Salt Deposition In Joints - Symptoms, Causes And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Salt deposition in joints

Content:

• Causes of salt deposition in the joints
• Symptoms of salt deposits in the joints
• Salt deposition in the knee and shoulder joint
• Calcium gout
• Treatment of salt deposits in joints

Medical science does not distinguish salt deposition in joints as a separate disease. Rather, it is a simplified name for growing osteophytes, as a result of which the bone begins to deform, and pathological disorders in the work of the musculoskeletal system are formed.

Causes of salt deposition in the joints

Salt deposition in joints occurs as a result of metabolic malfunction, which is facilitated by:

• irrational nutrition, which includes spicy meat dishes;
• alcohol abuse;
• smoking;
• maintaining a sedentary lifestyle;
• hypothermia of a specific joint or the whole body.

The disease develops rather slowly, but early diagnosis allows you to cope with the disease in a shorter time and with maximum efficiency.

Symptoms of salt deposits in the joints

Several symptoms can be distinguished:

• Symptoms of the disease, first of all, are accompanied by the appearance of a specific "crunching" sound in the joints.
• In some cases, when moving, painful sensations may appear in the affected joint.
• Gradually, the movement of the joint becomes more limited up to complete immobility.
• The joint is deformed.

Salt deposition in the knee and shoulder joint

The disease in which salts are deposited in the knee joint is called gonarthrosis. According to statistics, it is this joint that is most often affected.

The disease is accompanied by severe pain not only when walking, but also at rest. Untimely seeking medical help leads to irreversible consequences.

The main signs of gonarthrosis include not only painful sensations that increase with stress on the joint, but also "tightness" of the skin and joint stiffness in the affected area; long "pacing" after sleep or prolonged sitting; crunches when bending the lower limb; swelling and swelling of the knee; in a more severe degree of the disease, it is impossible to fully straighten or bend the leg.

The pathogenesis of the disease is presented in two main forms: primary (or idiopathic), characteristic of the elderly, and secondary, arising from an already existing pathology of the knee joint, for example, as a result of mechanical injury. The primary type of gonarthrosis is most often bilateral in nature, with secondary in most cases, a one-sided process is observed.

It is customary to distinguish between 3 stages of gonarthrosis:

1. The first stage, which is characterized by the initial manifestations of the disease (recurrent dull pain in the knee, especially after load on the joint, there is some swelling of the affected area). There is no deformation at this stage.
2. The second stage is manifested by an increase in the manifestations of the symptom complex of the previous stage: pain sensations appear more often and become more intense and prolonged. When moving, crunches and clicks appear in the joints. There are some restrictions on flexion and extension of the lower limb. The joint increases in volume, primary signs of deformation appear.

3. The third stage is the highest degree of manifestation of all the symptoms of the previous stages. Pain is present almost constantly - both when moving and at rest. The gait is disturbed. Restrictions on physical activity become pronounced. Joint deformity is visualized and proceeds in an X- or O-shaped form.

The prognosis of the disease is not favorable. Most often, the affected joint is completely deformed, and the disease leads to disability.

Periarthritis is understood as a disease accompanied by the deposition of salts in the shoulder joint. In most cases, one shoulder is affected, or the extent of the lesion on one side is much greater than on the other.

The initial stage of the disease is characterized by the appearance of pain during physical activity, especially when it becomes necessary to raise your hands up. At the beginning, such pains appear irregularly and do not pay special attention to themselves. But gradually the discomfort becomes permanent, causing inconvenience even during sleep.

If an inflammatory process develops in the affected joint, then swelling may appear. Joint mobility is limited. Characteristic "crunchy" sounds and clicks appear.

The prognosis of the disease is quite favorable. There may be cases when treatment is not required at all, but this is determined by the doctor. Complications of periarthritis occur in extremely rare cases.

Calcium gout

Joint inflammation can result from the deposition of calcium pyrophosphates. In this case, they talk about such a phenomenon as calcium or pseudo-gout. This condition is accompanied by arthritis in the ankles, thighs, or arms.

The main symptoms of the disease include spontaneously arising and in the same way disappearing pain (rather strong) and edema.

The causes of false gout lie in the following provoking factors: old age, hypothyroidism, hemophilia, manifestations of amyloidosis, heredity.

Correct diagnosis requires laboratory examination of the joint fluid. The disease is confirmed when calcium porophosphate is found in the composition of the material taken.

