Osteoarthritis is a pathological process in the joints, which can have various causes.All of them lead to an alteration of the function and structure of one or more joints.This disease is the most common cause of chronic joint pain.It affects millions of people.In each case, the symptoms and treatment of osteoarthritis are individual and require observation by a qualified orthopedist.
What is osteoarthritis?
The basis of the disease is the progressive loss of the cartilage that normally covers adjacent bone sections and ensures their sliding relative to each other.Under the influence of various reasons, cartilage tissue begins to collapse, immature stem cells are activated in the underlying bone, it becomes denser, and cavities (cysts) and outgrowths (osteophytes) form in it.
The gap between the articular surfaces gradually narrows and then disappears completely and the limb stops moving.With osteoarthritis, all joint tissues are affected, including nearby muscles, ligaments, and the joint capsule.Therefore, treating joint osteoarthritis is a difficult task and in the later stages only surgery can help the patient.
The most common form of pathology is deforming osteoarthritis, which affects the large joints of the lower extremities, as well as the hands.
Causes of osteoarthritis
Possible reasons for the development of osteoarthritis:
- endocrine diseases: diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, acromegaly, obesity;
- injuries, both large (bone fractures, as a result of which their articular surfaces are displaced from the normal axis), and microscopic, but permanent (during hard work, constant professional or sports load);
- inflammatory processes: infectious arthritis, gout, rheumatoid diseases;
- metabolic disorders in the body: Paget's disease and Wilson-Konovalov's disease;
- congenital developmental anomalies, for example, different limb lengths;
- genetic defects in collagen structure, for example, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome;
- neuropathies of various origins: diabetic, alcoholic;
- hemophilia with frequent bleeding into the joint cavity.
To successfully treat osteoarthritis of the joints, it is necessary to eliminate the cause that caused it.
Symptoms and stages of osteoarthritis.
The disease is accompanied by the following external complaints and signs:
- painful pain and reduced mobility in one or more joints;
- painful sensations intensify after exercise, often at night, and in severe stages of osteoarthritis they become permanent;
- a dangerous complication is joint immobility, the inability to move and care for oneself.
Frequent forms of the disease:
- damage to the interphalangeal joints of the fingers and the base of the thumb, they can enlarge, swell, sometimes become painful, and inflammation develops in them;
- osteoarthritis of the hip joint: more common in men, associated with intense physical work;The main cause of this disease in women is obesity;
- osteoarthritis of the knee joint: most often associated with professional activities in kneeling and squatting positions;
- osteoarthritis of the spine: accompanied by the formation of bone spurs that pinch the nerve roots, causing pain, weakness, altered sensitivity in the extremities and constant pain in the lower back.
There are such degrees of osteoarthritis:
- 1st degree: mild limitation of mobility.
- 2nd degree: significant limitation of mobility, crunching during movements, moderate atrophy of nearby muscles.
- 3rd degree: deformation of the joint with almost total absence of movement in it.
Depending on the degree of dysfunction and the stage of the pathology, doctors of various profiles (therapists, physiotherapists, rheumatologists, neurologists and orthopedists) participate in the treatment of the disease.
Osteoarthritis treatment
The goal of treatment is to eliminate risk factors and pain and restore joint function.For this, various methods of influence are used:
- non-pharmacological: inform the patient about his illness and prevent complications, physiotherapy, weight loss, physiotherapy, use of assistive devices (orthoses, canes, crutches);
- osteoarthritis medications: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, especially new generation ones: selective COX-2 inhibitors;To relieve chronic pain, taking atypical antidepressants is indicated;slow-acting symptomatic drugs have only auxiliary value, since their effect on slowing down cartilage destruction has not been demonstrated;
- with concomitant inflammation and severe pain, traumatologists perform intra-articular injections of glucocorticoid hormones;
- The most effective method is surgery, which eliminates pain and restores mobility.
Different types of surgery can be performed:
- arthroscopy - examination of the inner surface of the joint with a small video camera (endoscope), removal of cartilage fragments blocking the joint;
- arthroplasty – replacement of the cartilage surface with artificial material;
- osteotomy: cutting or removing part of the bone to restore the normal axis of the joint;
- arthroscopic surgery – surgical restoration of cartilage integrity;
- arthrodesis - artificial creation of immobility in a joint (most often the ankle) to relieve the patient from constant pain;
- endoprostheses: removal of damaged joint ends from bones and replacement with an artificial joint.
Prevention
There is no guaranteed way to prevent the disease.Prevention of osteoarthritis involves eliminating excess load on the joints and timely treatment of diseases that contribute to the destruction of cartilage.Treating osteoarthritis with home remedies does not slow down the progression of the disease, but helps temporarily relieve joint pain.It can only be considered as a complement to traditional drug therapy or surgery.
Time is a negative factor for a patient with osteoarthritis.The sooner therapy is started or surgery is performed, the better the results will be.Therefore, if symptoms of osteoarthritis appear, it is recommended to immediately consult a doctor.