Arthropathy (Greek: arthr) is a group of diseases that damage the body's joints.
The left side of the photo of a healthy person.On the right is a person with severe arthropathy in his right hip.You can see that the channel is completely closed.Severe pain occurs and the patient is unable to stand up.
There are more than 100 different forms of arthropathy.The most common form is osteoarthritis (injury to the joint ends of joint bones), which results from joint trauma, joint infection, or age-related factors.
Other forms of arthropathy include rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatism), gout, psoriatic arthropathy, and related autoimmune diseases.Septic arthritis occurs due to joint infection.All forms have one common symptom - joint pain.
symptom
All types of arthropathy are associated with pain, and the nature of the pain determines its type.It is characterized by redness of the skin, limited movement of the knee joint, and changes in shape.Disease-prone joints often crack unnaturally when stressed.Patients may experience difficulty in situations that require physical activity.
Elements of the history determine the diagnosis.Important factors include when the disease started and how quickly it progressed, whether there was immobility in the morning, pain, "locking" of the joints due to immobility, etc.For more accurate diagnosis, radiography and tomography are required.
Causes of Arthropathy
Osteoarthritis pain is caused by inflammation around the joints.Joint damage due to illness, daily scrapes, and muscle tension.Joint pain is often constant.Pain may be localized to the affected area.
Classification of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is divided into primary and secondary forms.There are 4 levels of arthrosis:
Primary arthropathy of the knee - there is softening of the cartilage, which can be felt on the surface of the knee.Not visible on X-rays.
Second degree knee osteoarthritis - the cartilage starts to wear away and in the picture you can see the joint space narrowing.
Third-degree arthritis of the knee - osteophytes appear, making treatment difficult.It is difficult to distinguish from the second level.
Knee joint degree 4 - bones contact each other, osteophytes increase, and the joint becomes distorted.
Patellofemoral arthropathy
Patellofemoral osteoarthritis is damage to the cartilage between the kneecap and femur.Unlike other types of knee osteoarthritis, which occur on the inside (inside) and outside (outside) of the knee, causing difficulty walking on a level surface, patellofemoral osteoarthritis causes pain in the front of the knee when squatting and rising from a sitting position.In this case, knee braces help a lot.Patients who wore the brace daily saw significantly less joint damage and less knee pain on MRI.
Prevention and treatment of knee arthritis
Osteoarthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis, cannot be completely cured without surgery, but steps can be taken to prevent the condition from getting worse.Weight measurement is key to improving symptoms and preventing disease progression.For osteoarthritis, physical therapy can strengthen muscles and joints.Especially the ESMA device is very effective in its treatment.Patients also require medication.When the disease progresses rapidly and pain persists, surgery may be recommended.Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis does benefit from joint replacement surgery for many people.There are synovial fluid injections - intra-articular fluid injections.They can provide patients with pain relief for 8 months before the procedure can be repeated.Bee venom treatment is also effective in relieving pain.
X-ray of a knee with an artificial prosthesis after joint replacement surgery.
Prevent joint disease
Includes a set of procedures: massage, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, herbal preparations, dietary supplements, aromatherapy, hot and cold therapy, healthy exercises, diet.
According to statistics, more than 43 million Americans today experience pain when they bend their knees.Statistically, it is one of the leading causes of disability in the country.About 1 in 7 Americans has this disease.As you age, your likelihood of developing joint disease increases.