Polyrematoid polyarthritis, the symptoms and treatment of which we will consider later, is characterized by the development of the inflammatory process in several joints in different parts of the body. Pathology extends to ligaments, tendons, articular cartilage. The disease causes intense pain, aggravated by a change in body position, swelling. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in patients older than 40 years, but doctors say that recently, polyarthritis has noticeably “rejuvenated”.
Types of Polyarthritis
There are several types of polyarthritis. The doctor determines the symptoms and treatment, depending on the exact diagnosis and symptoms. The disease can occur both independently and against a background of another pathology. In the first case, doctors deal with primary, in the second - secondary polyarthritis. Symptoms and treatment are differentiated: in the secondary case, it is necessary to pay attention to the therapy of the underlying disease, and the clinical picture can be supplemented by general symptoms, which are not enough to diagnose polyarthritis. In the primary, usually an accurate diagnosis can be established faster, which contributes to the timely start of treatment.
Rheumatoid
In addition, there are rheumatoid polyarthritis, infectious, crystalline (metabolic, gouty), psoriatic, reactive, post-traumatic. Rheumatoid polyarthritis is characterized (among other symptoms) by joint deformation, most often affects the joints of the hands and feet, and then affects the internal organs. This is an autoimmune disease. Without adequate treatment, the vessels and synovial membrane grow over time, cartilage is destroyed, and the joint is deformed.
Infectious
Infectious polyarthritis of the hands (symptoms and treatment will be described in detail below for each type of disease) occurs due to diseases such as SARS, ARI, influenza, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes virus, or cytomegalovirus. The disease goes away faster if you choose an effective therapy for the underlying disease - the underlying causes of polyarthritis. If the disease takes a chronic form, the joints lose their mobility over time, movements begin to be accompanied by pain.
Gouty
Gouty polyarthritis (also called crystalline or metabolic) appears against the background of metabolic disorders in the body. Salt crystals are deposited in the joints, with increasing deposits, pain intensifies, and over time, irritation and inflammation of the joint develops. With psoriatic polyarthritis, joints are especially sore in the morning or after a long rest. The disease develops after a few months (usually six to eight months) after the person has suffered psoriasis. Most often, people who are over forty are sick.
Reactive
Reactive polyarthritis is characterized in that in addition to the joints, the uterus and vagina in women, as well as the urethra and prostate in men, become inflamed. Such a disease occurs due to an infection that enters the genitourinary system. Against the background of reactive polyarthritis, various pathologies of internal organs also develop.
Post-traumatic
Post-traumatic, as the name implies, occurs after an injury, fracture, shell shock, microtrauma in the joint itself or if metabolic disturbances are present. Polyarthritis affecting the spine is called ankylosing spondylitis. Over time, this pathology leads to immobilization of the back. According to the localization, polyarthritis can also vary, one of the most common is polyarthritis of the fingers. Symptoms and treatment of this disease are discussed in more detail below.
Causes of the disease
The treatment of polyarthritis of the joints depends also on the causes that caused the pathological process. Pathology can occur due to various reasons. Infectious, for example, develops against a background of a disease or a previous infection: tuberculosis, gonorrhea, herpes, brucellosis, diseases of the digestive tract, nervous system, genitourinary tract and so on.
Exchange (crystalline) appears due to metabolic disturbances, as a result of which salt deposits form in the joints. Post-traumatic polyarthritis occurs after an injury, and as for rheumatoid, its causes are still unclear. Doctors are of the opinion that hereditary factors play an important role in this.
Symptoms of the disease
The clinical picture depends on the type and causes of the disease. With rheumatoid, severe pain appears in the joints affected by the disease, the skin around turns red and becomes hot. Total body temperature rises in rare cases. Over time, the joints swell and may become deformed. In the absence of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, stiffness in movements may appear over time, the pain becomes much stronger.
Infectious polyarthritis is initially characterized by a limited mobility of the joint, in addition, the skin becomes red and swollen over the affected area. If the disease that caused polyarthritis is not treatable or takes a chronic form, then the pain in the joints becomes permanent, the limbs lose their former mobility. The crystalline (gouty) form of the disease is characterized by a gradual increase in pain. At first, discomfort is felt only in a certain position, but with an increase in salt deposits, it significantly increases.
With psoriatic pain, they occur only after prolonged rest or sleep, and the joints do not flex well. The disease affects people over 40 years old. Reactive polyarthritis is characterized by the same symptoms: the joints swell, pain appears. The pathology is complicated by the fact that in women the uterus and vagina are often inflamed, in men - the prostate and urethra. The post-traumatic form of polyarthritis of the joints is characterized by aching pain, a crunch when moving.
