According to statistics, every third inhabitant suffers from various joint diseases in the world. Currently, the reasons for this ailment are appearing more and more. In some, the disease develops due to a genetic predisposition, and in others, due to metabolic disorders. In addition, there are other factors that contribute to the development of joint disease.
Why is this happening?
It should be emphasized that the appearance of problems with joints is in many ways a modern disease, since the main factors are the factors surrounding the person:
- Hypodynamia, which manifests itself in the absence of physical activity in the proper amount. This leads to a significant weakening of the muscles, and in addition to an increase in body weight. Thus, the load on the joints increases, which, unfortunately, does not make them healthier.
- Living in poor environmental conditions, along with poor nutrition, is the cause of allergies, which can indirectly affect the development of an inflammatory or degenerative process in the joints.
- The high-speed rhythm of life, which is expressed in the absence of time for a visit to the doctor. Diseases of the joints of the hands are not so rare.
Among other things, a person can simply underestimate the seriousness of the professional help of a doctor. People, as a rule, consider joint problems to be an ordinary trifle that does not require the attention of a specialist. As a result, such a careless attitude to health can lead to the fact that a running injury will provoke damage to the joint tissue.
The age of the patient also affects the condition of the joints. The older the person, the more their musculoskeletal system wears out, so it is worth paying more attention to health in order not to miss the symptoms of the disease.
Joint diseases today occupy first place among the diseases of internal organs. Such pathologies at an advanced stage can lead to disability and, even worse, to disability. That is why one should not underestimate the severity of such a disease.
Classification of joint diseases
Consider the classification. In medicine, it is customary to divide joint diseases into two groups: dystrophic and inflammatory. Inflammatory diseases of the joints include arthritis, which can be rheumatoid, tuberculous, gonorrheic, syphilitic, metabolic, and so on. And dystrophic diseases include arthrosis.
Arthritis and its manifestations
What are the diseases of the knee joint? Arthritis is called inflammation, which usually manifests itself in the form of the following symptoms:
- The appearance of pain, which can become especially acute during movement.
- Limitation of articular mobility.
- A change in the shape of the joint along with its swelling.
- Redness of the skin over the affected area.
- Fever.
There is chronic arthritis, which develops gradually, and acute, starting suddenly and accompanied by severe pain.
Causes of Arthritis
These, as a rule, include the following factors:
- The presence of injury.
- Diseases of the nervous system.
- The presence of allergies.
- A number of certain infections.
- Metabolic disorders.
- Lack of vitamins in a nutritious diet.
Types of Arthritis
Certain joints undergo various types of arthritis:
- Ankylosing spondylitis, as a result of which the articular tissues of the spine and sacrum are affected.
- The development of rheumatoid arthritis when the feet and hands suffer.
- Arthritis against psoriasis. In this case, interphalangeal joints of the hands are affected.
Joint Diseases: Bursitis
Among inflammatory joint diseases, bursitis should also be distinguished. During this disease, the periarticular bag becomes inflamed. The disease is accompanied by the accumulation of inflammatory fluid. The main cause of bursitis is injury. A swelling forms around the joint, which is very painful during movement or palpation. The functioning of the limb on the background of bursitis can be completely disrupted.
Diagnosing this disease due to its superficial dislocation is quite simple: if it is present under the skin, you can feel hot and painful formations. Against the background of the chronic course of the disease, dense lumps similar to a scar can form. In the case of a deep location, bursitis is more difficult to diagnose. This requires an x-ray or ultrasound. In this case, it is also recommended to pierce the joint bag to examine the fluid accumulated there.
Arthrosis as a degenerative disease
There are other diseases of the knee joint. The group of dystrophic pathologies is no less extensive. Specialists dystrophic diseases of the joints are called arthrosis. Arthrosis is a pathology in which all elements of the joint are affected. Thus, cartilage, ligaments and periarticular muscles suffer. Arthrosis is manifested by the following symptoms:
- The presence of pain deep in the joint. Against this background, during physical exertion, the pain will increase, and at rest it will decrease.
- The presence of a crunch.
- Limited mobility.
- Stiffness in the morning.
The occurrence of arthrosis, which also relates to diseases of the shoulder joint, is affected by several of the following factors:
- The presence of injuries or surgery on the joints.
- A decrease in the level of estrogen in women, which occurs as a result of hormonal diseases, and in addition, during menopause or after it.
- The presence of excess weight, resulting in an increase in the load on the joints.
- Genetic predisposition.
The most common are the following types of arthrosis:
- Gonarthrosis is a disease of the knee joint.
- Coxarthrosis is characterized by a degenerative process in the tissues of the hip joint.
- Periarthrosis is a painful stiffness of the shoulder joints. Against the background of a severe course of the disease, patients cannot even bring a spoon to their mouth themselves due to excessively severe pain.
Goff Knee Disease and Other Pathologies
Goff's disease is also called lipoarthritis. This is the pathology that provoked inflammation of the adipose tissue in the pterygoid folds of the knee. The disease develops for 2 reasons:
1. Due to chronic lesions caused by excessive loads (athletes are at risk)
2. As a result of a knee injury (often received as a teenager).
Goff's disease of the knee in the acute period is characterized by some pronounced symptoms. Determining the ailment is very simple. Symptoms
- pain in the knee joint;
- increased swelling;
- inability to straighten the joint to the end.
In the late period:
- night pains;
- the presence of creping formations, when clicked, a crack occurs;
- the inability to lean on a sore leg;
- decreased functionality of the femoral quadriceps;
- instability of a problem joint (shakiness, mowing).
How does Schlatter's joint disease manifest itself?
As a result of the disease, blood circulation in the area of the knee joint is disrupted, the core of the bone is gradually destroyed, necrosis of the affected areas occurs.
