The common belief that only the elderly are prone to joint arthrosis 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 joint arthrosis are as follows:
- primary arthrosis (congenital weakness of articular cartilage);
- professional activities (sports, dancing, heavy physical work);
- diseases that cause metabolic disorders;
- obesity;
- mechanical deformation of the joint (wearing tight or incorrectly selected shoes);
- genetic predisposition.
The disease is characterized by critical thinning of articular cartilage and deformation of the joint itself, which causes severe pain to the patient and significantly reduces motor activity.According to the WHO, arthrosis is one of the main causes of disability and disability in people around the world.
Symptoms and complications of arthrosis
Arthrosis can affect both large joints (knees, hips, elbows, etc.) and small ones: joints of hands, fingers, feet.In the early stages of the disease, pain appears in the joints, which becomes worse as the disease progresses.When extending and bending the joint, a throbbing sound may be heard and movement becomes difficult.Progressive arthrosis causes the joint to enlarge and the area around the diseased joint to become hypersensitive to touch, cold and heat.
In addition to severe pain and joint deformation, which leads to cosmetic defects, untreated joint arthrosis causes serious complications.Delay in treatment is fraught with the development of the following diseases:
- periarthritis (acute inflammation of the tissue surrounding the diseased joint);
- synovitis (inflammation of the joint membrane);
- coxarthrosis (irreversible damage to the hip joint).
Complications of joint arthrosis, in turn, lead to complete immobility of the joint, which can be the initial stage of severe disability.
Treatment of joint arthrosis
The following methods are used in the treatment of arthrosis:
- medicine;
- physiotherapy;
- surgery.
With medical methods, the treatment of arthrosis aims to improve cartilage nutrition and relieve pain (introducing a special nutritional gel into the periarticular area and additionally taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gouty and homeopathic drugs).
Physiotherapy methods aim to increase blood supply to the joints and their mobility, as well as increase the effect of drug therapy.The list of physiotherapeutic agents includes:
- Ultrasound therapy;
- reflexology;
- mud therapy;
- radon and hydrogen sulfide baths;
- pulse therapy;
- magnetic therapy;
- laser therapy, etc.
The surgical treatment method aims to remove the bone formation that has resulted from joint arthrosis and normalize the size of the joint.This method is only used in combination with drug treatment and physiotherapy, because the doctor's task is to eliminate the cause of arthrosis and reduce the risk of relapse.
The clinic's diagnostic and treatment facilities provide accurate determination of the cause of joint arthrosis, the level of joint damage, and also guarantee the selection of the optimal treatment plan for each individual patient.The clinic's equipment allows the use of the most modern technology for the treatment of arthrosis, which aims to get rid of this disease as quickly and effectively as possible.