Joint diseases are one of the most common manifestations of disorders of the musculoskeletal system. They develop in the presence of inflammatory, degenerative-dystrophic, infectious processes in the body, as well as as a consequence of trauma and congenital anomalies.
Doctors distinguish dozens of different joint diseases that have quite similar symptoms (pain, creaking, restricted movement). This complicates the diagnosis and interferes with timely treatment. Therefore, the experts in this article will tell you about the manifestations and developmental features of the most common joint pathologies.
Properties of joints and causes of their diseases
A joint is any connection of two or more bones. There are 38 pairs of joints in the human body (76 joints in total). They provide mobility and flexibility to our body. Movement is a vital function, and if the disease limits it, then the quality and duration of life decreases.
Each joint has articular surfaces - these are the surfaces of the bones that enter it, covered with a special, hyaline cartilage. It is thick, elastic and is needed to protect the bones from abrasion when moving. It also ensures their perfect coherence with each other. It is the wear and tear of cartilage that becomes a common cause of pain, creaking, stiffness and other signs of joint disease.
The joints are characterized by a complex structure. Joint surfaces, capsules, fissures, synovium, periarticular muscles and ligaments - all these structures provide motor and supporting functions of the joint. Their damage can cause the development of the disease.
Causes of disease
Many people mistakenly believe that only the elderly suffer from joint disease, due to age changes and weakness of the body. But that is not the case!
Joint diseases can develop as a result of:
- injuries;
- extra pounds;
- physical activity;
- improper posture;
- flat feet;
- hereditary predisposition;
- foods with insufficient micronutrient content;
- diseases of internal organs;
- metabolic disorders;
- transferred operations;
- infections.
The action of these factors can be faced by people of absolutely any age, and even those with relatively good health (e. g. able-bodied men and women, adolescents, children, athletes, etc. ).
Therefore, this group of diseases is getting younger - in terms of the frequency of occurrence and disability, it is in second place behind cardiovascular and endocrinological diseases, and their treatment is associated with high financial costs.
Mechanism of development and types of diseases
In the pathogenesis of joint damage, doctors distinguish 4 possible paths:
First: the presence of inflammation in the body
This type of lesion is characterized by a sudden onset, with a rapid increase in symptoms of inflammation: swelling, pain, redness, fever. It occurs in infections, allergies, autoimmune processes in children and adults.
Juvenile arthritis
It is characterized by an autoimmune process (i. e. the body is destroyed) the cause of which is unknown. Transmitted infections, even in mild forms (for example, vaccinations), are often provocateurs.
The disease affects the large joint (knee, elbow) in children and adolescents, negatively affecting their growth and development. Joint pain is accompanied by severe swelling, redness of the skin and fever.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Also caused by an autoimmune process with no clear cause. Women are more often ill, the average age is 45-50 years. Up to 70% of patients become disabled.
It affects a small joint (or several), for example, wrists, fingers. This affects the patient's ability to work and even self-care. They complain of severe pain, swelling, changes in the shape of the joints and morning stiffness in them.
Psoriatic arthritis
In almost half of patients diagnosed with psoriasis, the inflammatory process develops in the small joints of the hands, feet, and spine. The cause of arthritis, as well as the cause of the underlying disease, is unknown.
Psoriatic arthritis can affect the interdigital and large (elbow, knee), one or more joints, symmetrically or not.
The main manifestation is the presence of pain that extends to the ligaments and tendons, swelling and blue skin of the fingers, limited mobility.
Gouty arthritis
It develops on the background of gout, as a result of the deposition of uric acid salts in the joints. Men suffer more often than women, aged - 40-50 years and over 60 years, respectively.
A characteristic feature is the defeat of one joint, which starts suddenly, lasts for several weeks, is accompanied by severe pain and swelling, with the formation of uric acid nodes (tofu).
Spondyloarthritis with ankylosing spondylitis
A chronic lesion involving the spine, paravertebral muscles, and sacroiliac pelvic joint.
Men are more likely to suffer from this disease than women, and it develops at the age of 20-30 years. Their main complaint is pain in the lower back, in the sacrum, in the hip joints; stiffness of movement after a period of rest (especially in the morning, after sleep).
