The treatment of osteoarthritis ("deforming osteoarthritis", osteoarthritis) cannot be postponed "until later". Pathology always changes the joint structure, affects the bone, cartilage, can completely destroy the joint, and the person becomes disabled. Therefore, it is dangerous to self-medicate, to refuse examinations and official therapeutic methods.
Osteoarthritis symptoms
Arthrosis is a chronic degenerative-dystrophic joint disease in which the joint gradually begins to deform, its functionality worsens, osteophytes grow along the edge of the bone, and cartilage is destroyed.
The main symptoms of the pathology are the presence of a crunch when walking, a pain syndrome of varying severity. Also, with arthrosis, stiffness of movement appears, the pain becomes permanent, constantly intensifies, atrophy of neighboring muscles begins, and the gap between the bones of the joint narrows. If there is no treatment at this stage, ankylosis develops (fusion of the articular surface), disability occurs.
Conservative therapy for osteoarthritis
If you have symptoms of the disease, you should be examined and immediately begin treatment for osteoarthritis. Lack of adequate treatment can lead to complete loss of joint functionality and lead to disability.
In official medicine, the treatment of arthrosis is initially carried out by a conservative method. The patient is prescribed medication, exercise therapy, physiotherapy, orthopedic products, diet. With the permission of the arthrosis doctor, you can also apply the methods of traditional, traditional medicine, homeopathy. A sick person should monitor his weight, avoid uneven loads on the joints, follow medical recommendations. If these complex methods do not bring a positive result, an operation is performed.
After a conservative and/or surgical treatment for the prevention of osteoarthritis, it is useful to follow an annual spa treatment. It is recommended to choose an institution that specializes in pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, and also has thermal springs, therapeutic mud.
Medical treatment
A disease such as arthrosis can be primary or secondary (it develops against the background of other pathologies). Therefore, the list of drugs used is selected for each patient individually.
The main drugs in the treatment of arthrosis:
- chondroprotectors;
- medical preparations with microcirculatory action;
- multivitamins, vitamins C, group B;
- mineral complexes;
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- corticosteroids (intra-articular injections);
- painkillers;
- desensitizing (antiallergic) drugs;
- medicines for external use (ointment, cream, solutions, balm, gel, tinctures and medical bile).
Chondroprotectors are prescribed at all stages, forms of the disease, as they affect the mechanism of restoration of articular cartilage. HP is prescribed for oral administration, but also with arthrosis, injections are made into the joint cavity and / or muscle. For intra-articular injections, both chondroprotectors and corticosteroids are used.
Secondary deforming arthrosis is treated with the same group of drugs, but additional drugs are prescribed for the treatment of pathology that caused degenerative-dystrophic changes in the joints.
Physiotherapy
Each physiotherapy has its own list of contraindications. Therefore, when choosing them, you may need to consult a cardiologist, neurologist, endocrinologist or other specialist.
Basic physiotherapy
Drug treatment of arthrosis is supplemented with electrophoresis (with an anesthetic, zinc, lithium, sulfur), electrosleep, ultraphonophoresis. Paraffin applications are applied to the diseased joint, black wax, therapeutic mud are used. A joint damaged by osteoarthritis is also treated with a laser, magnetic field, diadynamic currents and other impulses.
Therapeutic exercise for osteoarthritis
For 3-5 days after the elimination of acute symptoms, gymnastics is prescribed. A set of exercise therapy exercises is selected individually for each patient for the identified stage, form of arthrosis. The first workout should start with minimal loads on the sore joint and at a slow pace. Then, every 7-10 days, the exercises are complicated by the recommendation of a specialist.
Types of gymnastic tasks for the joints of the hands:
- circular movements in the hands, elbows, shoulders;
- swing back and forth, up and down;
- raise your shoulders;
- blade connection-disconnection;
- turn the palms to the leg and away from it;
- flexion-extension at the elbows;
- clench fists with subsequent maximum straightening of the brush.
