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 of the right hip joint.It can be seen that the channel has been completely closed.Severe pain occurs and the patient cannot stand up.
There are more than 100 different forms of osteoarthritis.The most common form, osteoarthritis (damage to the joint ends of jointed 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 an infection of the joints.All forms have a common symptom: joint pain.
Symptoms
All types of osteoarthritis are accompanied by pain, the nature of which determines its type.It is characterized by redness of the skin, limited mobility in the knee joint, and changes in its shape.Disease-prone joints often crack unnaturally when stress is applied to them.The patient may experience difficulties in cases where physical activity is necessary.
The elements of the clinical history determine the diagnosis.Important elements are the time of appearance and rate of development of the disease, the presence of morning immobility, pain, "locking" of the joint due to inactivity, etc.For a more precise diagnosis, radiography and tomography are used.
Causes of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis pain occurs due to inflammation that occurs around the joint.Joint damage due to illness, daily friction, muscle tension.Joint pain is usually constant.The pain may be localized in the affected areas.
Osteoarthritis Classification
Osteoarthritis is divided into primary and secondary.There are 4 degrees of osteoarthritis:
First degree osteoarthritis of the knee joint: a softening of the cartilage appears that can be felt on the surface of the knee.Not visible in X-rays.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint of the second degree: the cartilage begins to wear out and a narrowing of the joint space can be seen in the image.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint of the third degree: osteophytes appear, treatment is more difficult.Difficult to distinguish from second degree.
Arthritis of the knee joint of 4 degrees: the bones come into contact with each other, osteophytes increase and distortion of the joint occurs.
Osteoarthritis of the patellofemoral joint.
Patellofemoral osteoarthritis is damage to the cartilage between the kneecap and thighbone.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 standing up from sitting.In this case, a knee pad helps a lot.Patients who wore the brace daily were seen to have significantly less joint damage on MRI and decreased knee pain.
Prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
Osteoarthritis, like rheumatoid osteoarthritis, cannot be completely cured without surgery, but steps can be taken to prevent the condition from worsening.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 pharmacological treatment.When the disease progresses rapidly and pain is constant, surgery may be suggested.Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis benefits from joint replacement for many people.There are synovial injections - injections of intra-articular fluid.They allow the patient's pain to be relieved 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.
Osteoarthritis prevention
It includes a set of procedures: massage, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, herbal preparations, dietary supplements, aromatherapy, hot and cold treatments, health exercises, diet.
According to statistics, today more than 43 million Americans experience pain when bending the knee.According to statistics, this is one of the main causes of disability in the country.About 1 in 7 Americans has it.With age, the likelihood of developing osteoarthritis increases.