life.
For his unpreparedness, unwillingness of a person to timely exercise workout for strengthening of the joints – the cartilage is unable to fully perform its functions.
A wide list of reasons which can cause disease arthritis:
- previously obtained injuries such as sprains, fractures, strokes, torn ligaments, and others;
- the metabolic processes that support the viability;
- overweight, which leads to more stress on the joints;
- acute purulent arthritis that leads to inflammation of the joint;
- old age;
- improper diet;
- prolonged excessive decrease in body temperature;
- autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis;
- poisoning of the body;
- frequently occurring respiratory disease;
- special diseases: syphilis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, tick-borne encephalitis;
- thyroid disease;
- hemophilia;
- the disease Peters.
Additional causes related to genetics, causing the onset of osteoarthritis:
- the incidence of arthrosis of the hands and fingers, you can get by heredity, as proven by scientists who have studied nodules Bouchard and Heberden;
- in the case of dysplasia that he razvivatsa as a result of violations of the formation of the joints in utero, it can cause excessive wear of the joints and development of osteoarthritis;
- mutations of the collagen of the second type can lead to disturbance of the internal structure of the fibrous protein of connective tissue and degradation of cartilage.
If you are a bricklayer, a miner, a fisherman, a longshoreman, or your activities in some way linked to excessive exercise, that, without any preventive action, there is a chance to osteoarthritis.
The symptoms of osteoarthritis
For a full understanding of what is arthrosis and how to treated, let's deal with the external manifestations.
The most common symptoms associated with osteoarthritis are: the manifestation of pain during stress on the joint, which may disappear at rest; the deterioration of motor function of the joint; the appearance of crackles; the feeling of muscular re tension around the sore joint.
It is important to avoid prolonged tumors, as they can lead to rapid deformation of the joint.
Four symptoms of osteoarthritis
- Pain symptoms. Considered to be the first promise for osteoarthritis joints. Although the culprits pain can have different causes, but in the case of osteoarthritis, pain have certain characteristics. The most important is the presence of sharp pain that connections are during the movement in the damaged joint. Pain disappear after the construction to a minimum functional activity. At night-time pain practically does not manifest itself only with the revolutions from side to side there may be some discomfort. The condition of the property pain may manifest only in advanced forms. Currently, the process of falling asleep can be difficult. The symptoms are restored upon the occurrence of the early morning. With the progression of the disease, the person needs more time for rest and recovery. Still later, even at rest, the pain did not stop, making life in constant torment. An almost complete wear of the cartilage, resulting the bone is exposed, osteophytes are erased.
- The appearance of crunches. Symptom which should not be neglected. The crunch, the connection appears as a result of friction of the bones against each other, because decreases in quality between them – as a result, the connection is distinctly "dry" sound. Although it can occur in other diseases, and sometimes even when healthy joints. In severe forms of the disease, the sound can become brighter expressed and the pain to intensify.
- The deterioration of articular mobility. This is an additional symptom that accompanies osteoarthritis in the initial stages, but in poor condition stimulates excessive growth interosseous formations, which leads to spasms, and the gap between the joints is almost completely overgrown. And this is the main reason for loss of mobility.
- Deformity of the joint. This symptom involves degrading changes of the surfaces of the joints as a result of the proliferation of osteophytes and synovial fluid flowing. Is one of the late symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Due to the alternating periods of remission and exacerbation, self-diagnosis of osteoarthritis is much more complicated. Therefore, to rely only on personal feelings is not enough – need the help of a specialist.
Diagnosis Of Osteoarthritis
To detect possible evidence of the presence of the disease and its complexity, using the research with x-rays:
- In the first stage osteophytes are not yet present, and the interval between the narrowed joints is minimal.
- The second stage is characterized by a reduction of the joint space, with slight appearance of osteophytes.
- In the third stage, reduction of the joint space is evident, osteophytes is a large number, begin to occur deformation processes.
- At the last fourth stage the gap between the joints is almost completely disappears, osteophytes connection is the maximum number, the deformation processes are in full swing.
The negative effects of osteoarthritis
Ignoring the timely treatment of osteoarthritis entails not only a complete irreversible damage to the joint, but also provokes the damage of the spine.
In the intervertebral discs can form a hernia. Osteoarthritis is able to spread to other, more healthy joints.
The methodology of the treatment
As with any other dangerous disease, treatment is better not to start by it at an early stage.
