Arthrosis (Greek: arthr) is a group of diseases that damage the joints of the human body.
The left side of the photo of a healthy person.On the right, a person with severe arthrosis on the right hip joint.It can be seen that the channel has completely closed.Severe pain occurs and the patient cannot get to his feet.
There are more than 100 different forms of arthrosis.The most common form, osteoarthritis (damage to the articular ends of articulating bones) is the result of joint trauma, joint infection, or age-related factors.
Other forms of arthrosis include rheumatoid arthrosis (rheumatism), gout, psoriatic arthrosis and related autoimmune diseases.Septic arthrosis occurs due to joint infection.All forms have one common symptom - joint pain.
Symptoms
All types of arthrosis are accompanied by pain, the nature of which determines its type.Characterized by redness of the skin, limited mobility in the knee joint, and changes in its shape.Disease-prone joints often crack unnaturally when stressed.The patient may experience difficulties in cases where it is necessary to undergo physical activity.
Elements of the medical history determine the diagnosis.Important elements are the time of onset and rate of development of the disease, the presence of morning immobility, pain, “locking” of the joint due to inactivity, etc. For a more accurate diagnosis, radiography and tomography are used.
Causes of arthrosis
Osteoarthritis pain occurs due to inflammation that occurs around the joint.Joint damage due to illness, daily chafing, muscle tension.Joint pain is often constant.The pain may be localized to the affected areas.
Classification of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is divided into primary and secondary. There are 4 degrees of arthrosis:
Arthrosis of the knee joint 1st degree - softening of the cartilage appears, can be felt on the surface of the knee.Not visible on x-ray.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint 2nd degree - the cartilage begins to wear away and in the picture you can see a narrowing of the joint space.
Arthrosis of the knee joint 3rd degree - osteophytes appear, treatment is more difficult.Difficult to distinguish from 2nd degree.
Arthrosis of the knee joint 4 degrees - bones come into contact with each other, osteophytes increase, and distortion of the joint occurs.
Arthrosis of the patellofemoral joint
Patellofemoral osteoarthritis is damage to the cartilage between the kneecap and femur.Unlike other types of knee OA, which occur on the inside (medial) and outside (lateral) of the knee and cause difficulty walking on level surfaces, patellofemoral osteoarthritis causes pain in the front of the knee when squatting and rising from a sitting position.In this case, a knee brace helps a lot.Patients who wore the brace daily were observed to have significantly less joint damage on MRI and a decrease in knee pain.
Prevention and treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint
Osteoarthritis, like rheumatoid arthrosis, cannot be completely cured without surgery, but measures can be taken to prevent the condition from getting worse.Weight measurement is key to improving symptoms and preventing disease progression.For osteoarthritis, physical therapy is indicated to strengthen muscles and joints.In particular, ESMA equipment is effective for its treatment.Patients also require drug treatment.When the disease progresses rapidly and the pain is constant, surgery may be suggested.Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis does benefit from joint replacement for many people.There are synovial injections - injections of intra-articular fluid.They allow the patient to be relieved of pain for 8 months, after which the procedure is repeated.Bee venom treatment is also effective in relieving pain.
X-ray of a knee with an artificial prosthesis after joint replacement surgery.
Prevention of arthrosis
Includes a set of procedures: massage, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, herbal preparations, dietary supplements, aromatherapy, heat and cold treatment, health exercises, diet.
According to statistics, today more than 43 million Americans experience pain when bending their knee.According to statistics, this is one of the main causes of disability in the country.About 1 in 7 Americans suffer from it.With age, the likelihood of developing arthrosis increases.