Osteoarthritis of the hip, shoulder, knee and ankle joints is a disease that occurs as a result of the wear and tear of the cartilage tissue, as well as the deformation of the bones. In this case, the patient feels pain of varying intensity (depending on the form of the disease). As a result, the disease leads to problems with motor functions, partial or complete immobilization, and disability. It is important to determine if osteoarthritis can be cured without surgery.
Definition of defeat
Knee joint disease occurs most often in women, and many reasons can lead to its occurrence. Older people are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis in the knee joint.
If osteoarthritis treatment is not started in time, the bones that make up the joints will be exposed and damaged. In this case, it will not be possible to do without a surgical intervention. When the first unpleasant symptoms appear, it is important to seek medical help as soon as possible. It will not be able to completely eliminate osteoarthritis, but it will help to slow down the deformation process of the knee joint and stop degeneration. Early identification of the injury and correct treatment can help avoid negative consequences and an early disabling state.
What are the common causes of osteoarthritis of the knee joint and can the disease be cured? The main reasons include:
- Flatfoot.
- Vein diseases.
- Diabetes and other disorders associated with metabolic disorders. It will be difficult to get rid of arthrosis in this case, since the use of all drugs and physiotherapy is not allowed.
- Overweight: people with weight problems have osteoarthritis much more often than people with normal body weight.
- Adolescence: it is at this time that a person's metabolism and hormonal background changes, leading to a degenerative process.
- Carrying a child - at this time, a woman is gaining weight, as a result of which the load on the knee part increases significantly. The hormonal background is disturbed, which contributes to the appearance of osteoarthritis of the knees.
- Changes in the body associated with the age of the patient.
- Get certain injuries. About 30 percent of knee osteoarthritis is due to injury. The injury leads to a change in the normal structure of the tissue, which provokes the process of destruction.
- Regular physical activity in the lower legs, to which the body has not adapted.
- The beginning of the inflammation process in the body.
- Hereditary predisposition.
- The appearance of cramps in the thigh muscles.
It is possible to cure the disease only if you contact a treatment specialist. In this case, it is forbidden to start any treatment on your own. Only a specialist will be able to prescribe effective therapy, which will include physical therapy and medication.
Precautionary measures
It is important to remember preventive measures even before the onset of the underlying disease. Osteoarthritis can be divided into two types. The first occurs due to a violation of the metabolic process in the body, as well as the age characteristics of the patient.
The second type appears as a result of injury or infection. To prevent the second type of osteoarthritis, it is important to avoid possible injuries, bruises, fractures. To a greater extent, this applies to those who participate in any type of sport or dance. For such people, this disease often turns professional and no longer allows them to do what they love. This also applies to children who are very active and behave carelessly on the street; it is important that they behave carefully to avoid dangerous injuries.
The main factor that will help prevent osteoarthritis of the deformed knee joint is mobility. Moderate exercise is the best way to prevent osteoarthritis. This is especially important for people whose work activities are primarily associated with sedentary work. It is important to remember that in this case it is a moderate load on different joints.
The main stages of the disease
Developmental osteoarthritis can be divided into four distinct stages. The later the stage, the more difficult it will be to treat and relieve symptoms:
- in the first stage, the symptoms are mild, but the process of tissue destruction is already spreading rapidly;
- the destruction of cartilage continues, which leads to a decrease in the mobility of the leg in the joint area and is accompanied by a severe pain syndrome;
- the cartilage tissue in this case thins, the bones that make up the joints begin to actively grow and become damaged;
- at the last stage of the development of the disease, the cartilage is almost completely destroyed, the deformation of the bones leads to a change in the axis of the diseased limb, while the joint ceases to cope with the pressure exerted on it, and the leg at the knee completely loses its mobility.
First-degree osteoarthritis of the knee joint can be diagnosed by short-term pain that occurs when the person walks. There is no noticeable deformity that can be detected during the examination, and the x-ray also does not provide the necessary amount of information about the condition of the joints to make an accurate diagnosis.