Treatments must be comprehensive and aimed at addressing the causes that contribute to the progression of the disease and enhance those factors that help to recover.
That such in the treatment of osteoarthritis special? A comprehensive approach to therapy is the use of drugs anti-inflammatory and analgesic actions.
However, be sure to conduct physical therapy programs. In the case of choice of treatment of sanitary-resort method, climatic conditions should be selected so that the effects on the body was the most favorable.
The program should be treatments in the mineral waters and mud baths.
The essence of treatment of osteoarthritis is as follows
- Painful joints may be subjected to loads as little as possible, it is especially important to consider in the treatment process;
- You can't ignore an orthopedic treatment;
- A requirement for physical exercise;
- Conducting physiotherapy procedures such as: electric procedures, shock wave treatments, laser therapy;
- Recreation – is prescribed by a doctor and recommended for passage on special resorts once a year;
- Carrying oxygen therapy – the introduction into the joint of oxygen;
- Medication;
- Intraosseous blockade;
- The transition to a proper healthy diet.
ViDi medical treatment
- Products to eliminate inflammation. Conducting complex treatment, there is a chance to significantly slow the disease, thereby sparing yourself from a painful torment in the future. The medicinal method of treatment involves the soothing of the pain and relieve inflammation in the joints. For these purposes, selected drugs of non-steroidal origin. Most often, they are administered intravenously or intramuscularly, as oral use may cause irritation of the gastric walls. As an additional means used different creams, but because of their low absorption by the body, they have low efficiency, are therefore used very rarely.
- Hormonal corticosteroids. Such drugs are prescribed when the disease becomes acute in nature. Are injected into the joint. As corticosteroids are hydrocortisone, or diprospan. On the damaged joint from the outer side apply ointment, patch or infusion with chilli pepper.
- The use of chondroprotectors. They will help with the regeneration of cartilage, to improve the properties of synovial fluid. Appointed by drugs such as glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate.
Hour the use of these drugs can be lengthy and does not stop until the patient is better.
If you do not provide drugs the expected positive effect, their application is cancelled.
In parallel with chondroprotectors should take funds with the addition of hyaluronic acid, which helps to create cell walls in the articular cartilage.
- Application diacerein. In the treatment process, you can enable the drug to improve the recovery processes in cartilage tissue. However, a positive result should be expected only 15-30 days.
In very rare cases, when no other drugs do not have any positive effect can be assigned to narcotic analgesics.
A healthy diet for patients with osteoarthritis
Food is perhaps the most important question to decide which you need as quickly as possible while deterioration in osteoarthritis. Whatever the means are not treated the patient, at the wrong diet all these efforts can be in vain.
First and foremost, you need to eat moderately. For those who have extra weight need to lose weight, but don't force yourself to starve, because the body needs to constantly get all the trace elements in sufficient quantity.
You need to limit yourself to consumption of fast carbs contained in sweet food and pastry. Should give up alcohol, in particular beer.
Welcome fish dishes. You should choose lean varieties and the fish should be cooked not fried.
Recommended use of jelly for osteoarthritis. Since its composition remains a large number of trace elements, it will be useful for painful joints.
Collagen contained in it, has a natural origin, and hence it is easily digested and serve as the Foundation for connective tissue. Long-term use of aspic joints will become more mobile, and surrounding tissue is elastic and durable.
An important factor in the treatment to serve a timely consumption of adequate amounts of vitamins, especially group B. They provide the normalization of metabolic processes in the body. Thiamine contained in beans and peas, will improve the metabolic process of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
To blood produced hemoglobin, pyridoxine is needed. This substance is rich in potatoes, bananas, cabbage and nuts. Riboflavin rich eggs, liver, dairy products and mushrooms.
Legumes and greens will provide the body with folic acid. The industry offers a wide range of vitamin preparations and dietary supplements.
However, vitamins and minerals derived from food absorbed by the body better, which is an important factor in the process of restoring cartilage.
You should adhere to certain rules of nutrition in the treatment of osteoarthritis
- To be eaten often and in small portions;
- You can't eat before going to sleep should refuse food heavy on the stomach;
- To ease the load on painful joints, it is necessary to control weight and prevent obesity;
- Walking after a meal in the period of remission is a useful prevention of acute diseases of the joints;
- The selection or adjustment of the diet along with your doctor will ensure a proper balanced diet.
Thus, to overcome the osteoarthritis can be. It is important to follow methods of treatment and to listen to the advice of a doctor.