Arthrosis implies joint damage and degenerative-dystrophic changes. This requires competent and timely treatment. It can contain a complex of conservative methods or imply the need for surgical intervention.
Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative-dystrophic disease. It involves the destruction of cartilage and pathological changes in the capsule, synovia, ligamentous apparatus and adjacent bone structures. The pathology requires an integrated approach to treatment.
Medicines
One of the main areas of conservative treatment for osteoarthritis is the use of medication. The following drugs are commonly prescribed:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve inflammation, pain and fever.
- glucocorticosteroids. These drugs also reduce inflammation and pain, but are more effective.
- painkillers. These include analgesics and some NSAIDs.
- chondroprotectors. Such drugs are used in long courses. They are necessary for the restoration of the affected cartilage structures.
- muscle relaxants and antispasmodics. These drugs also relieve pain by relieving muscle spasms.
- If osteoarthritis is a result of gout, gout medication is needed.
- vasodilators. Such drugs have a vasodilating effect.
- Compresses are effective in treating osteoarthritis, for which medicinal bile and other agents are used.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes. They are necessary to activate immunity, normalize the metabolism of materials and metabolic processes, replenish and assimilate missing elements. Calcium supplements are usually prescribed.
The individual selection of drugs is often wrong. The attending physician should prescribe drugs and determine the features of their use.
Physiotherapy
Osteoarthritis treatment usually includes various physiotherapeutic procedures. They are used as part of conservative therapy and prescribed after surgery to speed recovery and reduce the risk of complications.
The following procedures are effective for osteoarthritis:
- Laser therapy- exposure to heat to stimulate regeneration;
- Magnetotherapy- increase in vascular tone, activation of metabolic processes, acceleration of recovery, alleviation of inflammation;
- Ozokeritotherapy- warming up to improve microcirculation and relieve pain;
- Electrophoresis- administration of drugs using an electric current;
- Cryotherapy- exposure to low temperatures to relieve swelling, pain and reduce muscle tone;
- Ultrasound- exposure to high-frequency sound to improve material metabolism;
- UHF therapy- softening of calcium deposits, normalization of material metabolism, reduction of edema;
- Homeosiniatry- Introduction of homeopathic medicines in biologically active points.
Physiotherapy procedures have contraindications. These include a deterioration in the inflammatory process, pregnancy and active tuberculosis. There are also a number of restrictions on individual procedures.
Massage
Massage is used for remission of osteoarthritis or in the subacute period. In the case of an acute illness, such treatment is excluded, since the affected joints need complete rest.
An arthrosis massage has the following effects:
- pain relief;
- return of mobility, elimination of stiffness;
- activation of blood circulation and lymph flow;
- prevention of muscle atrophy, strengthening of the muscle corset;
- Improvement of metabolic processes and tissue trophism.
The characteristics of the massage depend on which joints are affected. In any case, such therapy should be carried out exclusively by a qualified specialist. Before massage, he should assess the degree of mobility, the condition of the muscles, identify contractures, ankylosis and pain points.
The effectiveness of the massage is determined by the course application. The number of sessions is determined individually. Massage courses need to be repeated at regular intervals - their frequency is also selected individually.
Movement therapy
Physiotherapy is actively used in osteoarthritis. It is needed to activate blood circulation and metabolic processes, restore joint mobility and strengthen the muscle corset. In the initial phase, exercise therapy should be carried out under the supervision of an instructor.
In the future you can do gymnastics at home:
- Lie on your back on a firm surface and straighten your legs. Bend one leg at the knee and keep your foot 5-10 cm above the floor. Fix this position for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. Do 5 repetitions alternately on each leg.
- The start position is the same. Bend one leg and press your hands on your body. Fix for a few seconds. Then place your foot on the floor and slowly straighten the limb. Do 10-15 repetitions for each leg.
- The start position is the same. Raise your straight leg 25 to 30 cm above the floor and secure it for a few seconds. Back to the starting position. Do 20-30 repetitions on each leg in a row.
- Lie on your stomach. Alternately bend your knees, trying to reach your buttocks with your heels, but without lifting your hips off the floor. Do 20-50 repetitions for each leg.
- The start position is the same. Alternately bend your knees and fix yourself at the furthest point for a few seconds. Do 10 repetitions for each leg.
- Sit down and straighten your back. Alternately bend and bend your legs, maintaining a moderate pace. In the future, you can do the exercise with a small weight.
- The start position is the same. Raise your leg to form a right angle. Fixate for 3 seconds and return to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions for each leg.
Osteoarthritis can affect different joints, so the exercises should be specific. It should be developed by a specialist, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient and his disease.
All exercises should be performed smoothly, sharp movements are excluded. During gymnastics, it is necessary to monitor your breathing - it should be calm and measured.
Lifestyle
Treating osteoarthritis involves some lifestyle changes:
- If you are overweight, you need to normalize it. This moment is especially important when there is damage to the lower extremities.
- Moderate physical activity. High loads should be ruled out, so you shouldn't do professional sports. The best option is physical therapy and regular walking.
- Attentive attitude towards the state of health. Treatment of chronic illnesses, regular intake of vitamin-mineral complexes and preventive medical examinations are required.
