Osteoarthritis of the hip, shoulder, knee and ankle joint is a disease that occurs due to wear of the cartilage tissue and deformation of the bones. In this case, the patient experiences 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 more 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 form the joints will be exposed and damaged. In this case, it will not be possible to do without 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 get rid of osteoarthritis, but it will help 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 disability.
What are common causes of knee joint osteoarthritis and can the disease be cured? The main reasons include:
- Flat feet.
- Diseases of the veins.
- Diabetes and other disorders associated with metabolic disorders. In this case it will be difficult to get rid of arthrosis, since not all drugs and physiotherapy can be used.
- 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 change, which leads to a degenerative process.
- Carrying a child - at this time a woman is gaining weight, due to which the load on the knee part is significantly increased. The hormonal background is disturbed, which contributes to the appearance of arthrosis of the knees.
- Changes in the body associated with the age of the patient.
- Getting certain injuries. About 30% 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 on the lower legs, which the body has not adapted to.
- The beginning of the inflammation process in the body.
- Hereditary predisposition.
- The occurrence of cramps in the thigh muscles.
It is possible to cure the disease only if you contact a treating specialist. In this case it is forbidden to start any treatment independently. Only a specialist will be able to prescribe effective therapy, which will include physiotherapy and medications.
Preventive 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 arthrosis, it is important to avoid possible injuries, bruises, fractures. To a greater extent, this applies to those involved in any type of sport or dance. For such people, such a disease often becomes professional and does not allow them to do what they love anymore. This also applies to very active children, who behave carelessly on the street; it is important that they behave with caution so as not to suffer dangerous injuries.
The main factor that will help avoid osteoarthritis of the deforming knee joint is mobility. Moderate exercise is the best way to prevent osteoarthritis. This is especially important for people whose work activities are mainly associated with sedentary work. It is important to remember that in this case it is a moderate load on several joints.
The main stages of the disease
Developmental osteoarthritis can be divided into four distinct phases. The more advanced the stage, the harder 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 severe pain syndrome;
- the cartilage tissue in this case thins, the bones that form the joints begin to actively grow and be damaged;
- in 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 la leg in the knee completely loses its mobility.
It is possible to diagnose first degree knee joint osteoarthritis with short-term pain that occurs the moment a person walks. There is no obvious deformity that can be detected during the examination and even the x-ray does not provide the necessary amount of information about the state of the joints to make an accurate diagnosis.
If the disease is detected in a timely manner and comprehensive treatment begins, the process of destruction of cartilage tissue can be completely stopped, and the diseased areas can even be restored.
Can Grade 2 Osteoarthritis Be Cured? Treatment in stage 2 of the development of arthrosis 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 it is possible to keep what is left intact.
Is it possible to cure grade 3 osteoarthritis? When osteoarthritis reaches the 3rd degree of development, attempts to slow down the destructive process and damage to the bones most often do not bring results, the disease quickly acquires the 4th degree of development (some experts, for this reason, distinguish only three stages of 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 endoprosthesis.
In some cases, surgery is also used in stage 2 of 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, pain symptoms and inflammation disappear. But you must remember that the treatment does not end there. Such an operation will help 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 carried out in three main areas:
- etiotropic - elimination of the root causes of the lesion;
- symptomatic - relief of the main symptoms;
- pathogenetic - interference in the progression of the disease.
To carry out an effective treatment, or at least to stop the development of osteoarthritis, it is important:
- activate the process of blood supply and improve the condition of the 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 tissues and the normalization of their blood supply. During electrophoresis, tissues can be saturated with special enzymes. But the main way to cure 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 chondroprotector
Can osteoarthritis be completely cured? For full 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 decay.
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 get rid of severe pain and inflammation, but this is not the main advantage of taking them, for symptomatic therapy it is better to use more affordable NSAIDs;
- therapeutic measures bring 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 systematic course of drugs, after each course it is necessary to take a break; a course includes 6 months, so the treatment lasts years.
If the patient is prone to the appearance of osteoarthritis of the knees, then he should start taking chondroprotectors early to prevent, before the first signs of the disease develop. Chondroprotectors cannot be called a panacea, as they protect the cartilage and do not restore its condition. Osteoarthritis is much easier to prevent than starting treatment later.
The main difficulty of the treatment
Can osteoarthritis be cured forever? The main difficulty of the treatment is that up to now no drugs have been developed that can definitively and completely eliminate osteoarthritis. But it is important to remember that there are quite effective complex treatment methods that help get rid of 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 covering the surface of the femoral head are damaged, as well as the acetabulum. To keep the cartilage healthy, it is important to determine if hip osteoarthritis can be treated.
Pharmacological treatment
There are many ways to cure this disease. Most often, the present specialist prescribes a whole complex, which includes many therapeutic measures.
Can hip arthrosis be treated? With osteoarthritis of 1 and 2 degrees, the use of drugs for treatment is allowed. The most effective drugs in this case are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vasodilator drugs, which lead to an improvement in the blood supply to the joints, relax the muscles and help eliminate spasms.
Chondroprotectors are also used to help preserve cartilage tissue. At the first and second degrees of development of the lesion, experts allow the use of topical agents: patches, 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.
Osteoarthritis of the ankle
Can osteoarthritis of the ankle be treated? Before treating osteoarthritis of the ankle, it is important to make an accurate diagnosis. Most often, the doctor can establish 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 of stimulating blood circulation.
Also, ankle therapy can be performed 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 that such a patient eat right not only during the treatment itself, but also after it.
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 in cooperation with the specialist present.
Any gymnastic exercises during osteoarthritis should stress the ligaments and muscles of the joint, without overloading the joints themselves, otherwise it can be very dangerous.
Can osteoarthritis of the joint be cured? The gymnastics course in the treatment of arthrosis will not require the patient to spend money, buy expensive medicines or devices, but the patient will have to be patient and hardworking to complete the course accurately.
Shoulder problems
Some injuries can lead to an inflammatory or degenerative process of the joints. Most often, the following reasons lead to arthrosis of the shoulder:
- strong physical exertion on the shoulder joint during work, resulting in active wear of its components;
- getting 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 of the cartilage, 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 of the body.
Most often, for the appearance of arthritis, an additional external influence is required: 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 number of examinations. The main diagnostic measure is a biochemical blood test, which helps confirm the presence of inflammation and, in some cases, 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 arthrosis 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 medications;
- treatment with folk methods;
- physiotherapy activity;
- health treatment;
- massages;
- acupuncture;
- Physiotherapy;
- special diet.
Before starting therapy, it is important to provide the damaged joint with complete rest, which is much easier to do if osteoarthritis is widespread in the shoulder region. The simplest treatment is considered to be the first stage of the disease, when scar changes have not yet occurred and the tissue has still retained its regenerative capacity.
But in the presence of such a form of injury, the discomfort, as a rule, does not manifest itself strongly, the pain is weak, so the patient is very late in seeking the help of a doctor. In the future, after the end of the treatment, the patient will also have to follow a sparing regimen.