Treatment of salt deposits in joints

Diagnostics of the deposition of salts in the joints includes several special methods:

• X-ray is a reliable method, but with its help the disease can be diagnosed only after 5 years of course;
• arthroscopy - involves the use of an arthroscope, an apparatus that is inserted into the affected joint through a micro-incision. Thus, the doctor has the opportunity to see the condition of the joint from the inside;
• computed tomography - a method by which the size of the joints, their qualitative characteristics and pathological processes associated with the growth of cartilage and the appearance of osteophytes are determined;
• magnetic resonance imaging - allows you to determine the layer-by-layer structure of the joint and bones, soft tissues and pathological formations;
• thermography is an auxiliary research method showing thermographic data including index, temperature gradient and joint asymmetry;

Diagnosis and subsequent treatment of salt deposits in the joints is impossible without a thorough laboratory study, including analysis of uric acid, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocyte count, Zimnitsky test, study of fluid puncture (in the case of knee joint disease), etc.

Medical science in the treatment of salt deposits in the joints relies on an integrated approach:

• To reduce and even completely remove pain and inflammation in the joints, drugs of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory group allow.
• With the help of hormonal drugs - corticosteroids - acute attacks are controlled. Uricosuric dosage forms with the deposition of salts in the joints help to maintain the level of uric acid at the normal level. Such drugs are prescribed only if all the necessary tests have been carried out and their qualified assessment by a specialist has been given.

Treatment of brachial periarthritis will be more successful if medical attention is sought at the first signs of the disease. The neglected form will require more time and effort to defeat the disease.

When the development of periarthritis began with the displacement of the intervertebral joints, manual therapy becomes a fairly effective method of treatment. Its main task is to eliminate bias.

If the disease is associated with impaired blood circulation in the shoulder region as a result of myocardial infarction or surgical manipulations on the mammary gland, then special angioprotective drugs are necessarily present in the treatment. Their main task is to improve blood circulation.

In the case when the deposition of salts is accompanied by liver diseases, it becomes necessary to follow the diet and take special enzymatic agents to restore its functions.

With the direct treatment of the tendons of the shoulder, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, compresses are prescribed. In some situations, the use of laser therapy is useful.

Hirudotherapy. The effectiveness of treatment of shoulder periarthritis by means of medical leeches - hirudotherapy has been proven. Significant improvements appear already for 5-6 sessions. But this method must be used with extreme caution, because with this disease, an allergy to the use of leeches often develops.

Corticosteroids. Good results are obtained by carrying out a cycle consisting of 2-3 periarticular injections of corticosteroid hormonal drugs. A mixture of hormones and anesthetic is injected into the affected tendon or into the area of the periarticular synovial bag. Such a procedure is not capable of leading to a complete recovery, but it alleviates the condition of patients in more than 80% of cases. To enhance the effect of injections, they must be combined with a set of therapeutic measures such as post-isometric relaxation and special exercises that improve the mobility of the capsule part of the joint.

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Post-isometric relaxation is the most successful treatment for shoulder salt deposits. The course consists of 12-15 sessions. According to statistics, about 90% of patients, even with the most advanced form of the disease, recover as a result of this method. The effect is enhanced with the parallel use of a laser, therapeutic massage, sessions of soft manual therapy (the so-called method of joint mobilization), as well as if the course of post-isometric relaxation begins 2-3 days after the periarticular injection of corticosteroid hormones.

The early stage of gonarthrosis is treated with conservative methods. Therapeutic procedures include physiotherapy, physical therapy and massage sessions, the possibility of spa treatment, exercise therapy and the use of symptomatic medications. At the same time, taking medications is not intended to restore the function and structure of the joint or cartilage, but only to eliminate pain.

After, as a result of the use of medicines, a positive dynamics is noted and an improvement is noted, manual therapy and a course of therapeutic massage are prescribed. With the help of such measures, the muscles of the knee are strengthened, blood circulation and cartilage nutrition are corrected, and, accordingly, the position of the bone.

The advanced stages of the disease require surgical intervention. Knee arthroplasty is an operation to treat gonarthrosis. The procedure lasts an average of 90 minutes and is accompanied by minor blood loss. Materials for the manufacture of knee replacement implants are highly durable and take root in the human body. The most common are stainless steel or titanium alloy, as well as ceramics and polyethylene, which are heavy-duty plastics.

The modern implant design is represented by the femoral, tibial elements and the patella prosthesis. Cushioning between them is created by a special polyethylene gasket.

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Treatment of salt deposits in joints is a complex and lengthy process that requires regular use of medications. Along with this, it is necessary to revise the lifestyle, first of all, to follow a diet and give up bad habits.

To date, there are no clearly defined preventive measures to prevent salt deposition in the joints. Everyone, without exception, is susceptible to this disease. However, a reasonable lifestyle that harmoniously combines proper nutrition and physical activity can be the key to the health of the human skeletal system.

Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist

Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.