Osteoarthritis (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 osteoarthritis in the right hip joint.It can be seen that the channel was completely closed.Severe pain occurs and the patient is unable to get up.
There are more than 100 different forms of osteoarthritis.The most common form, osteoarthritis (damage to the joint ends of articulating bones), is the result of joint trauma, joint infection, or age-related factors.
Other forms of osteoarthritis include rheumatoid osteoarthritis (rheumatism), gout, psoriatic osteoarthritis and related autoimmune diseases.Septic osteoarthritis occurs due to joint infection.All forms have a 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 break abnormally when stressed.The patient may experience difficulties in cases where physical activity is necessary.
Elements of the medical history determine the diagnosis.Important elements are the onset time and rate of development of the disease, the presence of morning immobility, pain, “locking” of the joint due to inactivity, etc.
Causes of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis pain occurs due to inflammation that occurs around the joint.Joint damage due to illness, daily irritation, muscle tension.Joint pain is usually 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 osteoarthritis:
Arthrosis of the knee joint 1st degree - softening of the cartilage appears, it 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 out and in the photo 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 the 2nd degree.
Arthrosis of the knee joint 4 degrees - the bones come into contact with each other, osteophytes increase and distortion of the joint occurs.
Patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis
Patellofemoral osteoarthritis is an injury to the cartilage between the kneecap and the femur.Unlike other types of knee OA, which occur on the inner (medial) and outer (lateral) part of the knee and cause difficulty walking on flat 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.It was observed that patients who wore the brace daily had significantly less joint damage on MRI and a decrease in knee pain.
Prevention and treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint
Osteoarthritis, like rheumatoid osteoarthritis, cannot be completely cured without surgery, but steps can be taken to prevent the condition from getting worse.Measuring weight is essential to improve symptoms and prevent 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 benefits from joint replacement for many people.There are synovial injections - intra-articular fluid injections.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 knee with artificial prosthesis after joint replacement surgery.
Osteoarthritis prevention
It 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 osteoarthritis increases.