Osteoarthritis Of The Joints - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Of Osteoarthritis, Prevention

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

Causes, symptoms and treatment of osteoarthritis of the joints

Osteoarthritis is not only a disease of joints, but also of articular cartilage of a non-inflammatory nature, and is chronic. Osteoarthritis occurs in small steps, not immediately. To begin with, you just feel a sharp tingling sensation in the knee, joints. Going down the stairs, we felt a little pain. It will, of course, go away in a couple of seconds. But the disease will develop, and after a while you will sleep poorly at night, because your joints will hurt a lot. As a rule, people go to the doctor only when it is already very difficult to walk. And very in vain, because it is easier to cure the disease in the early stages of development.

If osteoarthritis has already developed to an advanced stage, then these changes cannot be reversed. But at the same time, the disease is not incurable, because if you consult a doctor in time, you can prevent unpleasant consequences.

The knee has cartilage that relieves pressure on the articulating bones. In a healthy state, the cartilage receives enough fluid to squeeze it into the joint under a certain load. Then lubrication appears in the joint. But when cartilage is destroyed, this function is not able to be performed.

Of all the ailments that are associated with joints, it is osteoarthritis that is the most common.

The first thing that can be prescribed to relieve inflammation and relieve pain in osteoarthritis is NSAIDs. Etoricoxib is highly selective in comparison with low-selective NSAIDs, a selective drug that does not interfere with the normal functioning of the body, reducing the likelihood of side effects from the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. Among modern selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in tablets, the most convenient to use is Etorelex, an inexpensive Russian drug based on Etoricoxib.

So, in accordance with statistics, at least 10 and no more than 16% of the total population of the world suffer from osteoarthritis of the joints.

Most often, the disease affects female representatives aged 45 to 55 years. If we talk about age after 60 years, then in this case almost everyone faces deforming osteoarthritis.

Content:

• Osteoarthritis symptoms
• Causes of osteoarthritis
• How to reduce the stress on the joints in osteoarthritis?
• Osteoarthritis treatment
• Prevention of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis symptoms

The insidiousness of osteoarthritis of the joints lies in the fact that its manifestations on the x-ray are observed in very many, but at the same time people do not experience any specific discomfort, pain syndromes.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, signs develop in an incremental manner. The first sign should be considered:

• painful sensations that intensify even when trying to exercise;
• in some cases, there is a syndrome of joint stiffness in the morning. This takes place within a maximum of half an hour after the patient has begun a normal exercise;
• due to the aggravation of the general health and joints, they turn out to be much less mobile;
• trying to touch joints or perform a movement that is painful.

After the formation of the primary manifestations, osteoarthritis in 90% of cases continues its slow progression, which causes impairment of motor functions. But in some cases, degenerative processes in the joint area can stop for a while or even begin to regress.

At the same time, the damage to the joint area becomes more and more, it loses its usual degree of mobility and may become blocked in a bent position. Bone tissue, cartilage and other tissues become more and more, which provokes a sharp increase in the joint. Coarsening of the cartilage is noted, in connection with this, specific and unusual sounds are heard during the movement. In the joints, which are located at the fingertips, so-called "bone nodules" are formed, which greatly impede movement.

It is important to remember that the algorithm for the formation of an ailment in the knee and hip joints is quite different from each other. In osteoarthritis, parts of the knee joint are stretched and, at the same time, lose stability. While in the area of the hip joint, on the contrary, there is an obvious deterioration in functionality and motor skills. The common thing is the occurrence of severe pain.

Another common sign of ailment should be considered painful sensations in the lumbar region. Minor pain and stiffness result from joint damage in the spine.

However, over time, bone tissue grows and squeezes nerve endings, which provokes:

• numbness;
• violation of the degree of sensitivity in various parts of the body.

In more rare cases, when blood vessels are squeezed, visual disturbances, dizziness, as well as nausea and vomiting are diagnosed. In addition, overgrowth of bone tissue can put pressure on the esophagus and cause severe difficulty when trying to swallow food.

