Osteoarthritis implies joint damage and degenerative-dystrophic changes in them. This requires competent and timely treatment. It can include a complex of conservative methods or imply the need for surgical intervention.
Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease of a degenerative-dystrophic nature. It involves the destruction of cartilage and pathological changes in the capsule, synovium, ligamentous apparatus, and adjacent bone structures. Pathology requires an integrated approach to treatment.
Medications
One of the main areas of conservative treatment for osteoarthritis is the use of medications. The following medications are commonly prescribed:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve inflammation, pain and fever.
- Glucocorticosteroids. These medications also relieve inflammation and pain, but are more effective.
- Painkillers. These include pain relievers and some NSAIDs.
- Chondroprotectors. Such drugs are used in long courses. They are necessary for the restoration of the affected cartilaginous structures.
- Muscle relaxants and antispasmodics. These medications also relieve pain by eliminating muscle spasms.
- If osteoarthritis is a consequence of gout, then anti-gout medications are needed.
- Vasodilators. These drugs have a vasodilator effect.
- Compresses are effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis, for which medical bile and other means are used.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes. They are necessary to activate immunity, normalize material metabolism and metabolic processes, replenish missing elements and assimilate them. Calcium supplements are usually prescribed.
The individual choice of drugs is often wrong. The attending physician must prescribe drugs and determine the characteristics of their use.
Physiotherapy
The treatment of osteoarthritis often includes various physiotherapy procedures. They are used as part of conservative therapy and are 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: increases vascular tone, activates metabolic processes, accelerates recovery, relieves inflammation;
- ozokeritotherapy: warming to improve microcirculation and relieve pain;
- electrophoresis- administration of medications by means of electrical current;
- cryotherapy- exposure to low temperatures to relieve swelling, pain, decrease muscle tone;
- ultrasound: exposure to high-frequency sounds to improve the metabolism of the material;
- UHF therapy- softening of calcium deposits, normalization of material metabolism, reduction of edema;
- homeosiniatry- the introduction of homeopathic remedies at biologically active points.
Physiotherapy procedures have contraindications. These include exacerbation of the inflammatory process, pregnancy, active tuberculosis. There are also a number of restrictions for individual procedures.
Massage
Massage is used in the remission of osteoarthritis or in the subacute period. In an acute disease, such treatment is excluded, since the affected joints need complete rest.
Massage for osteoarthritis provides the following effects:
- pain relief;
- return of mobility, elimination of stiffness;
- activation of blood circulation and lymphatic flow;
- prevention of muscle atrophy, strengthening of muscle corset;
- improvement of metabolic processes and tissue trophism.
The characteristics of the massage depend on the affected joints. In any case, such therapy should be carried out exclusively by a qualified specialist. Before massage, you need to assess the degree of mobility, the condition of the muscles, identify contractures, ankylosis, pain points.
The effectiveness of the massage is provided by the course application. The number of sessions is determined individually. Periodically, massage courses must be repeated; its frequency is also selected individually.
exercise therapy
Physiotherapy is actively used for osteoarthritis. It is necessary to activate blood circulation and metabolic processes, restore joint mobility and strengthen the muscular corset. In the initial stage, exercise therapy should be done under the supervision of an instructor.
In the future, you can do gymnastics at home:
- Lie on your back on a firm surface and stretch your legs. Bend one leg at the knee, keeping the foot 5-10 cm above the ground. Stay in this position for 5 seconds, return to the starting position. Do 5 repetitions alternately on each leg.
- The starting position is the same. Bend one leg and press it with your hands against your body. Fix for a few seconds. Then put your foot on the floor and slowly stretch the limb. Do 10-15 reps on each leg.
- The starting position is the same. Raise your straight leg 25-30 cm above the ground and fix it for a few seconds. Go back to the starting position. Do 20-30 reps on each leg per turn.
- Lie face down. Alternately bend your knees, trying to reach your glutes with your heels, but without lifting your hips off the ground. Do 20 to 50 reps on each leg.
- The starting position is the same. Bend your knees alternately, paying attention to the extreme point for a few seconds. Do 10 reps with each leg.
- Sit down and straighten your back. Alternately bend and straighten your legs, maintaining a moderate pace. In the future, you can do the exercise with a small weight.
- The starting position is the same. Raise your leg to form a right angle. Fix for 3 seconds and return to the starting position. Do 10 reps with each leg.
Osteoarthritis can affect different joints, so the set of exercises in each case must be special. It must be developed by a specialist, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient and his disease.
All exercises should be performed smoothly, jerky movements are excluded. During gymnastics, you need to control your breathing; it should be calm and measured.
Lifestyle
Osteoarthritis treatment involves some lifestyle changes:
- If you are overweight, you should normalize it. This moment is especially important in case of damage to the lower extremities.
- Moderate physical activity. High loads should be excluded, therefore you should not participate in professional sports. The best option is physical therapy exercises and regular walking.
- Attentive attitude to the state of your health. It is necessary the treatment of chronic diseases, the periodic intake of vitamin-mineral complexes, preventive examinations by a doctor.