If the disease is detected in a timely manner and full treatment begins, then the process of destruction of cartilage tissue can be completely stopped, and even diseased areas can be restored.
Can grade 2 osteoarthritis be cured? Treatment in stage 2 of the development of osteoarthritis is aimed at eliminating unpleasant symptoms and slowing down the degenerative-dystrophic process. In this case, it is not always possible to restore the fabric, but you can keep what remains intact.
Is it possible to cure grade 3 osteoarthritis? When osteoarthritis reaches the third degree of development, attempts to slow down the destructive process and damage to the bones often do not give results, the disease quickly acquires the fourth degree of development (some experts, for this reason, distinguish only three stages the development of this disease).
In case of severe changes in the structure of the joint, it is necessary to use a prosthesis; This method of surgical correction is called a stent.
In some cases, surgical intervention is also used in stage 2 gonarthrosis. At the same time, a minimally invasive arthroscopic operation is performed, removing dead tissue through a small incision, as well as pieces of damaged cartilage. With the help of such an operation, the range of motion increases, the symptoms of pain and inflammation disappear. But you must remember that the treatment does not end there. Such an operation will help to relieve the unpleasant symptoms of the disease for several years.
Treatment
Can osteoarthritis of the knee joint be cured? Treatment of any disease can be done in three main areas:
- etiotropic - elimination of the root causes of injury;
- symptomatic - relief of the main symptoms;
- pathogenic: interference with disease progression.
To carry out an effective treatment, or at least to suspend the development of osteoarthritis, it is important to:
- activate the process of blood supply and improve the state of tissues;
- compensate for the lack or excess of enzymes in the body;
- give the body everything it needs for the reproduction of cartilage tissue;
- restore the volume and composition of the synovial fluid.
Many physiotherapeutic procedures and topical ointments lead to an improvement in the nutrition of the tissues and to the normalization of their blood supply. During electrophoresis, tissues can become saturated with special enzymes. But the main way to treat such a disease is to take chondroprotectors. Recently, hyaluronic acid injections have been used predominantly for the treatment of osteoarthritis. And biological treatment methods are considered more aggressive.
The use of chondroprotectors.
Can osteoarthritis be completely cured? For a complete treatment, chondroprotectors are suitable - drugs that include natural components of cartilage tissue or their synthetic analogues, which lead to the synthesis of certain components or inhibit their breakdown.
Chondroprotectors can be found in the following forms:
- tablets, capsules and powders for oral administration;
- solutions for intramuscular injection;
- special ointments for external use.
Medicines for external use should be used as an additional treatment in complex therapy.
Can deforming osteoarthritis be cured? First you need to consider the features of treatment with chondroprotectors:
- many chondroprotectors help to eliminate severe pain and inflammation, but this is not the main benefit of taking them, for symptomatic therapy it is better to use more affordable NSAIDs;
- therapeutic measures produce a special effect in stages 1 and 2 of the development of the disease, when the cartilage has not yet been destroyed in an extreme state;
- during treatment, it is important to undergo a long course of systematic medication, after each course it is necessary to take a break; a course includes 6 months, so the treatment lasts for years.
If the patient is prone to the onset of osteoarthritis of the knees, he should start taking chondroprotectors in advance to prevent, before the first signs of the disease develop. Chondroprotectors cannot be called a panacea, as they protect cartilage and do not restore its condition. Osteoarthritis is much easier to prevent than to start treatment later.
The main difficulty of treatment
Can osteoarthritis be cured forever? The main difficulty of treatment is that until now drugs have not been developed that can permanently and completely eliminate osteoarthritis. But it is important to remember that there are quite effective complex treatment methods that help to eliminate pain and slow down the disease process.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is a degenerative-dystrophic process, during which the cartilage structures that cover the surface of the femoral head are damaged, as well as the acetabulum. To maintain healthy cartilage, it is important to determine if hip osteoarthritis can be treated.
Treatment with medication
There are many ways to treat this disease. Most often, the attending specialist prescribes a whole complex, which includes many therapeutic measures.
