It is generally believed that only the elderly are susceptible to joint disease, but this is fundamentally wrong.The disease has different causes and can affect people of any age, gender and occupation.
The causes of arthropathy in joints are as follows:
- Primary arthropathy (congenital weakness of articular cartilage);
- Professional activities (sports, dance, heavy manual labor);
- Diseases causing metabolic disorders;
- obesity;
- Mechanical deformation of joints (wearing tight or incorrect shoes);
- Genetic predisposition.
The disease is characterized by severe thinning of the articular cartilage and deformation of the joint itself, causing severe pain and significantly reducing motor activity in the patient.According to the World Health Organization, joint disease is one of the leading causes of disability and disability in people around the world.
Arthropathy Symptoms and Complications
Arthropathy can affect large joints (knee, hip, elbow, etc.) and small joints (joints in hands, fingers, feet).In the early stages of the disease, joints will be sore, and as the disease progresses, the pain will become more severe.When extending and flexing the joint, a crunching sound may be heard and movement becomes difficult.Progressive arthropathy causes joints to enlarge and the area around the diseased joint to become overly sensitive to touch, cold, and heat.
In addition to severe pain and joint deformation, resulting in cosmetic defects, untreated joint arthritis can lead to serious complications.Delayed treatment can lead to the following conditions:
- Periarthritis (acute inflammation of the tissue surrounding a diseased joint);
- Synovitis (inflammation of the joint membrane);
- Hip arthropathy (irreversible damage to the hip joint).
Joint complications, in turn, can lead to complete immobility of the joint, which can become the initial stage of severe disability.
Arthritis Treatment
The following methods are used to treat arthropathy:
- medicinal;
- physiotherapy;
- surgical.
By means of pharmaceutical methods, the aim of treating arthropathy is to improve the nutrition of the cartilage and relieve pain (special nutritional gels are injected into the area around the joints, and additionally NSAIDs, gout and homeopathic medicines are taken).
Physical therapy methods are designed to improve the blood supply to the joints and their mobility, as well as enhance the effects of medical treatments.The list of physical therapy agents includes:
- Ultrasound therapy;
- Reflexology;
- mud therapy;
- Radon baths and hydrogen sulfide baths;
- pulse therapy;
- magnet therapy;
- Laser treatment etc.
The goal of surgical treatment is to remove bone formation caused by arthritis in the joint and normalize the size of the joint.This method can only be used in combination with medication and physical therapy, since the task of the doctor is to eliminate the cause of the joint disease and reduce the risk of recurrence.
The clinic's diagnostic and treatment facilities can accurately determine the cause of joint arthritis, the extent of joint damage, and ensure the best treatment options for each patient.The hardware of the clinic allows the use of the most modern technologies for the treatment of joint diseases, aiming to get rid of this disease as quickly and effectively as possible.