Treatment of arthrosis ("deforming arthrosis", osteoarthritis) cannot be postponed "for later". Pathology always changes the articular structure, affects the bone, cartilage, can completely destroy the articulation and the person becomes disabled. Therefore, it is dangerous to self-medicate, to refuse examination and official methods of therapy.
Symptoms of arthrosis
Arthrosis is a chronic degenerative-dystrophic joint disease in which the articulation 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 during walking, pain syndrome of varying severity. Further, with arthrosis, stiffness of movements appears, the pain becomes permanent, constantly intensifies, atrophy of nearby 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 of arthrosis
If you have symptoms of the disease, you need to be examined and immediately start treating arthrosis. The lack of adequate therapy can lead to a complete loss of joint functionality and result in disability.
In official medicine, the treatment of osteoarthritis is initially carried out by a conservative method. The patient is prescribed medications, exercise therapy, physiotherapy, orthopedic products, diet. With the permission of the doctor for arthrosis, you can additionally apply the methods of traditional, traditional medicine, homeopathy. A sick person needs to monitor their 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 conservative and / or surgical treatment for the prevention of arthrosis, it is useful to undergo annual spa therapy. 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 of microcirculatory action;
- multivitamins, vitamins C, group B;
- mineral complexes;
- anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs;
- corticosteroids (intra-articular injections);
- painkillers;
- desensitizing (antiallergic) drugs;
- medications for external use (ointment, cream, solutions, balm, gel, tinctures and medical bile).
Chondroprotectors are prescribed at all stages, forms of the disease, since they affect the mechanism of restoration of articular cartilage. HP is prescribed for oral administration, but also with arthrosis, injections are made into the articulation 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 the pathology that provoked 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 osteoarthritis is supplemented with electrophoresis (with an anesthetic, zinc, lithium, sulfur), electrosleep therapy, ultraphonophoresis. Paraffin applications are applied to the diseased joint, black wax, therapeutic mud are used. A joint damaged by arthrosis is also treated with a laser, a magnetic field, diadynamic currents, and other impulses.
Therapeutic exercise for arthrosis
For 3-5 days after the removal 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 begin 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;
- shrug;
- connection-disconnection of the blades;
- turns of the palms towards the leg and away from it;
- flexion-extension at the elbows;
- clenching 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 leg joints:
- flexion-extension, circular movements in the thigh, knee, ankle;
- swing forward-backward, right-left;
- lifting the knees up;
- "bike";
- "butterfly";
- rolling with a foot of small objects;
- gripping the ball with your toes;
- lifting the toe of the foot "on itself".
With the development of coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, arthrosis of the ankle, exercise therapy is performed lying down, standing, and with damage to 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 up to 3 minutes.
Manual therapy for arthrosis
It is advisable to use the return of mobility to the joints with the help of the hands of a chiropractor in cases of I-II degree of arthrosis. 
A chiropractor performs 2 types of correction of a deformed joint: manipulation (sharp pressure movement) and mobilization (stretching of the damaged joint). The more complex the clinical case, the more sessions need to be done.
Manual treatment of joints with arthrosis is supplemented with massage. It is carried out every other day for all stages of the disease every 2-3 months with a course of up to 25 procedures, but only during remission and in the subacute period.
Manipulation is performed by sliding movements with slight pressure (sawing, kneading, rubbing, etc. ). They massage not only the diseased joint, but also the nearby spine, neighboring joints.
Physiotherapy at home for arthrosis
Now people with a diagnosis of arthrosis have the opportunity to carry out physiotherapy at home. Compact household appliances for medical purposes are sold on the Internet and medical equipment stores.
The following devices are very popular for the treatment of arthrosis:
- magnetotherapy;
- magnetic laser therapy;
- low-frequency pulsed magnetotherapy;
- laser therapy;
- reflex physiotherapy.
Before ordering a device for arthrosis, 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
Treatment of osteoarthritis requires the use of an orthopedic regimen. The purpose of the method is to unload the diseased joint, 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, orthoses, fixators, brace are used. They are recommended to be ordered at a local orthopedic salon according to individual casts.
