Osteoarthritis of the hip, shoulder, knee and ankle is a disease that occurs due to the wear and tear of cartilage tissue as well as bone deformity.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 function, partial or total immobility, and disability.It is important to determine whether arthritis can be cured without surgery.
Definition of damage
Knee disease occurs most often in women;it can happen for many reasons.Elderly people suffer from arthritis in the knee joints more often than other people.
If treatment for joint disease is not started promptly, the bones that form the joint will become exposed and damaged.In this case, it will not be possible without surgical intervention.When the first unpleasant symptoms appear, it is important to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible.It will not completely eliminate arthritis, but it will help slow down the deformity of the knee joint and prevent degeneration.Early identification of damage and proper treatment will help avoid negative consequences and early disability.
What are the common causes of knee osteoarthritis and can the disease be cured?The main reasons include:
- Flat feet.
- Diseases of the veins.
- Diabetes and other injuries related to metabolic disorders.In this case, it will be very difficult to get rid of arthritis because not all drugs and physical procedures are allowed.
- Excessive weight - people with weight problems experience arthritis much more often than people with normal body weight.
- Adolescence - it is the time when a person's metabolism and hormone levels change, leading to degenerative processes.
- Pregnancy - at this time the woman gains weight, therefore the load on the knees increases significantly.Hormone levels are disrupted, contributing to arthritis in the knees.
- Changes in the body related to the patient's age.
- Receive a certain amount of damage.About 30% of knee arthritis cases occur due to injury.Trauma leads to changes in the normal structure of tissues, causing destructive processes.
- Regular physical activity in the legs that the body has not yet adapted to.
- The beginning of the inflammatory process in the body.
- Genetic predisposition.
- The onset of cramps in the thigh muscle tissues.
The disease can only be cured if you contact a treating specialist.In this case, it is strictly forbidden to initiate any treatment on your own.Only a specialist can prescribe effective therapy, including physical therapy and medication.
preventive measures
It is important to remember preventive measures even before the appearance of an underlying disease.Arthritis can be divided into two types.The first occurs due to violations of metabolic processes in the body, as well as age characteristics of the patient.
The second type appears due to injury or infection.To prevent the second type of arthritis, it is important to avoid possible injuries, bruises, and fractures.This applies to a greater extent to people participating in any sport or dance.For such people, such a disease often becomes professional and prevents them from doing the things they love.This also applies to children who are very active and behave carelessly on the street;It is important that they behave carefully so as not to receive dangerous injuries.
The main factor that helps avoid arthritis due to knee deformity is mobility.The best way to prevent joint disease is to exercise moderately.This is especially important for people whose work activities are mainly sedentary.It is important to remember that in this case we are talking about moderate loads on different joints.
Main stages of the disease
Osteoarthritis can be divided into four distinct stages depending on its development.The more the stage progresses, the more difficult the treatment and symptom relief process will be:
- In the early stages, symptoms are mild but tissue destruction has spread rapidly;
- Continued destruction of cartilage leads to reduced mobility of the legs in the joint area and is accompanied by severe pain;
- In this case, the cartilage tissue is thinned, the bones that make up the joint begin to grow actively and are damaged;
- At the final stage of development of the disease, the cartilage is almost completely destroyed, bone deformation leads to a change in the axis of the diseased limb, at the same time the joint can no longer withstand the pressure exerted on it, and the leg at the knee completely loses mobility.
Grade one knee arthritis can be diagnosed by short-term pain that occurs when a person walks.No noticeable deformity can be detected during the examination, and X-rays do not provide the amount of information about the condition of the joint necessary for an accurate diagnosis.
If the disease is detected in time and appropriate treatment is initiated, the process of destruction of cartilage tissue can be completely stopped, and diseased areas can even be restored.
Can grade 2 arthritis be cured?Treatment at stage 2 of the development of arthropathy is aimed at eliminating unpleasant symptoms and slowing down the degenerative-dystrophic process.In this case, it is not always possible to restore the tissue, but you can keep what is intact.
Can grade 3 arthritis be cured?When joint disease reaches the 3rd stage of development, attempts to slow down the process of bone destruction and damage often do not bring results, the disease quickly passes to the 4th stage of development (some experts, for this reason, distinguish only three stages of development of this disease).
In cases where there are serious changes in the structure of the joint, the use of a prosthesis is necessary;This method of surgical correction is called endoscopy.
In some cases, surgical intervention is also used in stage 2 of gonorrhea.In this case, a minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery will be performed, removing dead tissue as well as pieces of damaged cartilage through a small incision.With the help of this manipulation, the range of motion increases, pain and inflammation symptoms disappear.But we must remember that the treatment does not end there.This operation will help reduce unpleasant symptoms of the disease for several years.
Carry out treatment
Can knee arthritis be cured?The treatment of any disease can be carried out in three main areas:
- etiotropic – eliminates the root cause of damage;
- symptoms – reduction of main symptoms;
- pathogens - interfere with the progression of the disease.
To carry out effective treatment or at least prevent the development of arthritis, it is important to:
- Activates blood supply and improves tissue condition;
- Compensate for missing or excess enzymes in the body;
- provides the body with everything necessary to regenerate cartilage tissue;
- restores the volume and composition of synovial fluid.
Many physiotherapeutic procedures and topical ointments help improve the nutrition of tissues and normalize their blood supply.During electrophoresis, tissues can be saturated with special enzymes.But the main way to treat this disease is to use cartilage-protecting drugs.Recently, hyaluronic acid injections are mainly used to treat joint diseases.Biological treatment methods are considered more aggressive.
