The common belief that only elderly people are susceptible to arthrosis of the joints is fundamentally wrong.This disease has a different etiology and can affect people of any age, gender and profession.
Among the reasons that contribute to the development of arthrosis of the joints are the following:
- primary arthrosis (congenital weakening of articular cartilage);
- professional activity (sports, dance, hard physical labor);
- diseases causing metabolic disorders;
- obesity;
- mechanical deformation of the joints (wearing tight or wrongly selected shoes);
- genetic predisposition.
This disease is characterized by critical thinning of the articular cartilages and deformation of the joint itself, which causes severe pain to the patient and significantly reduces motor activity.According to the WHO, osteoarthritis is one of the main causes of disability and disability in people worldwide.
Symptoms and complications of arthrosis
Arthrosis can affect both large joints (knee, hip, elbow, etc.) and small joints: joints of hands, fingers, feet.At the initial stage of the disease, painful pain appears in the joint, and as the disease progresses, it becomes more severe.When extending and bending the joint, a creaking sound can be heard and movements become difficult.Progressive arthrosis causes the joint to expand, and the area around the affected joint becomes hypersensitive to touch, cold, and heat.
In addition to severe pain and joint deformation, which cause cosmetic defects, untreated joint arthrosis causes serious complications.The delay in treatment is fraught with the development of the following diseases:
- periarthritis (acute inflammation of the tissues surrounding the affected joint);
- synovitis (inflammation of the joint membrane);
- coxarthrosis (irreversible damage to the hip joint).
Complications of arthrosis of the joint, in turn, lead to complete immobility of the joint, which can become the initial stage of severe disability.
Treatment of joint arthrosis
The following methods are used in the treatment of arthrosis:
- medicine;
- physiotherapy;
- surgical.
Drug treatment of arthrosis is aimed at improving cartilage nutrition and relieving pain (introducing special nutritional gels into the periarticular area and additionally taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gout and homeopathic drugs).
The physiotherapeutic method is aimed at improving the blood supply of the joint and its mobility, as well as increasing the effect of drug treatment.The list of physiotherapeutic means includes:
- ultrasound therapy;
- reflexology;
- mud treatment;
- radon and hydrogen sulfide baths;
- pulse therapy;
- magnetic therapy;
- laser therapy, etc.
The surgical method of treatment is aimed at removing the bone formations formed as a result of arthrosis of the joints and normalizing the size of the joint.This method is used only in combination with drug treatment and physiotherapy, because the doctor's task is to eliminate the cause of arthrosis and reduce the risk of recurrence.
The diagnostic and treatment facilities of the clinic accurately determine the causes of arthrosis of the joints, the degree of damage to the joints, and also guarantee the selection of the optimal treatment plan for each patient on an individual basis.The equipment of the clinic allows to use the most modern technologies for the treatment of arthrosis aimed at getting rid of this disease as quickly and effectively as possible.