The most negative factor affecting the appearance of the disease is injuries of various etiologies.
The first signs of a pathology course are pain that occurs immediately after physical exertion. Some attribute the symptoms to a history of knee injuries. Over time, Osgood-Schlatter disease provokes constant pain in the knee joint, swelling. Conventional movements become difficult to perform.
Perthes joint disease is also often diagnosed. This is a pathology in which blood supply to the bones in the area of the femoral head is impaired. As a result, necrosis is formed. This is the most common hip disease that affects children from 2 to 14 years old.
Diagnostic Methods
There are a lot of methods for diagnosing joint diseases. For example, it is customary to carry out arthroscopy of the joints. This method is the most common and is used not only for diagnosis, but also for the treatment of joints. As part of the diagnosis, arthroscopy is used to determine the cause of arthritis and arthrosis, and in addition, to determine the current condition of the joints and synovial membrane in the first stages of the manifestation of pathology. The main advantage of arthroscopy over conventional surgery is that the joint does not open completely during the operation.
Radiography of a disease of the hip joint is also a diagnostic research method that analyzes the internal structure of a specific area of the body. As part of the application of this method, the image of the object of study is projected onto a special film by exposure to x-rays. In the treatment of joints, x-rays make it possible to determine the fact of a tissue tumor even at the initial stage of the development of pathology. During the course of the disease, radiography also helps monitor bone erosion, which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis. Thanks to the pictures, you can also monitor the condition of the affected joints.
Computed tomography is by far the most advanced diagnostic technique compared to x-rays. But it is based on the same principle of action. Like X-ray diagnostics, X-rays are used as part of computed tomography. The image of bone structures is removed in layers and immediately processed by a computer. Pictures are immediately stored in digital form, which increases the ability to transmit information. Thanks to the technology of conducting layer-by-layer shooting, the apparatus can receive fairly clear pictures of the bone structure and soft tissue, which makes it possible to see the situation as a whole, rather than in separate fragments, as occurs during radiography.
In addition to the previous method for diagnosing joint diseases, magnetic resonance imaging can be used. To date, it is this method of diagnosis that is considered the most reliable, and in addition, accurate in order to establish the correct diagnosis. This method is widely used in leading clinics around the world. In addition, the diagnosis using magnetic resonance imaging is considered the most harmless, since it does not use x-rays, which are to some extent dangerous to the human body.
Joint scintigraphy is another method used today to diagnose joint diseases. It is carried out using functional visualization, which involves obtaining an image of the internal region of the body as part of the registration of emitted radiation from a radioactive isotope previously introduced by means of a contrast medium. This method helps diagnose bone cancer. Also thanks to him, it is possible to detect an open area of bone growth.
Depending on which joint diseases torment a person, therapy is selected. The main thing is to turn to a good specialist.
Treatment methods
Among the methods aimed at treating joint diseases, the following treatment options are distinguished:
- Drug treatment.
- Blockade treatment.
- Physiotherapeutic treatment.
- Physiotherapy.
- Manual therapy.
- Operational technique.
Medicines prescribed for patients with arthrosis and arthritis differ mainly in action aimed only at relieving pain symptoms and inflammatory reactions. Thus, such drugs remove to some extent only painful manifestations, but do not eliminate the cause of the disease. We are talking about analgesics, including narcotic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and in addition, corticosteroids, psychotropic drugs and muscle relaxants. Often use ointments with rubbing for external use.
During the blockade method, the anesthetic apparatus is injected directly into the painful focus, into the so-called trigger point in the joint, and in addition, into the places of nerve plexuses. As part of physiotherapy, the following results can be achieved:
- Performing warm-up procedures significantly reduces morning stiffness.
- Thanks to ultrasound, massage the affected tissue.
- The electrical stimulation procedure improves joint nutrition.
Joints affected by the disease require movement, so under the guidance of a doctor, you should choose a special exercise program for physical therapy. The doctor must determine their intensity.
Recently, specialists have been using manual therapy to treat finger joint disease. It is thanks to her that the transition from power methods to softer and more gentle becomes possible. Such methods are ideally suited for the treatment of pathologically altered periarticular tissues. Manual treatment techniques involve reflex mechanisms that affect the improvement of metabolism in affected joint elements, slowing down the degenerative processes in them. On the one hand, such techniques help relieve pain, reducing the unpleasant symptoms of the disease, and on the other, they promote regeneration by starting the recovery process in a diseased organ.
Manual therapy does not have any side effects and does not lead to complications if all contraindications are taken into account, and the treatment itself is performed by an experienced doctor. Due to its safety, this type of treatment is by far the most relevant as a method of combating joint diseases. Before a manual therapy session, massage is often performed as part of the preparatory procedure. Thanks to the massage, it is possible to achieve heating of the muscles and reduce tension.
Surgical treatment is prescribed exclusively in hopeless, and, in addition, extremely neglected situations. True, before resorting to the operation, it is advisable to think a hundred times. After all, surgical intervention is always a shock for any organism. In addition to this, arthrosis, in turn, is the result of an unsuccessful operation.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that at present, people have the opportunity to completely cure diseases of the joints of the legs, and not just relieve the condition for a while. The main thing at the same time is not to start the disease and, moreover, not to self-medicate. Of course, at the first signs of the development of the disease, you should consult a doctor. Specialists conduct diagnostics, choosing an individual therapeutic course. The presence of modern gentle treatment methods in the form of massages and manual therapy will make it possible to restore freedom of movement, thus significantly improving the quality of life. It is very important not to bring the matter to addiction to a narcotic pain medication, especially before surgery.
And in conclusion, it is worth mentioning that people should not forget about proper nutrition. After all, if a person has the right nutritious diet, this will certainly help the joints stay healthy, so that they will allow you to move freely and easily.