In case of damage to the pathology of the spine (osteochondrosis), arthrosis of the joints of the upper extremities - gymnastics is done in the "sitting", "standing" position.
Types of gymnastic tasks for the joints of the legs:
- flexion-extension, circular movements of the hip, knee, ankle;
- swing front-back, right-left;
- raise the knees;
- "Bicycle";
- "butterfly";
- rolling with a foot small objects;
- grabbing the ball with the toes;
- raise the toe of the foot "on itself".
With the development of coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, arthrosis of the ankle, exercise therapy is carried out lying down, standing, and with lesions of the small joints of the legs - sitting.
Exercise should not cause pain in the injured joint. If it appears, you need to reduce the load, the pace of execution. After each exercise, you also need to rest for up to 3 minutes.
Manual therapy for osteoarthritis
It is advisable to use the return of mobility to the joints with the help of the hands of a chiropractor in case of osteoarthritis of I-II degree. 
A chiropractor performs 2 types of correction of a deformed joint: manipulation (sudden pressure movement) and mobilization (stretching of the damaged joint). The more complex the clinical case, the more sessions are required.
Manual treatment of joints with arthrosis is supplemented with massage. It is performed every other day for all stages of the disease every 2-3 months with a cycle of up to 25 procedures, but only during remission and in the subacute period.
Handling is carried out by sliding movements with slight pressure (sawing, kneading, rubbing, etc. ). They massage not only the diseased joint, but also the neighboring spine, neighboring joints.
Home physiotherapy for osteoarthritis
From now on, people who have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis have the option of performing physiotherapy at home. Compact household appliances for medical use are sold on the Internet and in medical supply stores.
The following devices are very popular for the treatment of osteoarthritis:
- magnetic therapy;
- magnetic laser therapy;
- low-frequency pulsed magnetic therapy;
- laser therapy;
- reflex physiotherapy.
Before ordering a device for osteoarthritis, a doctor must definitely clarify whether there are any contraindications to the effects of pulses, laser, current or magnetic field on your body.
Non-drug methods
The treatment of osteoarthritis requires the use of an orthopedic diet. The purpose of the method is to unload the diseased joint, to stabilize it in the correct anatomical and physiological position. With arthrosis, canes, crutches, as well as corsets, special insoles with arch supports and pads and shoes, splints, braces, fixators, braces are used. It is recommended to order them at a local orthopedic salon based on individual casts.
In online stores you can buy cheaper those products, the design of which allows you to independently adjust the tensioning force. These are usually elastic bandages, bandages, stirrups, fixation belts, knee pads, elbow pads and similar orthopedic devices. However, before ordering a specific product for arthrosis, you should clarify with the attending physician all the necessary characteristics: the degree of tension, the presence and type of stiffeners, whether it is necessary to adjust the angle ofextension of the limb in the diseased joint, additional conditions.
Climatotherapy also belongs to non-drug methods. When using it, a person is created in special climatic conditions by prescribing thalassotherapy procedures, or he is recommended to visit a resort, undergo preventive sanatorium treatment at health resorts.
dietetic
With secondary arthrosis, doctors recommend one of the treatment tables to the patient. For example, to correct body weight, excess weight is eliminated using diet No. 8. In most cases, patients eat according to table No. 15 and ATS (general version ofdiets).
With arthrosis, gelatin products (jelly, jelly, etc. ), avocados (1 piece per week), vegetable oils, freshly squeezed berry juices, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flax seeds help well. It is recommended to exclude fatty, smoked and salty foods from the diet.
Homeopathic Medicines and Herbal Remedies for Osteoarthritis
Doctors complement conservative methods with homeopathy and herbal medicine. Preparations based on natural ingredients improve the functioning of all body systems.
List of commonly used homeopathic remedies for osteoarthritis:
- Hydrofluoric acid;
- calcium fluoride;
- Phosphorus;
- calcium phosphate;
- Potassium carbonate.
Their reception is combined with other methods of official and traditional medicine.
