Arthrosis (osteoarthrosis or deforming osteoarthrosis (DOA), or deforming arthrosis)- The disease of the joints, in which joint cartilage is affected at the initial stages, then the muscles, ligaments, nerves, as well as bone tissue, are included in the pathological process.
Arthrosis is a disease that develops due to various causes.These include metabolic disorders, injuries, intoxication, etc.
Patients usually call “arthrosis” any joint disease in which pain, mobility restrictions and other unpleasant sensations in the area of one or more joints are observed, which is not always true.Osteoarthritis and the pain associated with it develop as a result of the “aging” of the joints, due to the effects of various negative factors, however, the causes of articular pain can be both infection and injuries, and in these cases we are talking about other pathologies.
Statistics
Up to 70% of patients at the appointment of a general practitioner, therapist, neurologist, surgeon, rheumatologist complain of articular pain.Most often, these are pain in the lower back and in the area of large joints (knee, hip).Throughout the world, and in Russia in particular, up to 70% of cases of long -term incapacity for work falls on osteoarthritis.There are quite a lot of patients - up to 10% of those who have consisted with the doctor as a result of advanced arthrosis receive disability and need constant assistance.Arthrosis is one of the leading reasons for the premature departure of a person from a full -fledged social life, in statistics it is second only to coronary heart disease.
The probability of developing arthrosis increases with age: in people over 50, it occurs in 27% of cases, in older people older than 70 years, the prevalence is 97%, due to the funded age -related load on the joints and the expiration of their normal functioning.
Causes and development
The main factor in the development of arthrosis is a violation of the nutrition of articular cartilage, which leads to its destruction.It is not so important, as a result of which this happens (great excess weight, professional sport, features of work, hormonal disorders, congenital joint defects, etc.), the result is the same: the result:
- In the joint cartilage, changes begin, which lead to a loss of elasticity;In the thickness of the cartilage, microcracks appear;
- The blood supply to the joint is disturbed, the production of joint fluid is reduced, the joint mechanics changes;
- Then all joint structures, adjacent muscles, and nerve endings are involved.
The listed degenerative disorders lead to the development of symptoms of arthrosis, and the disease “starts” at the moment when the constant mechanical load becomes transcendental for the joint (or joints) and triggers the processes of its destruction.
Symptoms
Unlike other joint pathologies, arthrosis has been developing for many years, for a long time and imperceptibly for humans.At the moment when the body signals the problem in the joint with severe pain, the pathological process in it is already launched.
Pain is the main symptom of arthrosis (osteoarthrosis), in the initial stages of pain not very expressed, weak, more comparable to discomfort.The unpleasant sensations in the joints occur after the load take place independently, without any medical or medicinal intervention, but they quickly become tangible and limit the usual human mobility.
Pain can occur at rest or at the very beginning of movement (the so -called “starting”), for example, in the morning after sleep or after a long sitting during the day in one position, when moving, they pass.Arthrosis is also characterized by nightly rest, which also quickly decrease with the beginning of motor activity.Patients encountered by joint problems usually say that to eliminate unpleasant sensations, “knead the bones”, “wake the joints”, which, in general, quite accurately characterizes this condition.
Pain arise not only due to disorders of the joint itself.When all components of the joint, muscles and nerve endings are involved in the process, pain becomes diverse and painful: “shooting” along the nerve spreading along the muscle.The blood supply to the joints, nerves, muscles is disturbed, degenerative changes quickly occur in them.
Temporary or constant restrictions on joint mobility (contracture) develop due to serious pathological changes in the articular and muscle tissues.For example, with arthrosis of the hip joints, shortening of the limb, the “skew” of the pelvis and the curvature of the spinal column occur.
The crunch in the joints in the initial stages is almost invisible, but as the disease develops when moving, it becomes constant.This symptom psychologically concerns patients with arthrosis even more than pain, since it indicates serious disorders, aging of the body and the musculoskeletal system in particular.
In the later stages of arthrosis, the joint is deformed, which is associated with the loss with the curvature of all articular surfaces, bone growths, a decrease in the amount of joint fluid, and a subluxation of the joint.
Stages
Depending on the severity of the symptoms, several stages of osteoarthrosis are distinguished.
At the first stage, there are no pains in rest and during moderate load, they appear only after a high load (fitness, weight transfer, running) or after a long static position.A person does not experience restrictions and difficulties in movement.Drug treatment is not required.
In the second stage of pain, pronounced and constant, quickly arise under the influence of provoking factors (prolonged walking, physical activity), do not pass on their own.The patient is limited in motion, the mobility of certain joints - knee, hip and others is sharply limited.Medical assistance is required, a treatment regimen should be prescribed, including drugs and non -drug methods.
In the third stage, the patient moves with difficulty, needs constant care, painful pain.As a rule, surgical treatment (endoprosthetics) and massive physiotherapy are necessary to restore the quality of life.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis appear already at a young age, and in this case it is necessary not to ignore them, but to consult a doctor.Timely prescribed treatment will support the normal function of the joints and help to avoid the rapid progress of the disease.