Joint pain is well known to many people, especially the elderly. They are caused by malnutrition, lack of physical activity, stress, strenuous exercise and other factors.
Quite often in the elderly and a small percentage of young people develop osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint - a chronic disease that causes serious deformities of cartilage, as well as adjacent tissues and bones. There is a progressive type and the symptoms may not appear for years and then worsen sharply.
The most common symptoms are shoulder pain after a long stay at low temperatures, as well as after lifting heavy objects.
Do not self-medicate. At the first signs of illness consult a doctor.
Reasons
Deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint occurs due to the inflammatory process that develops in the joints of the hands. Among the main reasons for the appearance and development of the disease are:
- injuries (sprains, bruises, fractures);
- excessive physical activity (tennis players, basketball players);
- malnutrition;
- the presence of bad habits;
- infection in the joint cup.
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is accompanied by an inflammatory process. As a result, cartilage tissue loses its properties and becomes thinner. Also, the disease in advanced cases contributes to the deformation and even destruction of cartilage tissue, its ingrowth into bone structure.
Signs of disease
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint usually begins to appear in people over 45 years of age, as it is associated with age-related changes in the body. An important role in the symptoms is played by what profession a person belongs to, what lifestyle he adheres to. Synovial fluid deficiency is one of the main causes of cartilage destruction.
The symptoms of the disease can manifest in different ways: usually at the beginning there is a slight discomfort or painful pain in the shoulder, if he takes a certain position. The pain of taking another position usually subsides or disappears, but if the patient does not consult a doctor to treat the initial symptoms, the disease will progress. The nature of the pain that a person experiences with osteoarthritis is painful. Sometimes they are felt in the back, elbows or the whole arm (first and second degree, then intensify).
The intensity of the discomfort may be exacerbated by changing weather conditions or the presence of constant physical exertion. The disease in the initial stage will not bother the patient when the shoulder is at rest. Later, there is a limit to the number of joint movements that the patient consciously sets. At this time, the cartilage of the joints is destroyed, bone processes (osteophytes) grow, which significantly complicates movement. In the last stage of the disease, the patient can raise his arm no higher than 90 degrees, as the cartilage merges into a bone formation, which makes it impossible to move the arm.
Degrees of the disease
There are 4 stages of this disease:
- Grade 1 is characterized by minor damage to cartilage tissue. The patient may sometimes experience unpleasant pain after holding the shoulder in one position for a long time or lifting heavy objects. At this stage, special exercises and diet can treat the emerging symptoms and prevent further stages;
- Grade 2 is characterized by the appearance of osteophytes, as well as narrowing of the joint space (shown on X-ray). The pain in this case is more frequent and sharp;
- Grade 3 causes a decrease in the number of hand movements. The X-ray shows the minimum size of the opening between the shoulder joints. The patient constantly experiences pain that does not go away at rest;
- Grade 4 occurs if the patient does not turn to a specialist in time. At the same time, the fusion of cartilage and bone processes is detected, which makes the movement of the arm impossible.
Treatment
The treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint has several options, depending on the severity of the disease:
- prosthetic surgery;
- Medication treatment;
- physiotherapy;
- medical-physical training complex (TP);
- Traditional Medicine;
- diet.
In the early stages of development, the disease can be successfully treated with steroidal and non-steroidal drugs, as well as drugs that relieve vascular and muscle spasms. Medications help the patient to relieve pain and also to repair damaged cartilage tissue.
If the patient goes to the doctor on time, he can prescribe a therapeutic form of gymnastics. Helps increase joint mobility. In the initial stage, sometimes it is enough to perform the exercises prescribed by a specialist, and then there is no need for surgery or taking a large amount of medication.
The so-called surgical methods of treatment are prescribed by a doctor if conservative methods (gymnastics, drugs) have not helped. The most well-known method by which deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint can be cured is arthroplasty. At the same time, the collapsing joint will be replaced by a modern prosthesis, which is designed to perform all the functions of the shoulder joint. The prostheses are designed for several years of operation. Surgery is used in the last stage of the disease, when it makes no sense to treat with other methods.
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder with folk remedies is generally not prohibited, but your doctor must approve it. It must also be compatible with other drugs. But do not neglect gymnastics and other exercises. Healing therapy can be carried out in remission, and exacerbation excludes the possibility of any exercise. Wherever the patient finds the exercises, before continuing with them, he must show them to his doctor, who will confirm or deny the benefits for their health and treatment. Also contraindications to treatment with gymnastics are fever, lung disease, heart disease and other diseases.
Some of the most effective exercises are:
- in the starting position, the patient's legs are shoulder-width apart, the left arm is raised and bent at the elbow joint so that her fingers touch the left shoulder blade. The elbow of the hand should face upwards. The same procedure is repeated with the right hand. In total, the exercise should be repeated 4 times;
- in the initial position the patient's legs are shoulder-width apart, arms at the body. To begin with, the right arm is placed on the opposite shoulder and vice versa. So one hugs the shoulders. At the same time, the elbows should be kept as high as possible and the human fingers should reach the shoulders. This exercise is performed 8 times.
Diet
The treatment of shoulder osteoarthritis is quite extensive. This includes diet, because sometimes being overweight provokes a great strain on the joints. Statistics say that diet helps to significantly alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis, as it helps to reduce the patient's weight. In addition to overcoming overweight, the diet must take into account the need to provide the body with the substances necessary to restore and maintain the elasticity of cartilage.
Experts, in order to cure the deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint, recommend to include slow carbohydrates in the diet, replacing them with fast ones. This means that flour products can be eaten, but products made from white flour (wheat, corn) should be abandoned in favor of rye, oatmeal or buckwheat flour. On a diet you should eat enough cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, pearl barley), which will give strength and energy and will nourish cartilage and bones with essential trace elements.
As for the use of meat in the diet, the diet should include chicken, rabbit and other low-calorie meats. At the same time, high-calorie pork and lamb should be abandoned. Meat and vegetables should be steamed, boiled or stewed, but not fried. You should also pay attention to plants of the legume family as a source of plant protein. Another dietary tip is to use unrefined oil instead of refined. The filling of meat and fish will help restore cartilage and promote their development.