Even with symptom relief and relative well-being, without eliminating the underlying cause, the inflammation continues to develop and will eventually cause a new worsening. Therefore, joint pathology often becomes chronic and leads to disability.
Second: the presence of a degenerative-dystrophic process
In this type of lesion, the joint is destroyed by physical factors. Injuries and microtraumas, constant physical exertion above the norm, harmful environmental influences (hypothermia, vibrations) - all these pathological factors cause the destruction of cartilage and narrowing of the joint space.
Deforming osteoarthritis
It develops as a result of damage and destruction of the articular cartilage. Its articular surfaces become rough and sensitive to friction. Over time, the process of destruction spreads to the bones, capsule, synovium, ligaments and muscles. Chronic inflammation and changes in the shape of the joint occur.
Osteoarthritis is the most common pathology of the joints. It reduces the quality of life of patients, causes disability and is difficult to treat. In youth, men get sick more often, in old age - women.
Clinically, osteoarthritis is manifested by severe pain and limited mobility, which are intensified by physical exertion. In the later stages, even rest and calm do not bring relief.
Osteochondrosis
It affects the spine and is caused by degenerative processes in the intervertebral discs. Under the influence of negative factors, the nutrition of the discs is disturbed, which leads to the loss of their shape (all the way to the formation of protrusions and hernias), aging and destruction.
As a result, the spine loses mobility, there is pain, numbness, stiffness of movement, muscle weakness, difficulty urinating and emptying the bowels, headache, dizziness. The symptoms depend on the part of the spine where osteochondrosis has developed and can be very different.
Deforming spondylarthrosis
This condition is also called "facet syndrome". In this case, the process of destruction affects the structures of the intervertebral joints (capsules, ligaments, veneers).
It most often occurs in the most "overloaded" part of the spine - the lumbar. It manifests as a pain that radiates to the leg and intensifies when you walk or stand in one place for a long time.
Osteochondropathy
It causes aseptic (non-infectious) bone necrosis, for example, due to impaired blood supply. As a result, the bones that enter the joint are prone to frequent fractures. In advanced cases, patients can be seriously injured even while sleeping.
In the early stages, the disease does not manifest itself in any way. Many of the sufferers are athletes and people who lead a "healthy" lifestyle. The former are subject to excessive stress, the latter deliberately restrict the diet and deprive the body of the necessary substances.
In order to destroy the dense and elastic cartilage, the pathogenic factor must act on the joint for years, so degenerative-dystrophic changes are more common in old age. Or it must act superpowers, as in sports.
Many professional athletes become disabled at a young age.
Third: congenital pathologies of the joints
This type of lesion causes abnormalities in the structure and development of the joints as a result of infections and injuries of the mother, concomitant pathology, late toxicosis and genetic diseases.
Common manifestations of congenital abnormalities are birth trauma, for example, hip dislocation or collarbone fracture.
Congenital hip dysplasia
It develops as a result of breaking the formation of all joint structures in the prenatal and postnatal period. Predisposing factors are heredity and firm bending. Girls are more susceptible to this pathology than boys - the incidence rate is 80% and 20%, respectively.
Dysplasia changes the shape of the joint, and its ligaments are too elastic. This causes the femur to move and interferes with the mobility of the hip joint, which can lead to disability.
Congenital club feet
Deformity in which due to the defeat of the ankle the foot deviates inwards in relation to the lower leg.
A wedge-shaped foot often affects boys and in half of the cases it is bilateral. If the defect is not rectified in time, the child will not be able to walk normally and will remain disabled.
Marfan syndrome
Genetic pathology in which the patient has elongated bones in the arms and legs, as well as hypermobility (excessive mobility) of the joints.
In the early stages, many congenital joint pathologies can be completely eliminated or development can be slowed down by conservative methods. Late diagnosis and treatment can lead to impaired support and movement functions, all the way to disability.
Fourth: diseases of the muscles and ligaments of the joints
Pathologies of this group often develop as a result of increased physical effort and hypothermia.
Tendinitis
Inflammation and destruction of the tendon. This is accompanied by his tension and painful feelings, especially in the weather.
Myositis
Development of inflammation in the periarticular muscles. It is accompanied by pain when feeling the affected area, which increases with movement.
