Many, especially the elderly, are well aware of joint pain. They are caused by malnutrition, physical inactivity, stress, heavy physical exertion and other factors.
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is often uncommon in the elderly and in a small percentage of young people - a chronic disease that causes serious deformities of cartilage, as well as the tissues around it and the bones. It has a progressive type, and the symptoms may not appear for years, and then suddenly worsen.
The most common symptoms are pain in the shoulders 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.
Causes
Deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint occurs due to the inflammatory process that develops in the wrists. Among the main causes of the onset 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 articular 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 the bone structure.
Signs of illness
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint usually begins to occur in people over the age of 45, as it is associated with age-related changes in the body. An important role in the symptoms is played by the profession to which the person belongs, what kind of lifestyle he adheres to. Lack of synovial fluid is one of the main causes of cartilage destruction.
The symptoms of the disease can manifest in different ways: usually there is a slight discomfort or pain in the shoulder if you take a certain position. The pain when taking the second position usually subsides or disappears, however, if the patient does not consult a doctor to treat the initial symptoms, the disease will progress. The nature of the pain a person feels with osteoarthritis is painful. Sometimes they are felt in the back, elbows or all over the arm (in the first and second degree, then they intensify).
The intensity of 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 limitation in the number of joint movements, which the patient consciously sets. At this point, the cartilage of the joints is destroyed, bone processes (osteophytes) grow, which greatly complicates movement. In the last stage of the disease, the patient can raise his arm no more than 90 degrees, because the cartilage merges into a bone formation, which makes it impossible to move the arm.
Degrees of disease
There are 4 degrees of this disease:
- Grade 1 is characterized by less damage to cartilage tissue. The patient may sometimes feel uncomfortable pain after holding the shoulders in one position for a long time or lifting heavy objects. At this stage, special exercises and diet can treat the onset of 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 acute;
- A grade of 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 feels excruciating pains that do not pass at rest;
- Grade 4 occurs if the patient does not consult a specialist in time. At the same time, the joining of cartilaginous and skeletal processes is revealed, which makes it impossible to move the arm.
Treatment
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint has several options, depending on the severity of the disease:
- prosthetic surgery;
- drug treatment;
- physiotherapy;
- complex of medical and physical culture (LFK);
- traditional medicine;
- diet.
In the early stages of development, the disease can be successfully treated with steroidal and nonsteroidal drugs, as well as drugs that relieve vascular and muscle cramps. Medications help the patient relieve pain and also 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 phase, sometimes it is enough to perform the exercises prescribed by a specialist, and then there is no need for surgery or taking a larger 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. Dentures are designed for many years of work. Surgical intervention is used in the last stage of disease development, when it makes no sense to treat with other methods.
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder with folk remedies is not prohibited in principle, but it must be approved by your doctor. It must also be compatible with other drugs. But don’t neglect gymnastics and other exercises. Exercise therapy can be performed in the remission phase, and exacerbation excludes the possibility of any exercise. Wherever the patient finds the exercises, before continuing them, he must show them to his doctor, who will confirm or deny their health benefits and treatment. Also contraindications for treatment with gymnastics are fever, lung disease, heart disease and other diseases.
Some of the most effective exercises are:
- in the initial 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 look up. 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 close to the body. For a start, the right arm is placed on the opposite shoulder and vice versa. So the person hugs in the shoulders. At the same time, keep the elbows at the highest possible height, and the person's 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 causes a lot of strain on the joints. Statistics show that diet helps to significantly alleviate the manifestations of arthrosis, because it helps reduce the patient's weight. In addition to overcoming excess weight, the diet should take into account the need to provide the body with substances necessary to restore and maintain the elasticity of cartilage.
Experts, in order to cure deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint, recommend the inclusion of slow carbohydrates in the diet, replacing them with fast ones. This means that flour products can be eaten, but white flour products (wheat, corn) should be abandoned in favor of rye, oat or buckwheat flour products. On the diet you should eat enough cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, pearl barley) that will give strength and energy, and nourish cartilage and bones with essential trace elements.
As for the use of meat in the diet, chicken, rabbit and other low-calorie meats should be present in the diet. At the same time, high-calorie pork and lamb should be abandoned. Meat and vegetables should be steamed, cooked or stewed, but not fried. You also need to pay attention to plants from the legume family, as a source of plant proteins. Another tip for the diet would be to use unrefined oil instead of refined. A bay of meat and fish will help rebuild cartilage and encourage their development.