Thus, the symptoms of joint osteoarthritis are more than obvious and it is rather difficult to confuse them with any other ailment.

Causes of osteoarthritis

Several reasons are needed for osteoarthritis to appear. Firstly, it is age, because with age, cartilage loses its ability to function normally and absorb or excrete fluid. Because of this, the cartilage cracks. It can “wear out” and become more subtle or disappear altogether.

Under normal health conditions, during the exercise of movement in the area of the joints, rather slight friction is formed. Thanks to this, the joints do not “age” for a very long time, especially if they are not overloaded too much or if they have not been previously damaged.

Osteoarthritis of the first order is formed as a result of disruption of the work of those cells that synthesize the constituent elements of cartilage. Because of this, the articular cartilage begins to lose its elasticity, becomes thinner and, ultimately, cracks. It looks like this: the smooth and slippery coating of the cartilage acquires a rough surface, as a result, the joint can no longer continue its usual work.

Difficulty sliding of the articular coatings is also noted, a kind of crunch appears, combined with painful sensations and limited movement.

The cause of the formation of osteoarthritis of the joints may be another disease or its consequence, for example:

• Paget's disease;
• infection;
• shape change;
• getting injured;
• joint overload.

Osteoarthritis of the joints obtained in this way is called secondary. Also, an increased degree of risk can be talked about in cases where it is associated with work or any other occupation that involves overloading the joints. They can be both physical and associated with the cooling of the limbs. This group includes construction workers and even professional athletes.

Those people who lead a hypodynamic lifestyle can also be included in the risk category. This is due to the fact that too much weight and, in particular, obesity are one of the fundamental factors in the formation of the presented pathology.

Coxarthrosis is a complex form of osteoarthritis. It occurs if the metabolism in the hip joint has been disturbed.

Also, bruises, fractures, dislocations, severe injuries affect the development of osteoarthritis.

Quite often, those who suffer from diabetes mellitus and other hormonal and endocrine ailments encounter osteoarthritis of the joints.

On the subject: Joint diseases: types, symptoms and treatment

How to reduce the stress on the joints in osteoarthritis?

It is not recommended to allow excess body weight; if the knee or hip joints are damaged, you must walk with a cane; if the joints of the thumbs hurt, you need to choose comfortable, loose shoes; Place a pillow under your knees when kneeling.

This disease often develops in representatives of some professions. For example, football players suffer from arthrosis of the knee joints, and typists suffer from arthrosis of the joints of the hand.

Flat feet and excess weight lead to heavy loads on the joints.

In order to prevent the onset of the disease, it is necessary to lose weight, carefully engage in physical activity, avoid curvature of posture, wear special instep supports with flat feet, and do not abuse high heels.

If arthrosis is a hereditary disease in your family, then you should especially watch out for weight, physical activity and posture.

In order to prevent age from becoming the cause of the disease, it is necessary to take special preparations for the joints.

Osteoarthritis treatment

The process of treating all joints is directly dependent not only on the stage of the inflammatory process, but also on the type of ailment. So, treatment can be inpatient, outpatient and sanatorium.

In addition, special massage, physiotherapy-type procedures and therapeutic gymnastics are prescribed. In some, especially severe cases, all diseases associated with the joints are treated with the help of surgical intervention: arthrodesis, arthroplasty and also joint replacement.

It is important to remember that all joint diseases are in many cases more than possible to prevent. For this it is recommended:

• do not hesitate to contact a specialist if injured;
• remember the principles of healthy and correct - dietary - nutrition;
• avoid the formation of excess weight and any cooling of the limbs.

Sudden physical exertion is also undesirable and, of course, it is imperative to treat foci of chronic infections in the body on time. These include chronic tonsillitis and tooth decay. Another way that will help to avoid the occurrence of osteoarthritis of the joints is to maintain immunity in the winter and take vitamin and mineral complexes.