Bursitis
The inflammatory process is localized in the joint capsule. It often affects professional athletes (wrestlers, runners, weightlifters).
Synovitis
Damage to the synovial membrane with accumulation of fluid in the joint cavity. It is accompanied by pain, swelling, stiffness of movement.
Relationship between disease and joint type
There is a certain pattern in which the joint is affected by which pathology. Some of them even have their own specific names.
For example,knee jointit can affect at any age, regardless of the patient's gender and occupation. But the defeat of the meniscus and cruciate ligaments is more common in athletes. Gonarthrosis - in the elderly. Arthritis of infectious origin - in children.
Pain inshoulder jointcan be caused by shoulder-scapular periarthritis, cervical osteochondrosis, osteoarthritis.
Forelbow jointtypical damage to periarticular tissue - epicondylitis or "tennis elbow", "golfer's elbow".
The hip joint is more commonly affected in the elderly. As a result of osteoporosis and coxarthrosis, they are at risk of fractures of the femoral neck.
Pain insmall jointshands and feet is seen in rheumatoid, psoriatic, gouty arthritis.
But despite the specific manifestations, the diagnosis of joint pathology often causes difficulties, which is met with a late start of treatment and a risk of complications.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Complaints plaguing patients with joint pathology include:
- pain;
- Swelling and puffiness;
- Change of shape;
- Stiffness of movement;
- Inability to perform normal range of motion.
Doctors call them joint syndrome. Doctors call them joint syndrome. Redness of the skin, rashes on it and thick nodules are also possible. Of the general symptoms, patients often complain of an increase in temperature in the area of the lesion or the whole body, increased fatigue.
Reading the previous section, you may have noticed that all of these symptoms are found in almost every joint pathology. Therefore, it is impossible to make a clear diagnosis based only on your complaints - you need an examination and consultation with a doctor.
When examining a patient, the doctor does not pay attention only to his problems. To make an accurate diagnosis, it is important to know the time of their occurrence, which joint is affected, one or more of them, whether this lesion is symmetrical and other factors.
Let's take a closer look at each symptom:
pain:
It occurs in almost every pathology. Doctors distinguish several types:
- Inflammatory- increases towards morning, after a period of rest. Typical of rheumatoid, juvenile, gouty arthritis, spondyloarthritis.
- Mechanical- appears during physical exertion or change of body position, often in the late afternoon, disappears after rest. Typical for osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis, osteochondrosis, pathology of periarticular tissue.
- "start"- occurs in the first 15-20 minutes of physical activity after a period of rest. Typical of osteoarthritis.
- "blockade"- caused by pinching in the joint space of the cartilaginous fragment, due to which the joint "wedges". It may be accompanied by creaking. It occurs in osteoarthritis.
- Constantly- lasts, regardless of the load and time of day, can be increased at night. Typical of osteochondropathy, osteomyelitis, tumors and bone tuberculosis.
Number of affected joints:
- One (monoarthritis): in juvenile, gouty, psoriatic arthritis.
- Two-four (oligoarthritis): with rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis.
- More than four (polyarthritis): with rheumatoid, gouty arthritis.
Lesion symmetry:
- Symmetrically: for rheumatoid arthritis.
- Asymmetric: for spondyloarthritis, gout, osteoarthritis.
- "Migration": with gout.
Morning stiffness in the joints:
The patient feels this as an inability and tension of movement. It occurs in the morning and is associated with the accumulation of fluid in the joint cavity overnight. Typical of rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis.
Also, the doctor pays attention to general problems:
- Increased body temperature;
- Redness of the skin, the presence of a rash on it;
- Defeat of internal organs.
Laboratory (analysis of blood, joint fluids) and instrumental studies (X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound) are needed to make an accurate diagnosis.
Conclusion
Joint pain and dysfunction can be caused by a variety of reasons. There are pathologies that cannot be treated, but many of them, with adequate and timely treatment, enable a person to live a full life. Therefore, if you have at least one of these symptoms, consult your doctor - do not diagnose yourself, do not prescribe treatment, and even more do not tolerate pain.
We use a holistic approach in the treatment of joint pain, thanks to which many of our patients have regained the joy of movement.