In online stores, you can buy cheaper those products whose design allows you to independently adjust the tension force. Usually these are elastic bandages, bandages, calipers, fixing belts, knee pads, elbow pads and similar orthopedic devices. However, before ordering a specific product for arthrosis, you need to 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 of extension of the limb in the diseased joint, additional conditions.
Climatotherapy also belongs to non-drug methods. During its use, a person is created special climatic conditions by prescribing thalassotherapy procedures, or they are recommended to visit a resort, undergo preventive sanatorium treatment in health resorts.
diet therapy
With secondary arthrosis, doctors recommend one of the treatment tables to the patient. For example, to correct body weight, excess weight is removed using diet No. 8. In most cases, patients eat according to table No. 15 and ATS (general version of diets).
With arthrosis, products based on gelatin (jelly, jelly, and so on), 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, 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 arthrosis:
- 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 arthrosis:
- cinquefoil;
- unpeeled oats;
- yukurba (extraction of devil's claws);
- medicinal collection (marshmallow and licorice roots, chamomile flowers, calendula).
Homeopathic and herbal remedies reduce the need for large doses of NSAIDs, analgesics, corticosteroids, antihistamines.
Joint operations
Surgical treatment of a disease such as arthrosis is resorted to in case of inappropriate use of conservative methods. Usually, the operation is done when the patient seeks medical help late, when the pathology has already reached the 3-4 degree of development and threatens with disability.
Types of operations for arthrosis:
- arthrodesis;
- arthroscopic debridement;
- arthroplasty;
- periarticular osteotomy;
- endoprosthetics.
After surgery, the patient is transferred to conservative treatment, rehabilitation measures begin.
The use of laser in surgery and physiotherapy for arthrosis
Laser therapy is prescribed for all degrees and types of deforming osteoarthritis. The rays of the devices used affect damaged tissues at the cellular, molecular and physiological (organ) level.
In physiotherapy for arthrosis, this property of the laser helps to restore microcirculation, relieve inflammation, pain and swelling, improve metabolism, self-regulation of regenerating processes. There are many types of devices and modes of operation. The rays of the device affect the surface and intra-articular layer of tissues, biologically active points (with laser acupuncture).
Laser treatment is also carried out in surgery, only high-intensity equipment is used. The use of rays during the operation, in addition to their listed properties, contribute to the rapid restoration of tissues and minimize the risk of wound infection.
During the diagnosis of arthrosis, it is possible to prescribe laser spectroscopy and examine small joints with an infrared laser scanner. These methods are safer, cheaper in comparison with MRI, radiography.
Folk and traditional medicine for arthrosis
Raw materials of natural origin must 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 osteoarthritis with clay. A good therapeutic effect has a blue, kaolin (white), green, yellow and black healing agent. Clay for arthrosis is added to 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 osteoarthritis by resting in health resorts and rehabilitation centers specializing in diseases of the joints. It is better to give preference to those institutions that have thermal, mineral, mud springs, healing clay, special gases.
Treatment in 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, massages. Among physiotherapy, balneotherapy methods are used. These are hydromassage, swimming, baths (hydrogen sulfide, salt, nitrogen, sulfide and radon). In case of arthrosis, wraps with therapeutic mud, exposure to heat, Bernard currents, a laser, and a magnetic field are also prescribed. Each health resort has its own therapy program, which must be clarified with the representative of the selected institution before buying 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 what kind of climate is required, the holiday season, the necessary methods of physiotherapy for prevention, provide information about resorts, and advise the best institution in his or nearby area.
The prognosis of arthrosis therapy
It is very important not to miss a scheduled medical examination (1-2 times a year) and donate blood, urine for tests, as this enables doctors to detect pathological processes in a timely manner. But the later a person seeks medical help, the more the treatment prognosis worsens. With chronic arthrosis, doctors can only relieve pain by methods of conservative therapy, partially preserve the functions of the joint, or they recommend performing an operation so as not to remain disabled.
The combination of methods of official, traditional and traditional medicine under the regular supervision of the attending physician increases the prognosis of the treatment of arthrosis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system.