On the subject: List of modern drugs and drugs for joints

Speaking about surgical intervention, it should be noted a number of operations that will help facilitate all the processes of the patient's life. The most common treatment, as mentioned earlier, is endoprosthetics of the affected joint.

No less popular are such methods as: arthroscopic joint debridement and periarticular osteotomy:

1. Arthroscopic debridement of a joint is a cleaning that is performed using a special device (arthroscope). They are made uniform punctures through which the damaged areas of cartilage are extracted from the joint area. This operation will be especially fruitful in the early stages of joint osteoarthritis. Most patients say that their pain has decreased, as well as stiffness in the exercise of movements after such a procedure has disappeared. But it should be remembered that even with debridement, osteoarthritis recedes only for a few years, after which the patient's condition becomes the same again. After that, it is necessary either to carry out a second operation, or to carry out an even more complex one.
2. Periarticular osteotomy is a multi-stage operation, the degree of efficiency of which is much higher than the previously presented method. The essence of the intervention lies in the fact that the bone tissue next to the joint affected by osteoarthritis should be sawn and fixed at a different angle. This is done in order to change the distribution of the mechanical load in the joint area. Due to this, after surgery, the patient's health condition improves significantly and remains the same for at least five years.

Such a positive effect from the operation will be greatest precisely in the early stages of osteoarthritis development.

Prevention of osteoarthritis

Even in young years, you should monitor your joints and prevent osteoarthritis, do not overload these parts of the body. If you already have arthrosis of the knee, hip, or ankle joints, you need to avoid sitting for a long time, as this impairs blood flow to the painful joints. You don't need to jump or run or squat a lot. Try to alternate stress with rest. When resting, it is best to lie down or sit and stretch your legs, but not cross your legs or pull your legs under you.

Nevertheless, with arthrosis, you need to go in for sports, but give yourself a moderate load. Swimming: This sport uses muscles and joints don't work. Take a bike ride, but ride on flat roads. The same is true for running or walking. Skiing also relieves some of the stress on the joints.

Prevention of joint osteoarthritis includes only wellness procedures familiar to everyone. For example, walking on a flat enough hard surface, it is desirable that it be held at a slow pace and not less than 20-30 minutes a day. Also, classes in the pool, short but regular riding on special bicycles and skiing will be an excellent prevention.

In order to relax the joints, it will be necessary to avoid long runs, jumps, squats, long walking, especially on bumpy planes and stairs. It is recommended to avoid prolonged stay in any one unnatural position, for example, sitting on bent legs, or standing.

In case of damage to the joints of the upper extremities, lifting weights and pushing up the clothes should be minimized. Especially when it comes to non-hot water. At the same time, it will be necessary to carry out special exercises that are aimed at strengthening the muscles, exercises on stationary bikes are perfect.

It is also very important to choose the right footwear in order to prevent osteoarthritis of joints. It must certainly be soft, comfortable and exclusively with a small heel, that is, no more than two or three cm.

The wearing of special elastic anchors and the use of various means of additional support, which are selected on an individual basis, are encouraged. Eating an optimal diet is equally important. It consists in adding more fruits, as well as berries, vegetables and herbs. It is recommended to replace fatty enough meat with poultry or, in extreme cases, fatty fish.

On the subject: Effective Home Remedies

Experts note the need to consume a large amount of dairy products, because the names in them contain the components necessary for the body, including calcium. You should also completely remove sausages, confectionery and chocolate from the menu, as well as most flour.

If all the measures presented are observed, it will be possible to achieve not only a decrease in the body index, but also the enrichment of its own body with vitamin complexes and microelements. After all, it is they that are necessary for a successful fight against the disease.

Thus, osteoarthritis of the joints is quite common. It has obvious symptoms and causes of education. In this regard, a correct and adequate approach to its treatment and subsequent prevention is important. This will be the key to healthy joints, and, therefore, all vital processes.

Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist

Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.