Diagnostic Methods
People who are constantly sore joints, swell, crunch when moving, should consult a doctor as soon as possible. This will allow you to diagnose in time and begin adequate treatment as soon as possible. The doctor will ask the patient in detail, analyze the complaints, and collect an anamnesis. Inspection and use of laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods are mandatory. In particular, to prescribe the treatment of brachial arthritis and similar pathologies of a different localization, x-rays, tomography, arthrography, thermography and other methods are performed. To identify the causative agent, a microbiological examination of the joint fluid is indicated.
Treatment methods
The treatment of polyarthritis of the hands or joint disease of a different location depends on the type of pathology. In secondary, for example, it is first necessary to cure the disease that led to polyarthritis. The following treatment methods for polyarthritis of the hands are used:
- acupuncture (the procedure relieves pain, swelling, inflammation and increases local immunity);
- acupressure (reduces muscle cramps, stimulates the restoration and healing of joint tissues, improves local blood circulation);
- Moxotherapy at the points of the body meridians (the procedure improves metabolic processes, activates the protective processes in the body, normalizes the work of internal organs);
- pharmacopuncture (the introduction of homeopathic medicines additionally has an immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, anti-edematous effect);
- phytopreparations (increase the effectiveness of therapeutic procedures and allow positive results to be consolidated for a long time);
- manual therapy (the procedure can only be performed by a specialist, a manual chiropractor will perform joint stretching and relieve their tightness, which will speed up the recovery process).
Treatment of rheumatoid polyarthritis (as well as reactive, crystalline or other type of pathology) should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor who observes the patient, is familiar with the characteristics of his body, the course of the disease and other nuances. It is important to strictly follow the recommendations of a specialist. Only in this case can positive results be achieved as soon as possible.
Drug therapy
Doctors prescribe medications to treat finger polyarthritis, and anti-inflammatory drugs are recommended first. The patient can take them orally, that is, in the form of tablets inside, and make intramuscular injections. Medication usually needs to be taken daily until the pain goes away. In the early days, as a rule, large doses of medications are recommended to relieve severe pain. Later, the dose is reduced, as a constant overdose can cause negative side effects.
It is impossible to imagine the treatment of polyarthritis without prescribing therapeutic ointments to the patient. They have a local effect, penetrate into the affected tissue faster through the skin, relieving swelling and inflammation. The ointment can stimulate recovery or restore blood circulation in the affected areas, but in some cases an allergic reaction will only aggravate the disease. Therefore, an ointment can only be prescribed by a doctor.
Rubbing with ointments is often used for massage procedures. Such drugs have a warming and restorative effect. Use ointments can only be recommended by a doctor.
Folk remedies for the treatment of polyrheumatoid polyarthritis
For the treatment of finger arthritis, folk remedies (the symptoms and treatment with the methods of official medicine were discussed above) are used very widely. In order to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, a variety of herbal preparations are used, which are easy to prepare at home. The following recipes for treating polyarthritis with folk remedies help stop the development of exacerbations and reduce pain:
- Burdock root, violet grass, wheatgrass root, Veronica officinalis herb. Mix the raw materials in a ratio of 3: 3: 2: 2, respectively (for example, three teaspoons of burdock and violet, two teaspoons each of Veronica and wheatgrass root), pour a glass of water and boil for fifteen minutes. A tablespoon of collection needs a glass of water. When the broth cools down, it must be filtered and consumed 200 ml each day. It is better to drink the medicine 30-40 minutes after eating.
- Wheatgrass rhizomes, burdock root, Veronica, succession, three-colored violet. Mix two tablespoons of the raw material (except for the violet - this plant needs three tablespoons), pour the collection with water and boil for 15 minutes. A liter of water is used per 40 g of drug collection. To drink this folk remedy for the treatment of polyarthritis of the hands you need a glass three times a day. The first time you take the collection should be on an empty stomach.
- Parsley roots, nettle and birch leaves, violet. Mix all components in equal parts. It is necessary to fill the collection not with boiling water, but simply with hot water. It will take a glass of water for one tablespoon of the medicine. The collection is evaporated in a water bath (10 minutes). After this, the medicine should be left to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain the collection, use 0.5 cups three times a day in the form of heat.
- Buckthorn bark, field horsetail, juniper fruits, parsley seeds, hernia grass. Raw materials are taken in equal quantities. Pour the ingredients with water (0.5 L) and cook over low heat for fifteen minutes. After infusion, filter and drink twice a day.