- The right choice of clothing and footwear. A person should not feel shy. Tight clothing is fraught with stagnation of blood, which is dangerous for osteoarthritis. Women should avoid high heels, shoes should be stable.
- Correct organization of the place to sleep and work. All furniture must be comfortable. It should provide a position of the body that does not slow down the blood circulation, does not provoke the flow of the limbs. If you have movement problems, you need to equip your home with special handles and handrails.
Diet
With osteoarthritis, it is imperative to follow the correct diet. The characteristics of the diet are individual and depend on many factors.
The general principles of nutrition are as follows:
- Fractional nutrition. You need 5-6 meals a day and your portions should be small.
- Proper metabolism is ensured by a sufficient amount of carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates should be emphasized: vegetables, fruits, berries, cereals.
- Elimination of simple carbohydrates: sugar, sweets.
- Vegetable fats are necessary to accelerate metabolic processes. As for butter, only a natural product is useful.
- To restore cartilaginous structures, it is useful to use jelly meat, jelly-based gelatin.
- For cooking, you should limit yourself to cooking, stewing and steaming.
- Exclusion of spicy, salty, fatty and fried foods from the diet. Rejection of fatty meats, fast food, corn oil.
- Nutrition should be fortified with milk, cottage cheese, other dairy and fermented milk products. They should be skim or low in fat.
- You need foods rich in zinc and magnesium: liver, fish, nuts, pumpkin, legumes.
- Oranges and bell peppers are good sources of antioxidants. To relieve inflammation, you need to use pomegranate, pineapple.
Special braces
In the treatment of osteoarthritis, several devices are often used, which are designed to facilitate the patient's life and reduce the risk of some complications.
The following constructions are used in orthopedics:
- Staff: used to redistribute the load in case of damage to the lower limbs. It is usually used in the later stages of the disease, as well as after surgery.
- Orthoses: used to repair joints. This allows you to reduce or adjust the mobility of the joint, gradually increase it.
- Bandages - also used to fix joints, advantage after injuries and operations.
- Corsets: used to fix and straighten the torso, mainly for the hip joints.
- Heel Pads: Provide cushioning and reduce load.
- Inserts for correction of flat feet, foot relief.
- Correctors for deformed fingers.
- Silicone protectors to protect deformed fingers.
If osteoarthritis is caused by flat feet, orthopedic shoes and special inserts should be used. This measure is also necessary in case of damage to the lower extremities to reduce the risk of complications.
Extension of the joints
This technique is called traction. It can be manual or hardware. Traction is generally used when the hip or knee joints are affected.
Traction implies the application of the course. On average, 10 to 12 sessions are required. They can be done daily or every other day.
Joint extension is a temporary measure and should be repeated periodically. With osteoarthritis, usually 2 courses are held per year.
Traditional medicine
The use of traditional medicine is appropriate as an auxiliary direction in treatment.
The following recipes are effective for osteoarthritis:
- Compress with cabbage leaves or horseradish. The selected sheet should be washed or cut in several places, applied to the affected area, fixed with aluminum foil and insulated. Pre-dipping the leaf in honey is also effective. 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 honey. Mix the ingredients and place in a dark place for a week and a half. Shake the mixture before use and heat the required volume in a water bath. Dampen a napkin in the composition, apply to the affected area, fix with cellophane and isolate. Do the compress at night until you recover.
- 50 g of dried helenium root pour half a glass of vodka and leave for 2 weeks in the dark. Rub sore joints with the resulting product.
- Crush the powdered eggshells, mix with kefir to make a thick mixture. Wrap it in linen and stick it on the affected area, fix it with polyethylene and reinforce it. Make a compress every day and keep it for 2, 5 hours.
- Mix equal parts honey with glycerin, alcohol and iodine. Gently apply the mixture with a cotton ball, moving from the bottom up.
- Pour half a liter of water over a handful of rolled oats and boil for 10 minutes. Apply warm on the affected area, fix with aluminum foil and isolate. Hold an hour.
Natural remedies also have contraindications and side effects. Each new product must be used with care, starting with the minimum dosage and duration of use.
Surgical treatment
Surgical intervention is necessary in case of serious pathological changes, development of serious complications, ineffectiveness of a conservative approach.
The surgical treatment of osteoarthritis can be performed in the following ways:
- Arthroplasty: restoration of joint surfaces. The indication may be ankylosis, contractures. Such an operation is possible only in the absence of an acute inflammatory process.
- Arthrotomy: opening of the joint to remove a foreign body, endoprosthesis, purulent contents.
- Arthrodesis: Ankylosis (joint immobility) is created artificially. The operation can be intra and extra-articular.
- Resection- Partial or complete removal of the joint surface and synovium to create immobility within the joint.
- Arthrorisis- creating conditions to limit joint mobility.
- Endoprosthesis: placement of an implant for the total or partial replacement of the affected joint.
- Periarticular osteotomy: file bones and expose them at a certain angle. This measure allows you to change the center of gravity and redistribute the load.
Osteoarthritis is a serious disease that causes irreversible changes. It is necessary to initiate an appropriate treatment as soon as possible. It can be conservative or surgical and involves a variety of different measures. The characteristics of the therapy are determined for each patient individually.