Osteoarthritis - Among joint diseases, osteoarthritis is well known and widespread. What is it and how to treat it? What are the symptoms of the disease and what are its main causes?
what is osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a disease that has a devastating effect on joints due to the breakdown of cartilage within them.
A long period of the course of the disease leads to a change in bone endings, and inflammatory processes destroy nearby tissues.
The list of joint diseases related to osteoarthritis is not small, and it is a group of diseases that have a similar destructive effect, but have different causes and course processes.
According to the statistics obtained, up to 80% of the population suffers from various types of osteoarthritis, which makes it the most common joint disease. The disease is so common that it is ranked third after oncology and cardiovascular disease.
Due to non-compliance with a healthy lifestyle, over time, the risk of disease increases significantly.
Osteoarthritis is not such a bulkhead disease and can affect both men and women, acting more loyally only on the interphalangeal joints. People who have reached the age of 30 years are susceptible to the disease, and over time their number increases unhindered.
Causes of osteoarthritis
The reason for the occurrence of such arthrosis and treatment is a violation of metabolic processes in the joint. This leads to a loss of cartilage strength and elasticity.
The reason for this is a significant decrease or complete disappearance of proteoglycans due to large cracks in the cartilage.
Other reasons can also contribute to this, for example, a violation of the normal production of proteoglycans by the cells themselves.
Additional causes that have a devastating effect on joints:
- violation of metabolic processes throughout the body;
- deterioration of the hormonal background;
- slowing down blood circulation in the joints;
- hereditary causes;
- old age;
- various injuries;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- psoriasis.
But the main reason is non-compliance with normal joint loads in everyday life.
Due to unpreparedness, a person's unwillingness to perform physical exercises in a timely manner, warm-ups to strengthen the joints - cartilage is not able to fully perform its functions.
A wide list of causes that can cause osteoarthritis:
- injuries previously received, such as dislocations, fractures, bruises, ligament ruptures and others;
- violation of metabolic processes that support viability;
- excessive body weight, which leads to excessive stress on the joints;
- acute purulent arthritis leading to joint inflammation;
- old age;
- malnutrition;
- prolonged excessive decrease in body temperature;
- autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis;
- bodily poisoning;
- frequent colds;
- special diseases: syphilis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, tick-borne encephalitis;
- thyroid diseases;
- hemophilia;
- Peter's Disease.
Additional genetic causes of osteoarthritis include:
- osteoarthritis of the hands and fingers can be inherited, as evidenced by scientists who studied Bouchard's and Heberden's nodes;
- in the case of dysplasia, which developed as a result of a violation of the formation of joints in the prenatal period, excessive wear and tear of joints and the development of arthrosis may occur;
- Mutations in type 2 collagen can lead to disruption of the connective tissue fibrillary protein internal structure and cartilage degradation.
If you are a bricklayer, miner, fisherman, loader or your activity is to some extent related to excessive physical exertion, without taking preventive measures, there is a chance of getting osteoarthritis as well.
osteoarthritis symptoms
For a complete understanding of what osteoarthritis is and how it is treated, we will address the external manifestations.
The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis are: the manifestation of pain during stress on the joint, which may decrease at rest; deterioration of joint motor functions; the appearance of push-ups; feeling of muscle tension around the affected joint.
The main thing is not to allow long-term tumors, as they can lead to an early deformity of the joint.
Four Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
- Manifestations of pain. They are considered the first message for osteoarthritis of the joints. Although the culprits of pain can be a variety of reasons, but in the case of osteoarthritis, pain has certain characteristics. The main thing is the presence of sharp pains that appear during movement at the site of the damaged joint. Pain disappears after minimizing functional activity. At night, the pain practically does not manifest itself at all, only with blows from one side to the other, a slight discomfort may appear. In a state of immobility, pain can manifest only in advanced forms. At this time, the process of falling asleep can be difficult. Symptoms reappear in the early morning. As the disease progresses, a person needs more and more time to rest and recover. Even later, even at rest, the pain does not stop, turning life into constant torment. There is almost complete wear and tear of the cartilage, as a result of which the bone is exposed, osteophytes are erased.
- The appearance of push-ups. A symptom that should not be ignored. Crunch appears due to the bones rubbing against each other, because the softness between them decreases - as a result, a distinct "dry" sound appears. Although it can also occur with other diseases and sometimes even when the joints are healthy. In severe forms of the disease, the sound may become more pronounced and the pain intensifies.
- Decreased joint mobility. This is an additional symptom that does not accompany osteoarthritis in the early stages, however, in a neglected state, it stimulates the overgrowth of interosseous formations, which leads to spasms, and the space between the joints is almost completely covered. And this is the main reason for the loss of mobility.
- joint deformity. This symptom implies degrading changes in the joint surfaces due to the growth of osteophytes and the flow of synovial fluid. It is one of the most recent symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Due to the alternation of periods of remission and exacerbation, the self-diagnosis of arthrosis is much more difficult. Therefore, relying only on personal feelings is not enough - the help of a specialist doctor is needed.
Diagnosis - osteoarthritis
To detect possible signs that indicate the presence of the disease and the degree of its complexity, a study by means of radiography is used:
- In the first stage, osteophytes are not yet present and the space between the joints is minimally reduced.
