Arthrosis of the hip, shoulder, knee, and ankle joint is a disease that occurs as a result of wear and tear on cartilage tissue as well as bone deformation. 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 total immobilization and disability. It is important to determine whether osteoarthritis can be cured without surgery.
definition of defeat
Knee joint disease occurs more frequently in women, and many reasons can lead to its onset. Elderly people are more likely to have arthrosis in the knee joint.
If osteoarthritis treatment is not started in time, the bones that make up joints will be exposed and damaged. In this case, it will not be possible to do without the 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 the arthrosis, but it will help to slow down the process of deformation of the knee joint and stop degeneration. Early identification of the injury and correct treatment can help to avoid negative consequences and early disability status.
What are the common causes of arthrosis of the knee joint and can the disease be cured? The main reasons include:
- Flat foot.
- Diseases of the veins.
- Diabetes and other disorders associated with metabolic disorders. It will be difficult to get rid of osteoarthritis in this case, as not all medications and physiotherapy can be used.
- Overweight - People with weight problems get osteoarthritis much more often than people with normal body weight.
- Adolescence - This is when a person's metabolism and hormonal background change, which leads to a degenerative process.
- Carrying a child - At this time the woman is gaining weight, as a result the load on the knee part is significantly increased. The hormonal background is disturbed, which contributes to the appearance of arthrosis in the knees.
- Changes in the body associated with the patient's age.
- Getting certain injuries. About 30 percent of knee osteoarthritis is due to injury. The injury leads to a change in the normal tissue structure, which triggers the destruction process.
- Regular physical activity in the lower legs to which the body has not adapted.
- The start 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 specialist in treatment. In this case, it is forbidden to start any treatment on your own. Only a specialist can prescribe effective therapy, which will include physical therapy and medication.
Preventive measures
It is important to remember preventive measures even before the onset of the underlying disease. Arthrosis can be divided into two types. The first occurs due to a violation of the body's metabolic process, as well as the patient's age characteristics.
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 who are involved in any type of sport or dance. For these people, this disease often becomes professional and does not allow them to do what they love anymore. This also applies to children who are very active, who behave recklessly on the street; it is important that they behave with care so as not to suffer dangerous injuries.
The main factor that will help prevent arthrosis 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 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 arthrosis can be divided into four distinct stages. The more advanced the stage, the more difficult it will be to treat and relieve symptoms:
- in the first stage, symptoms are mild, but the tissue destruction process is already spreading rapidly;
- cartilage destruction continues, which leads to decreased leg mobility in the joint area and is accompanied by severe pain syndrome;
- the cartilage tissue in this case is thin, the bones that make up the joints begin to actively grow and are 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 no longer supports the pressure exerted on it, and the leg on the knee completely loses its mobility. .
Arthrosis of the first-degree knee joint can be diagnosed by the short-term pain that occurs when the person walks. There is no noticeable deformity that can be detected during the examination, and radiography 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 a full treatment is started, the process of cartilage tissue destruction can be completely stopped and the affected areas can even be restored.
Can grade 2 arthrosis be cured? Treatment in stage 2 of the development of arthrosis aims to eliminate unpleasant symptoms and delay the degenerative-dystrophic process. In this case, it is not always possible to restore the tissue, but you can keep what is left intact.
Is it possible to cure grade 3 osteoarthritis? When arthrosis reaches the 3rd degree of development, attempts to delay the destructive process and damage to the bones most often do not bring results, the disease quickly acquires the 4th degree of development (some specialists, for this reason, distinguish only three stages of the development of this disease).
In case of severe changes in the structure of the joint, it is necessary to use a prosthesis, a method of surgical correction called endoprosthesis.
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 this operation, range of motion increases, pain symptoms and inflammation disappear. But it must be remembered that the treatment does not end there. This operation will help alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of the disease for several years.
Treatment
Can arthrosis of the knee joint be cured? The treatment of any disease can be carried out in three main areas:
- etiotropic - elimination of the root causes of the lesion;
- symptomatic - relief of main symptoms;
- pathogenesis - interference with disease progression.
To carry out an effective treatment, or at least to stop the development of arthrosis, it is important to:
- activate the blood supply process and improve tissue condition;
- compensate for the lack or excess of enzymes in the body;
- giving the body everything it needs for the reproduction of cartilage tissue;
- restore the volume and composition of synovial fluid.