Can hip osteoarthritis be cured? With osteoarthritis of 1 and 2 degrees, it is allowed to use drugs for treatment. The most effective drugs in this case are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vasodilator drugs, which improve the blood supply to the joints, relax the muscles and help to eliminate spasms.
Chondroprotectants are also used to help preserve cartilage tissue. In the first and second degree of development of the lesion, experts allow the use of topical agents: plasters, applications, ointments and gels; they stimulate normal blood circulation.
It is important to remember that without effective and timely treatment, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can lead to ankylosis. Ankylosis is a complete fusion of the femur and pelvis. In this case, the leg completely loses its mobility in the joint.
Ankle osteoarthritis
Can ankle osteoarthritis be cured? Before treating ankle osteoarthritis, it is important to make an accurate diagnosis. Most of the time, the doctor can make an accurate diagnosis by examining the patient's foot or using an X-ray.
Depending on the stage of development of the disease, the specialist will choose the most appropriate treatment. Even before visiting a specialist, the patient should significantly reduce the load on the diseased joint, avoid hypothermia and overload. The doctor prescribes a complex treatment for the patient: physiotherapy, balneotherapy, taking painkillers and means to stimulate blood circulation.
Also, ankle therapy can be carried out on an outpatient basis, in a hospital with the appointment of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Difficulties with treatment may arise if the patient is obese. It is important for such a patient to eat well not only during the treatment itself, but also afterwards.
Gymnastic exercises
Gymnastics with arthrosis of the ankle is allowed only after the main symptoms of the disease have completely disappeared. A set of exercises and loads on the foot should be compiled together with the attending specialist.
Any gymnastic exercise during osteoarthritis should strain the ligaments and muscles of the joint, without overloading the joints, otherwise it can be very dangerous.
Can osteoarthritis of the joint be cured? The gymnastics course in the treatment of osteoarthritis will not require the patient to spend money, buy expensive drugs or devices, but the patient will need to be patient and hard-working to complete the course accurately.
Shoulder problems
Some injuries can cause the appearance of an inflammatory or degenerative process in the joints. Most often, the following reasons lead to osteoarthritis of the shoulder:
- strong physical strain on the shoulder joint at work, resulting in active wear of its components;
- suffer a shoulder injury;
- shoulder joint dysplasia;
- changes in hormone production;
- problems with the blood supply to the joint tissues, which leads to the appearance of vascular pathologies;
- natural wear and tear of cartilage, which is typical of the elderly.
Common in this case is the process of inflammation, accompanied by painful symptoms. The reasons for this injury are different, they can be associated with trauma, infection or disruption of the work of certain systems in the body.
Most often, for the occurrence of arthritis, additional external influence is needed: stress, hypothermia, infection of organs, infection through an open wound, an immune response to the resulting infection.
When determining the disease, the doctor pays attention to the degree of the disease, the main complaints of the patient and the results of a series of examinations. The main diagnostic measure is a biochemical blood test, which helps to confirm the presence of inflammation and, in some cases, to determine its nature.
Another important study is radiography, which helps to determine the place of joint deformation at an early stage of its appearance.
Is it possible to cure osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint? In the presence of osteoarthritis of the first two degrees, only conservative treatment is used. And only with a complicated form of the disease, an operation is prescribed.
The main methods of conservative treatment:
- Taking medicines;
- treatment with folk methods;
- physical therapy activities;
- sanitary treatment;
- massages;
- acupuncture;
- physiotherapy;
- special diet.
Before starting therapy, it is important that the damaged joint rest completely, which is much easier to do if osteoarthritis is widespread in the shoulder region. The easiest treatment is considered to be the first stage of the disease, when scarring changes have not yet occurred and the tissue still retains its regenerative capacity.
But in the presence of such a form of injury, discomfort, as a rule, does not manifest itself strongly, pain is weak, so it takes a long time for the patient to seek help from a doctor. In the future, after the end of the treatment, the patient should also follow a moderate regimen.