Use chondroprotectors
Can arthritis be completely cured?For complete treatment, chondroprotective drugs are suitable - drugs that include natural components of cartilage tissue or their synthetic analogues, leading to the synthesis of certain components or inhibiting their breakdown.
Chondroprotectors can be found in the following forms:
- tablets, capsules and powders for oral administration;
- intramuscular solution;
- Special ointment for external use.
Topical drugs should be used as an additional treatment in complex therapy.
Can deforming arthritis be cured?First you need to consider the features of treatment with chondroprotectors:
- Many chondroprotectors help eliminate severe pain and inflammation, but this is not the main benefit of taking them;For symptomatic treatment, it is best to use more affordable NSAIDs;
- Treatment measures are especially effective in stages 1 and 2 of the disease's development, when the cartilage has not been destroyed to a serious extent;
- During treatment, it is important to take the drug long-term and systematically;After each course, you need to rest;one course consists of 6 months, so treatment continues for many years.
If the patient is susceptible to knee arthritis, chondroprotectors should be started in advance for prevention, before the first signs of the disease develop.Chondroprotectors cannot be called a panacea because they protect cartilage and do not restore its condition.Arthritis is much easier to prevent than to start treatment later.
Main difficulty of treatment
Can arthritis be cured permanently?The main difficulty with treatment is that to this day no drug has been developed that can permanently and completely eliminate arthritis.But it is important to remember that there are quite effective comprehensive treatments that relieve pain and slow down the progression of the disease.
Hip osteoarthritis
Hip osteoarthritis is a degenerative-dystrophic process in which the cartilage structures covering the surface of the femoral head, as well as the acetabulum, are damaged.To keep the cartilage in good shape, it is important to determine whether hip osteoarthritis can be cured.
Drug treatment
There are many ways to treat this disease.Usually, the treatment specialist prescribes a whole complex that includes several treatment measures.
Can hip osteoarthritis be cured?For grade 1 and 2 joint disease, it is allowed to use medication for treatment.The most effective drugs in this case are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vasodilators, which improve blood supply to the joints, relax muscles and help eliminate spasms.
Chondroprotectors are also used to help protect cartilage tissue.During the first and second stages of damage development, experts allow the use of local agents: patches, lotions, ointments and gels - they will stimulate normal blood circulation.
It is important to remember that without effective and timely treatment, hip arthritis can cause stiffness.Ankylosing spondylitis is a complete fusion of the femur and pelvis.In this case, the leg completely loses mobility in the joint.
Ankle arthritis
Can ankle arthritis be cured?Before treating ankle arthritis, it is important to perform an accurate diagnosis.Usually, a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis by examining the patient's feet or taking X-rays.
Depending on the stage of development of the disease, a specialist will choose the most appropriate treatment method.Even before visiting a specialist, the patient must significantly reduce the load on the diseased joint, avoiding hypothermia as well as overload.The doctor prescribes comprehensive treatment for the patient: physiotherapy, bathotherapy, pain relievers and blood circulation stimulants.
Additionally, ankle therapy can be performed on an outpatient basis, in the hospital with a prescription for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Difficulties in treatment may arise if the patient is obese.It is important for patients to eat properly not only during treatment but also afterward.
Exercise
Exercise for ankle arthritis 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 treating specialist.
Any exercise during arthritis must stretch the ligaments and muscles in the joint without overloading the joint, otherwise it can be very dangerous.
Can osteoarthritis be cured?A gymnastics course to treat arthritis will not require the patient to spend money, buy drugs or expensive equipment, but the patient will have to be patient and diligent to complete the course correctly.
Shoulder problems
Some injuries can lead to the onset of inflammation or degeneration in the joints.The most common causes of shoulder arthritis are:
- Severe physical stress on the shoulder joint during work, leading to active wear and tear of its parts;
- shoulder injury;
- shoulder dysplasia;
- changes in hormone production;
- problems with blood supply to joint tissues, leading to the appearance of vascular pathologies;
- the natural wear and tear of cartilage, typical of older people.
What is common in this case is an inflammatory process, accompanied by painful symptoms.The causes of such damage are different;they may be related to injury, infection, or disruption of certain systems in the body.
Usually, the appearance of arthritis requires additional external influences: stress, hypothermia, infection of organs, infection through open wounds, immune response to infection.
When determining the disease, the doctor pays attention to the severity of the disease, the main complaints of the patient and the results of several 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 X-ray, which helps determine the location of joint deformity in the early stages of its appearance.
Can shoulder arthritis be cured?In case of arthritis of the first two degrees, exclusively conservative treatment methods are used.And only in cases of complicated disease is surgery indicated.
Basic conservative treatment methods:
- taking medicine;
- treatment using traditional methods;
- physical therapy measures;
- cleaning resort treatment;
- massage;
- acupuncture;
- physical therapy;
- special diet.
Before starting therapy, it is important to completely rest the damaged joint, which is much easier to do if the arthritis is widespread in the shoulder area.The simplest treatment is considered the early stages of the disease, when the scar has not changed and the tissue still retains the ability to regenerate.
But when this type of injury occurs, the unpleasant sensations are often not obvious and the pain is mild, so the patient is very late in seeking help from a doctor.In the future, after finishing treatment, the patient will also have to follow a gentle treatment regimen.