Many physical therapy procedures and topical ointments lead to an improvement in tissue nutrition and a normalization of the blood supply. During electrophoresis, tissues can be saturated with special enzymes. But the main way to treat this disease is by taking chondroprotectants. Recently, hyaluronic acid injections have been predominantly used for the treatment of arthrosis. And biological treatment methods are considered more aggressive.
The use of chondroprotectors
Can osteoarthritis be completely cured? For the full treatment, chondroprotectives 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 decomposition.
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 arthrosis be cured? First, you need to consider the characteristics of chondroprotective treatment:
- many chondroprotectives help get rid of severe pain and inflammation, but that's not the main benefit of taking them; for symptomatic therapy, it is better to use cheaper NSAIDs;
- therapeutic measures have a special effect on stages 1 and 2 of disease development, when cartilage has not yet been destroyed to an extreme state;
- during treatment, it is important to take a long systematic course of medication, after each course it is necessary to take a break; a course includes 6 months, then treatment lasts for years.
If the patient has a tendency to develop arthrosis of the knees, he should start taking chondroprotective agents in advance, in order to prevent it, before the first signs of the disease appear. Chondroprotectors cannot be called a panacea, as they protect 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 with the treatment is that, until now, drugs that could permanently and completely eliminate arthrosis have not been developed. But it is important to remember that there are complex methods of treatment that are very effective and help to eliminate pain and slow down the disease process.
Arthrosis of the hip joint
Arthrosis of the hip joint is a degenerative-dystrophic process, during which the cartilage structures that cover the surface of the femoral head, as well as the acetabulum, are damaged. To keep cartilage healthy, it is important to determine if hip arthrosis is treatable.
drug treatment
There are many ways to treat this disease. Most of the time, the responsible specialist prescribes an entire complex, which includes many therapeutic measures.
Can hip arthrosis be cured? With 1 and 2 degrees of arthrosis, the use of medications 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 muscles and help to eliminate spasms.
Chondroprotectors are also used to help preserve cartilage tissue. In the first and second degree of lesion development, specialists 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, arthrosis of the hip joint can cause ankylosis. Ankylosis is a complete fusion of the femur and pelvis. In this case, the leg completely loses mobility at the joint.
Ankle arthrosis
Can ankle arthrosis be cured? Before treating ankle arthrosis, 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. Before even consulting a specialist, the patient must significantly reduce the load on the affected joint, avoid hypothermia and also overload. The doctor prescribes complex treatments for the patient: physiotherapy, balneotherapy, taking analgesics, as well as ways to stimulate blood circulation.
In addition, ankle therapy can be performed on an outpatient basis, in a hospital, with the appointment of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Difficulties with treatment may arise if the patient is obese. It is important for this patient to eat well not only during the treatment itself, but also after it.
gym exercises
Gymnastics with ankle arthrosis is only allowed after the main symptoms of the disease have completely disappeared. A set of exercises and foot loads should be compiled in conjunction with the responsible specialist.
Any gymnastic exercise during osteoarthritis must stress the ligaments and muscles of the joint, without straining the joints themselves, otherwise it can be very dangerous.
Can joint arthrosis 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 have to be patient and strive to complete the course accurately.
Shoulder Problems
Some injuries can lead to the onset of an inflammatory or degenerative process in the joints. Most of the time, the following reasons lead to shoulder arthrosis:
- strong physical effort on the shoulder joint at 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 cartilage wear, 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 disturbance in the functioning of certain systems in the body.
Most of the time, for arthritis to appear, an additional external influence is needed: stress, hypothermia, organ infection, infection through an open wound, an immune response to the resulting infection.
When determining the disease, the physician pays attention to the degree of the disease, the main complaints of the patient and the results of various tests. 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 the X-ray, which helps to determine the location of joint deformation at an early stage of its appearance.
Is it possible to cure arthrosis of the shoulder joint? In the presence of arthrosis of the first two degrees, only conservative treatment is used. And just with a complicated form of the disease, an operation is prescribed.
The main methods of conservative treatment:
- taking medications;
- treatment with popular methods;
- physiotherapy activities;
- sanitary treatment;
- massages;
- acupuncture;
- physiotherapy;
- special diet.
Before starting therapy, it is important to give the injured joint complete rest, which is much easier to do if the arthrosis is widespread in the shoulder region. The easiest treatment is considered the first stage of the disease, when scarring changes have not yet occurred and the tissue still maintains its regenerative capacity.
But in the presence of this form of injury, the discomfort, as a rule, does not manifest itself strongly, the pain is weak, so the patient takes a long time to seek help from the doctor. In the future, after the end of treatment, the patient will also have to follow a preservation regimen.