Osteoarthritis can affect any age, but most often, it starts to manifest itself in the age of 30-40 years. Quality of life, affected by arthritis is so reduced that the proactive life can often be forgotten.
This state of affairs is due not so much with the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis, which we will lead it below as to the areas of joint damage.
When arthritis most commonly affects the knee joints. The second most frequent lesions occupy the hip joints, and the third – the joint of the big toe. The rest of the joints undergo Osteoarthritis is much smaller.
It turns out that the brunt of osteoarthritis on the lower limbs, which affects human movement in space. The more serious stage of the disease, the more pain occurs when walking.
Osteoarthritis and Arthritis: What is the difference?
Before turning to the stages of the disease, we see what the difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis.
Osteoarthritis – a pathological change in the joint, depending on the stage, which affects certain elements of a joint.
Arthritis – is an inflammatory process in the joints caused by infection or other causes.
Sometimes the joint can be both amazed osteoarthritis and arthritis.
Osteoarthritis Stage
Stage I
In this step varies synovial fluid in a joint, that acts as a lubricant. In this case, the patient feels only a little discomfort or mild pain in the affected joint.
Stage II
In this step, stratifies or thinner cartilage, muscle function can be violated. Pain in the joints increases, begins to cause unpleasant pain. When traveling often heard the crunch in the joints of patients.
Stage III
At this stage the joint already irreversible changes occur.
Bones of the joint begin to come into contact with each other, rub against the motion in the joint. As a result, they appear cracked, chipped. Shards joints fall into the joint cavity, causing often excruciating pain during movement.
The muscles of the patient in the third stage of osteoarthritis the opportunity to lose a full contraction and relaxation. A person loses the ability to move the affected joint. Sometimes this means complete immobility.
How to treat arthritis
In the treatment of osteoarthritis in a comprehensive manner.
Medication
Prescribers, performing several functions: pain relief, reducing inflammation, improving the quality of the synovial fluid. Prescribed by a doctor applied injections into the joint.
Normalization of power
Increase the amount of food coming from the collagen. For these purposes, the diet includes a large number of jellied meat and offal as contributing to the formation of cartilage. Recommended alternate reception of such products with unloading days of light salads and reduced calorie products.
Normalization drinking regime
For the health of joints in the body should be a sufficient amount of liquid. Therefore, patients with osteoarthritis should drink at least 2 liters of water per day. Complete abstinence from alcohol
Physiotherapy
To improve the mobility of joints, according to a doctor’s prescription, are used: electrophoresis, laser and magnetic therapy, ultrasound treatment, shock wave therapy.
All of these treatments improve the blood flow in the affected joint, which promotes better healing of damaged areas.
LFK
Therapeutic exercise is appointed at a time when the disease was an acute crisis. For the patient with his own special exercise in the supine position, to minimize the burden on aching joints.
Therapeutic exercise helps to restore joint health and regain lost due to sickness function.
Swimming
Excellent preventive and therapeutic effect on joints has swimming. Almost completely offloading the affected joints, swimming at the same time speeds up the recovery of the affected areas.
In this case, swimming is an alternative to or in addition to physical therapy, accelerating the return of motor function aching joints.
Spa treatment
In the direction of the physician or on their own to patients osteoarthritis should relax in special sanatoriums or resorts that specialize in the treatment of osteoarthritis. In these institutions, there is the possibility of treating the disease from all sides under the supervision of specialists.
If the diagnosis of “osteoarthritis”, then you need to tune in to a long struggle with illness. In this case, no longer possible to postpone treatment until later, because there is a high probability of loss of ambulation. An integrated approach in the treatment of osteoarthritis leaves high chances of restoring the health of the affected joints.
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