Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint

Osteoarthritis of the shoulder is a chronic pathology in which the articular cartilage and adjacent bone tissue degrade, wear and tear.If you treat this disease carelessly and do not start treatment at the right time, the consequences can be quite catastrophic, including the loss of motor functions of the hand.

Why does shoulder arthrosis develop?

The impetus for the development of shoulder arthrosis is inflammation in the joints.It can appear for various reasons:

• Injuries.Shoulder arthrosis can develop due to a previous injury to the shoulder, or constant small microtraumas to the shoulder, typical of athletes.
• Vascular diseases.With vascular pathologies, blood circulation is usually damaged, which leads to insufficient blood supply to the joints.As a result, the articular tissues undergo degenerative changes, i.e.arthrosis develops.
• Overload.This is often associated with the patients' work activities (loaders, builders).
• Hormonal or autoimmune disorders.Often they significantly affect joint tissues, having a destructive effect on them.It is about diseases such as psoriasis, gout, etc.
• Inheritance.It has been proven that children of parents with arthrosis of the shoulder joint are more likely to develop joint defects than others.This also includes people who have already been born with some common defect.Both perceive the usual load placed on their hands as excessive, and therefore the process of cartilage wear occurs much faster.
• Failures in metabolic processes and the endocrine system.Because of this, salts begin to accumulate in the joints, and cartilage tissues stop receiving the proper nutrition (phosphorus, calcium, etc.) and begin to deteriorate.
• Joint diseases.Joint pathologies such as arthritis, bone necrosis, synovitis, etc. can be a prerequisite for the development of arthrosis.
• Age.The elderly (50 and over) are especially at risk, as joint tissue wears out with age, which in itself leads to the development of pathology.

Signs of shoulder arthrosis

Arthrosis is characterized by a long development, sometimes not appearing at all in the initial stages.Therefore, you should be very careful about the smallest symptomatic manifestations.Osteoarthritis of the shoulder is usually indicated by:

1. Pain is considered the main symptom of the disease.Painful pain often bothers patients in the morning.Pain syndromes are also more likely with sudden weather changes.If you subject your injured shoulder to any load, for example, by lifting something heavy, then the pain will also remind you of itself.The patient also feels pain when feeling the shoulder.With the development of shoulder arthrosis, pain begins to appear even in a quiet position.This fact should be taken into account - with arthrosis of the shoulder joint, pain can occur not only in the affected joint, but can be localized in the arm, elbow or back.
2. Motor dysfunction.Due to the pain, the patient finds it difficult to cope with seemingly simple tasks, for example, combing the hair.By the way, this action is one of the test movements for the diagnosis of arthrosis.Twisting movements and attempts to move the arm back are also difficult.If treatment is not started on time, then gradually the shoulder joint and, accordingly, the arm stop moving altogether and contracture develops.
3. Painful crackling, cracking in the joint.It usually occurs due to salts deposited in the diseased joint (osteophytes).Initially, a weak, crackling sound appears in the diseased joint;as the disease progresses, it turns into distinct crunching clicks, audible even at some distance from the patient.
4. Swelling, increased general temperature and redness at the site of the affected joint.These signs confirm the presence of inflammation in the diseased joint.
5. Joint stiffness.This symptom appears when the disease is advanced due to bone growths covering the joint.

You should not delay going to the clinic if you suddenly start experiencing shoulder pain, especially after a bruise or dislocation.Indeed, in the later stages, arthrosis is practically untreatable.Please note that some patients may have no signs of the disease at all.

Symptoms of shoulder arthrosis depending on the stage of the disease:

1. The first degree of shoulder arthrosis is characterized by pain in the morning and evening.The patient must "develop" the joint before it can begin to move without stiffness.A sharp movement of the shoulder or arm is accompanied by a slight but still painless cracking sound.At rest, no pain is observed.X-ray examination does not show significant changes in the joint.
2. Shoulder arthrosis in the second stage is accompanied by more intense pain and a clear cracking sound.The amplitude of the possible movements of the hand is reduced, but the joint is still mobile.This joint has already begun to collapse and deform.
3. The third degree is a severe, advanced stage of the disease.Patients can only squeeze their hand slightly;sharp pain torments them constantly.The joint itself becomes very inflamed and deformed.There is also partial atrophy of the muscles around the shoulder joint.This joint can only be cured by surgery.Osteoarthritis rarely develops at this stage.It occurs only in patients who do not take care of the affected joint and are subjected to unbearable overloads.
4. The fourth stage - the absolute destruction of the joint and fusion of the bones.Even strong sedatives do not relieve the pain syndrome.This phase occurs mainly in elderly patients.

Treatment of shoulder arthrosis

Drug treatment of shoulder arthrosis aims, first of all, to destroy the source of the inflammatory process and pain.Typically, your doctor will prescribe NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).First of all, they stop inflammation and relieve pain.

Often, with severe inflammation, doctors use corticosteroids.These are anti-inflammatory drugs used for joint congestion.This procedure is an injection given into the joint itself.This method is a non-invasive method of treatment, so neither the skin nor the mucous membrane is damaged.As a rule, it includes the use of ointments, gels, creams, etc.

Chondroprotectors are also prescribed for shoulder arthrosis - drugs that can restore damaged cartilage, based on hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.

In addition to drug treatment, exercise therapy, sanatorium treatment, massage and physiotherapy are also used.The latter refers to ultrasound treatment procedures, laser therapy, mud therapy, cryotherapy and magnetic therapy.Recently, the treatment of arthrosis using leeches (hirudotherapy) has become quite popular due to its effectiveness.Therapeutic gymnastic exercises, without overloading the joint, stimulate the muscles to the right extent, therefore the joint develops and is restored.

In addition, the patient is prescribed a therapeutic diet based on avoiding very spicy and salty foods.Doctors advise eating more foods that contain collagen: turkey, seafood, greens and salmon.

In cases where arthrosis of the shoulder has led to the complete destruction of the articular cartilage, a surgical operation called endoprosthetics is performed, during which a ceramic, plastic or metal prosthesis is placed in place of the affected joint.

Traditional medicine has also shown efficacy in the fight against shoulder arthrosis.

Folk remedies are usually effective as an additional pain reliever.Remember, they are not able to restore a shoulder joint affected by arthrosis.This requires medical treatment under the guidance of a doctor.

compress

Boil oats (30 g) in two cups of water for about 10 minutes.Soak a piece of gauze folded in several layers with the resulting solution and apply to the sore spots for at least half an hour.

A compress with cabbage juice has proven itself to be a good pain reliever.It is usually done every night, leaving it on the injured joint until morning.

You can simply apply cabbage leaves coated with honey on the affected joint at night.

The friction

Infuse elecampane roots (50 g) with vodka (125 ml) for several weeks.The mixture should be rubbed on the injured joints.

Leave the angelica roots (15 g) for half an hour, pour boiling water over them.The strained solution should be rubbed into the affected areas 3-5 times a day.

Herbal baths

You can add decoctions and various herbal infusions to a bath filled with water.Knowledgeable people note the special effect of baths with a decoction of mustard, hay powder, mint and burdock.Such baths should be taken before the body is completely steamed, and then, after rubbing the joints, the patient should lie down, covered with a warm blanket, so that the body retains heat longer.

ointment

You should add 15 g of sweet clover, hops and St. John's wort to the usual vaseline.The resulting mixture should be rubbed regularly into the joint area.