- The right choice for clothes and shoes. A person shouldn't feel shy. Tight clothing is fraught with blood stagnation, which is dangerous with osteoarthritis. Women should avoid high heels, shoes should be stable.
- Correct organization of bed and work space. All furniture should be comfortable. It should provide such a position on the body that blood flow will not slow down and limb flow will not occur. If you have problems with movement, you should equip your home with special handles and handrails.
Diet
In the case of osteoarthritis, it is essential to maintain the right diet. Features of the diet are individual and depend on many factors.
The general principles of nutrition are as follows:
- Fractional nutrition. You will need 5-6 meals a day and the portions should be small.
- The correct metabolism is ensured by a sufficient amount of carbohydrates. The focus should be on complex carbohydrates - vegetables, fruits, berries, cereals.
- Elimination of simple carbohydrates - sugar, sweets.
- Vegetable fats are needed to accelerate metabolic processes. With butter, only a natural product is useful.
- To restore cartilaginous structures, it is useful to use gelatin-based jellied meat and jelly.
- For cooking you have to limit yourself to boiling, braising and steaming.
- Exclusion of spicy, salty, fatty and fried foods from the diet. Rejection of fatty meat, fast food, corn oil.
- The diet should be enriched with milk, cottage cheese, other dairy products and fermented milk products. They should be fat free or low in fat.
- You need foods rich in zinc and magnesium - liver, fish, nuts, pumpkin, legumes.
- Oranges and peppers are good sources of antioxidants. To relieve inflammation, you need to use pomegranate, pineapple.
Special orthopedic devices
In the treatment of osteoarthritis, various devices are often used to make life easier for the patient and reduce the risk of some complications.
The following constructions are used in orthopedics:
- Cane - is used to redistribute the load in the event of damage to the lower extremities. It is usually used in the latter stages of the disease, as well as after surgery.
- Orthoses - for fixing joints. In this way you can decrease or adjust the mobility of the joint and gradually increase it.
- Bandages - are also used to repair joints, benefits after injuries and operations.
- Corsets - are used to fix and straighten the trunk, mainly for hip joints.
- heel pads - provide cushioning and reduce stress.
- Liner for flat foot correction, foot relief.
- fixes for deformed fingers.
- Silicone protection to protect deformed fingers.
If osteoarthritis is caused by flat feet, orthopedic shoes and special insoles should be used. Such a measure is also necessary in the case of damage to the lower extremities in order to reduce the risk of complications.
Extension of the joints
This technique is called traction. It can be manual or hardware. Traction is usually used when the hip or knee joints are affected.
Traction implies course application. On average, 10-12 sessions are required. They can be done daily or every other day.
Joint lengthening is a temporary measure and should be repeated regularly. In the case of osteoarthritis, there are usually two courses per year.
Traditional medicine
The use of traditional medicine is suitable as an aid in treatment.
The following recipes are effective for osteoarthritis:
- Compressed with cabbage or horseradish leaves. The selected sheet must be washed or chopped in several places, applied to the affected area, fixed with foil and isolated. It is also effective to dip the leaf in honey. Such a compress should be kept for several hours and done several times a day.
- Mix equal parts iodine (5%), ammonia (10%), medicinal bile, glycerin and possibly honey. Mix the ingredients and put them in a dark place for a week and a half. Before use, shake the mixture and heat the required volume in a water bath. Moisten a napkin in the composition, apply it to the affected area, fix it with cellophane and insulate it. Do a compress at night until recovery.
- Pour 50 g of dried elecampane root into half a glass of vodka and leave in the dark for 2 weeks. Rub the sore joints with the resulting product.
- Grind eggshells into powder and mix them with kefir to make a thick mixture. Wrap it in linen and attach it to the affected area, secure it with polyethylene and reinforce it. Make a compress every day and hold it for 2. 5 hours.
- Mix equal parts honey with glycerin, alcohol and iodine. Carefully apply the mixture from bottom to top with a cotton ball.
- Pour a handful of oatmeal with half a liter of water and cook for 10 minutes. Apply warm to the affected area, fix with foil and isolate. Hold out for an hour.
Natural remedies also have contraindications and side effects. Any new product must be used carefully, starting with the minimum dose and duration.
Surgical treatment
With serious pathological changes, the development of serious complications and the ineffectiveness of a conservative approach, surgical intervention is required.
Surgical treatment of osteoarthritis can be carried out in the following ways:
- Endoprosthetics- restoration of joint surfaces. The indication can be ankylosis, contractures. Such an operation is possible only without an acute inflammatory process.
- Arthrotomy- opening the joint to remove foreign bodies, endoprosthetics and purulent contents.
- Arthrodesis- Ankylosis (joint immobility) is artificially created. The operation can be intra- and extra-articular.
- Resection- partial or complete removal of the articular surface and synovia in order to create immobility within the joint.
- Arthrorisis- Creation of conditions to restrict joint mobility.
- Endoprosthetics- Placement of an implant to completely or partially replace the affected joint.
- Periarticular osteotomy- filing of bones and exposing them at a certain angle. This measure allows you to shift the center of gravity and redistribute the load.
Osteoarthritis is a serious disease that causes irreversible changes. It is necessary to start appropriate treatment as early as possible. It can be conservative or surgical and involves a number of different measures. The characteristics of therapy are determined individually for each patient.