- Horse chestnut seeds, linden flowers and elderberry. Three tablespoons of elderberry and linden flowers are mixed, one - chestnut seeds. Pour the collection with water (one glass per tablespoon of the drug collection), boil for about twenty minutes, then insist another 15 minutes. A strained broth should be drunk twice a day in half a glass.
External treatment is also possible with folk remedies. For example, you can make an ointment from a teaspoon of turpentine, the yolk of one egg and a tablespoon of vinegar. All ingredients must be mixed in a clean container and rubbed into the skin. A good remedy for lotions - mummy and bischofite. For these purposes, radish juice (pre-mixed with honey and vodka) is used. For two glasses of freshly squeezed radish juice, you need to add half a glass of honey, 100 ml of vodka and a tablespoon of kitchen salt.
Coniferous baths are very useful. You can brew cones and pine branches. It is useful to lubricate the sore spots with alcohol tincture of red clover, camphor ointment (50 g) mixed with alcohol (100 ml), egg white from one chicken egg, mustard powder (50 g). Traditional healers advise making lotions from decoction of clover, hops, elderberries and chamomiles.
Treatment results
As a result of treating polyarthritis of the fingers with folk remedies or with the help of official medicine, the pain and inflammation caused by the disease go away, the joints begin to move more actively. In addition, therapy will stop the progress of the disease and the process of joint deformation. The disappearance of unpleasant symptoms leads to the fact that the patient increases activity and performance, the general immune defense of the body, and metabolism is restored. If a person undergoes a course of therapeutic procedures and takes medication as prescribed by a doctor, then the possible complications of the disease will decrease to zero. In addition, it is imperative to do gymnastics and adhere to the rules of good nutrition.
Diet for polyarthritis
Alternative treatment of polyarthritis at home should be supplemented not only by the implementation of the recommendations of official medicine, but also by observing the rules of nutrition. If the body receives all the necessary vitamins and minerals, then it will be able to carry out restoration processes faster. So, you should enter into the diet:
- berries of cranberries, currants and lingonberries for immunity;
- tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, red pepper, carrots;
- apples (recommended at least two daily);
- dairy products that are rich in calcium;
- low-fat fish, fish oil, eggs, flaxseeds;
- hibiscus, fruit compotes, fruit drinks;
- tea from St. John's wort, wedges, blackcurrant;
- turmeric, ginger, cloves (as spices for dishes).
It is necessary to drink at least two liters of pure water, refuse or significantly reduce the use of salt and pepper. It is worth limiting products such as:
- sweets and sugar, flour products;
- Exotic fruits;
- sweet soda, alcohol, coffee;
- smoked meats, marinades, pickles;
- spicy and pickled dishes.
Possible consequences
Symptoms of polyarthritis of the joints themselves are unpleasant, and treatment is designed to reduce pain. In the absence of therapy, pain will gradually become more intense, which will subsequently lead to a limitation of joint mobility. In severe cases, the patient may become disabled. Sometimes there are complications from the heart and blood vessels, kidneys, respiratory and circulatory systems.
Prevention
Treatment of polyarthritis is not needed if you monitor your health, carry out prevention and lead a healthy lifestyle. It is necessary to control body weight, since extra pounds create an additional load on all organs and systems, including joints. To stop the progress of polyarthritis, it is necessary to monitor posture, to ensure a properly organized workplace.
Here are some suggestions:
- Strengthening the muscles and the whole body as a whole will help swimming.
- In the morning you should do exercises, it is better to give preference to stretching.
- You need to walk in the fresh air every day for at least 30 minutes.
- It is advisable to get to work on foot.
- During training, you should not make sudden movements, avoid jumps, overvoltage, heavy loads.
- It is contraindicated to lift weights, to give a large load to the back.
- When moving, you always need to keep your posture straight.
- When sedentary work every hour you need to get up and do a light workout, during the lunch break it is good to go out for a walk.
- For sinusitis, tonsillitis or tonsillitis, you should immediately consult a doctor to begin adequate treatment.
- Refuse cigarettes and reduce alcohol consumption to the maximum.
These simple recommendations will help strengthen the body and boost immunity. The tips listed above will help not only stop the progress of polyarthritis, but also avoid many other diseases.
Summary and Forecast
Polyarthritis is a disease that significantly reduces the patient’s quality of life. In the absence of adequate therapy, pain will gradually intensify, over time this will lead to a decrease in joint mobility. In severe cases, polyarthritis can cause disability.The prognosis is favorable if the patient is a man who fell ill at the age of under 40, and during the last year there has been at least one persistent remission. The unfavorable prognosis is voiced by doctors for those patients in whom the initial symptoms of the disease were blurred, there are very few or no remissions, the disease was diagnosed in old age, and the disease first affected large joints.