Osteoarthritis - a disease that can overcome disability over time. So that this does not happen, you need to know the early signs of the disease in order to consult a doctor in time and start treatment. Details about the manifestations of osteoarthrosis read in the article.
Content
Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease in which the gradual destruction of the articular cartilage occurs, as a result of which the joint is deformed and loses the ability to fully fulfill its functions.
Unfortunately, no one of us is insured against Osteoarthrosis, because the gradual destruction of the body tissues is an integral component of the natural process of aging. And osteoarthritis can be rightfully attributed to diseases of most elderly people. (In rare cases, the beginning of the disease provokes infection.) In women, the disease most often declares itself in the menopacteric period.
Manifestations of osteoarthrosis
Osteoarthritis can occur in various joints, but most often affects the hip, slightly less often - knee and even less often - the first tall-standing joints (at the base of the thumbs of the legs). Some patients suffer from brushes, or rather, the lower joints of the thumbs.
The destructive process in the joints is developing slowly, and the person practically does not notice osteoarthritis until the pain appears. But the first diseases of the disease appears earlier: this is a noise that is distributed when driving in the affected joint.
Pain occurs during the physical burden on the joint. As the disease progresses, the pain begins to be felt even with minor movements and saves some time after their completion. Unlike arthritis, Osteoarthrosis most often does not cause severe unpleasant feelings in a state of rest, but some patients have a strong hatching pain appears at night and passes in the morning after a person «Wake up». Sometimes detached pieces of cartilage fall into the hollow of the joint, causing the strongest pain and a fighting movement, so that a person cannot even slightly move the limb. This phenomenon occurs periodically.
Gradually affected joints are deformed, cartilage is erased from the bone surface, and the bone may suffer. With partial destruction of the cartilage shifts the axis of the joint, which is why dislocations arise, sublocks, stretching ligaments and atrophy of adjacent muscles.
Since, with osteoarthritis, damage to cartilage is worn, rather, mechanical character, its current distinguishes the absence of signs of inflammation: the patient does not increase the temperature, there are no changes in blood tests, the skin above the joint does not bluse. However, swelling can appear around the affected joint.
Unfortunately, osteoarthritis is almost impossible to heal, and changes occurring in this disease are irreversible. The only thing that is under today's medicine is to slow down the destruction of cartilage. Therefore, the earlier the patient will turn to the doctor and the exact diagnosis will be installed, the more effective will be treated. With osteoarthritis, it is very important to correctly diagnose. The fact is that in arthrites of inflammatory origin, patients are recommended «develop» Limpitude: Give the joint load so that the fabric does not grow. But with osteoarthritis, the struck joint should be alone, since it was the load that led to the development of the disease and may entail further mechanical erase cartilage from the bone head.
To slow down the destruction of cartilage, sick osteoarthritis is usually prescribed courses of drugs of chondroprotectors. Often recommended to use hormone therapy. But this method of treating opponents is no less than supporters - the likelihood of serious side effects is too large. Among the specialists there is even an opinion that hormone therapy is not so much heal as the development of the disease.