List of Commonly Used Herbal Remedies for Osteoarthritis:
- potentilla;
- unpeeled oats;
- yukurba (removal of devil's claws);
- medicinal collection (marshmallow and licorice roots, chamomile flowers, calendula).
Homeopathic and herbal remedies reduce the need for high doses of NSAIDs, painkillers, corticosteroids and antihistamines.
Joint operations
Surgical treatment of a disease such as arthrosis is used in case of improper use of conservative methods. Usually, the operation is performed when the patient consults a doctor late, when the pathology has already reached the 3-4 degree of development and threatens disability.
Types of operations for arthrosis:
- arthrodesis;
- arthroscopic debridement;
- arthroplasty;
- periarticular osteotomy;
- stents.
After surgery, the patient is transferred to conservative treatment, rehabilitation measures begin.
The use of laser in surgery and physiotherapy for osteoarthritis
Laser therapy is prescribed for all degrees and types of deforming arthrosis. The rays from the devices used affect damaged tissue at the cellular, molecular and physiological (organ) level.
In physiotherapy for arthrosis, this property of the laser helps restore microcirculation, relieve inflammation, pain and swelling, improve metabolism, self-regulation of regenerative processes. There are many types of devices and modes of operation. The rays of the device affect the surface and the intra-articular layer of the tissues, biologically active points (with laser acupuncture).
Laser treatment is also performed in surgery, only high intensity equipment is used. The use of rays during the operation, in addition to their listed properties, contributes to the rapid restoration of tissues and minimizes the risk of wound infection.
When diagnosing arthrosis, it is possible to prescribe laser spectroscopy and examine small joints with an infrared laser scanner. These methods are safer, cheaper compared to MRI, X-ray.
Folk and traditional medicine for arthrosis
Raw materials of natural origin should be selected individually, since each substance has its own contraindications. Medicinal preparations for arthrosis include plants with a metabolism-improving, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and analgesic effect. More often they use willow bark, linden, St. John's wort, burdock, cinquefoil.
At home, it is convenient to treat arthrosis with clay. A good therapeutic effect has a blue, kaolin (white), green, yellow and black healing agent. Clay for arthrosis is added to the baths (1 tablespoon / 1 liter of water), the damaged joint is wrapped, an application is made on it, the sore spot is rubbed with a mixture of clay and'vegetable oil.
Among the methods of traditional medicine, acupuncture and apitherapy show good results. Some patients feel better after hirudotherapy, mineral therapy.
Sanatoriums and resorts
It is recommended to consolidate the effectiveness of the main treatment of arthrosis by resting in health resorts and rehabilitation centers specializing in diseases of the joints. It is better to give preference to institutions that have thermal, mineral, mud, healing clay, special gas springs.
Treatment at health resorts is carried out with an emphasis on physiotherapy. A patient with arthrosis is definitely recommended to follow a diet, not to miss exercise therapy, massage. Among physiotherapy, balneotherapy methods are used. These are hydromassage, swimming, baths (hydrogen sulphide, salt, nitrogen, sulphide and radon). In case of osteoarthritis, therapeutic mud wraps, heat exposure, Bernard currents, laser and magnetic field are also prescribed. Each spa has its own therapy program, which must be clarified with the representative of the selected establishment before purchasing a ticket.
In each country there are institutions specializing in the treatment of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, with arthrosis, it is better to choose a health resort with the help of your doctor. He will recommend the type of climate required, the holiday season, the methods of physiotherapy necessary for prevention, provide information on resorts and advise the best institution in his area or nearby.
The prognosis of osteoarthritis treatment
It is very important not to miss a scheduled medical examination (1-2 times a year) and donate blood, urine for tests, as this allows doctors to quickly detect pathological processes. But the later a person seeks medical help, the worse the prognosis for treatment becomes. With chronic arthrosis, doctors can relieve pain only by conservative therapy methods, partially preserve the functions of the joint or recommend performing an operation so as not to remain disabled.
The combination of official, traditional and folk medicine methods under the regular supervision of the attending physician increases the prognosis for the treatment of arthrosis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system.