- The second phase is characterized by a decrease in joint space, with a slight appearance of osteophytes.
- In the third stage, the narrowing of the joint space is clearly noticeable, a large number of osteophytes are formed, deformation processes begin to occur.
- In the last fourth stage, the gap between the joints almost completely disappears, the maximum possible number of osteophytes appears, the deformation processes are in full swing.
Negative consequences of osteoarthritis
Ignoring timely treatment of osteoarthritis leads not only to complete irreversible damage to the joint, but also causes damage to the spine.
Disc hernias can form in the intervertebral discs. Osteoarthritis can spread to other still healthy joints.
treatment methodology
As with any other dangerous disease, it is better not to start treatment, but to carry it out at an early stage.
Treatment methods must be comprehensive and aimed at eliminating the links that contribute to the progression of the disease, as well as strengthening the factors that aid in healing.
What is so special about treating osteoarthritis? An integrated approach to therapy consists of the use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications.
However, physiotherapy courses are mandatory. In the case of choosing the treatment by the sanitary-resort method, the climatic conditions must be selected in such a way that the effect on the joints is as favorable as possible.
The program must include procedures in mineral waters and mud baths.
The essence of osteoarthritis treatment is as follows:
- Diseased joints should be subjected to loads as little as possible, it is especially important to take this into account in the treatment process;
- You cannot ignore the orthopedic regimen;
- Mandatory physical exercises to improve health;
- Physiotherapeutic procedures, such as: electroprocedures, shock wave procedures, laser therapy;
- Sanitarium recovery - prescribed by a doctor and recommended to spend at special resorts once a year;
- Carrying out oxygen therapy - the introduction of oxygen into the joint;
- Medical treatment;
- Intraosseous block;
- Switching to a healthy diet.
Types of drug treatment
- Means that eliminate inflammatory processes. When carrying out a complex treatment, there is a chance to significantly delay the course of the disease, thus avoiding pain in the future. The medicinal method of treatment involves relieving pain and removing inflammatory processes in the joints. For these purposes, drugs of non-steroidal origin are selected. They are often given intravenously or intramuscularly, as their oral use can cause irritation of the stomach walls. Various ointments are used as an additional remedy, but due to their poor absorption by the body, they are of little effectiveness, therefore, they are used very rarely.
- Hormonal corticosteroids. These drugs are prescribed when the disease gets worse. They are inserted into the joint. An ointment, plaster, or pepper tincture is applied to the damaged joint from the outside.
- The use of chondroprotectors. They will help in the regeneration of cartilage, in addition, they will improve the properties of synovial fluid. Medications like glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate are prescribed.
The time of use of these drugs can be long and does not stop until the patient is visibly better.
If the drugs do not provide the expected positive effect, their use is canceled.
In parallel with chondroprotectors, products with the addition of hyaluronic acid should be taken, which helps to create cell membranes in the articular cartilage.
In very rare cases, when no other medication has a positive effect, narcotic pain relievers may be prescribed.
Healthy nutrition for osteoarthritis patients
Nutrition is perhaps the most important issue that needs to be resolved as soon as possible when the condition worsens with osteoarthritis. Whatever drugs the patient is treated with, with inadequate nutrition, all these efforts can be in vain.
First, eat in moderation. For those who are overweight, you need to lose weight urgently, but you should not force yourself to starve yourself, as the body needs to constantly receive all trace elements in sufficient quantities.
You need to limit yourself to the use of fast carbohydrates contained in sweet foods as well as in flour products. Avoid alcohol, especially beer.
Fish dishes are welcome. It is worth choosing low-fat varieties, and fish should not be cooked fried.
The use of jelly is recommended for osteoarthritis. Since it contains a huge amount of trace elements, it will be useful for diseased joints.
The collagen contained in it is of natural origin, which means that it is easily absorbed by the body and will serve as a basis for connective tissue. With prolonged use of jelly, joints will become more mobile and nearby tissues will become elastic and durable.
An important factor in treatment is the timely use of a sufficient amount of vitamins, especially of the B group. They ensure the normalization of metabolic processes in the body. Thiamine, contained in beans and peas, will improve the metabolic process of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
In order for hemoglobin to be produced in the blood, pyridoxine is needed. This substance is rich in potatoes, bananas, cabbage and nuts. Riboflavin is rich in eggs, liver, dairy and mushrooms.
Vegetables and greens will supply folic acid to the body. The industry offers a wide range of vitamin preparations and food supplements.
However, vitamins and microelements obtained from food are better absorbed by the body, which is an important factor in the process of restoring cartilage tissue.
It is necessary to adhere to certain rules of nutrition in the treatment of arthrosis
- Feeding should be frequent and in small portions;
- You cannot eat before going to sleep, you must refuse foods that are heavy on the stomach;
- To lighten the load on painful joints, it is necessary to control weight and prevent obesity;
- Walking after eating during remission is a useful prevention of exacerbation of joint diseases;
- The selection or adjustment of the diet in conjunction with the doctor will ensure adequate and balanced nutrition.
Thus, it is possible to defeat osteoarthritis. It is important to adhere to the treatment methodology and listen to the advice of the attending physician.