Deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is a common pathology, especially in older patients. The disease is chronic and develops rapidly. It is diagnosed with the same frequency in patients of both sexes. Due to degenerative disorders, damage is observed not only to the cartilaginous tissue of the joint, but also to bone tissue. The causes of the problem are microtraumatic injuries to the shoulder joint and the inflammatory processes that develop in it. The cartilage tissue gradually becomes thinner, microcracks appear in which salt deposits accumulate. Then destructive processes gradually affect the bones, which become denser, grow and, ultimately, change their anatomical shape. The disease progresses over a long period of time, without causing any discomfort to the person in the initial stages of the disease. Actually, this is where the danger lies. Let's dwell in more detail on the causes, symptoms and how and with what to treat deforming osteoarthritis.
Why does pathology occur?
Among the causes of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, experts mention the following conditions and factors.
Traumatic injuries
Shoulder injuries include intra-articular fractures, dislocations and bruises. Fractures are characterized by the fact that the fracture line is located in the joint cavity. In addition to the bone, it also affects the cartilage, causing additional injuries: the ligaments are torn and the capsule is damaged.
Shoulder dislocation is one of the most common injuries and often causes complications, joint deformation and the development of osteoarthritis. As a result, the joint may completely lose its mobility.
Dislocations of the right shoulder are seen more frequently in right-handed people and of the left shoulder in left-handed people.
Bruises occur as a result of a strong blow, for example from an accident, a fall or playing sports. Due to a hematoma, the bones do not move, the cartilage tissue is not destroyed, but its normal nutrition is disturbed, which can also lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
Increased load
Excessive load on the shoulder joint is observed in some groups of people:
- Professional athletes: volleyball players, tennis players, track and field athletes.
- Builders, plasterers, loaders.
- Dachnikov.
Everyone has to perform the same type of movements with their raised hand for a long time. Therefore, they experience microcracks and injuries, sprains of ligaments, muscles are overloaded, and the functioning of blood vessels is disturbed. The joint lacks nutrients and becomes deformed.
If a person does not control the load and does not take preventive measures, glenohumeral osteoarthritis can occur.
Joint pathologies
Some joint pathologies can cause the development of deforming osteoarthritis.
- Synovitis. Its cause is an infection that causes intense formation of intra-articular fluid. Due to fluid buildup, the joint swells and begins to hurt. Most often, this problem is observed in connection with a shoulder injury. If synovitis is not treated, there is a high chance of complications. The disease is treated with therapeutic agents. The pain is relieved with NSAIDs. Additionally, the patient will undergo a puncture to pump out the fluid accumulated inside the joint. The shoulder is then fixed in a stationary position. Synovitis of an infectious nature is treated with antibiotics. In the most difficult situations, surgical treatment is performed.
- Arthritis of the shoulder joint of various origins. Its signs: swelling of the shoulder and pronounced pain in the joints.
- Bone necrosis also causes osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint. Caused by an injury or genetics, it is characterized by the fact that bone cells begin to die. Medicine offers therapeutic or surgical correction of the condition, depending on the stage of the disease and the individual characteristics of the body. Chondroprotectors restore bone tissue, and NSAIDs help to cope with pain. The use of medications is complemented by physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy.
Hereditary, congenital, acquired pathologies.
Various anomalies in the structure of the shoulder (congenital or acquired) almost always deform it. The consequence of muscular dystrophy is insufficient nutrition of the joint tissues and then osteoarthritis of the shoulder.
If a person has a lack of collagen, this will also provoke the development of pathology.
The likelihood of developing osteoarthritis of the shoulder is much higher in those people whose relatives had similar problems, such as coxarthrosis and gonarthrosis, becauseunderdevelopment of cartilaginous tissue is inherited.
Blood vessel diseases
The condition under which the likelihood of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint increases is considered to be various disturbances in the functioning of blood vessels.
- Physical inactivity also significantly increases the possibility of developing pathology. It is caused by insufficient physical activity. The disease is characterized by apathy, drowsiness, decreased appetite and insomnia. One of the most common complications of physical inactivity is cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. The disease is treated conservatively, it is also necessary to follow diet and exercise therapy.
- Endarteritis obliterans. Pathology arises due to poor blood circulation, resulting in a lack of oxygen supply to the vessel tissues. Therefore, their performance is limited and then they die.
- Poor nutrition and insufficient physical activity are conditions for obesity and impaired metabolism, which hinders blood circulation in the joint tissues. The result of the process is the development of osteoarthritis.
- Varicose veins, in which blood flow in the vessels slows down, is also one of the conditions that cause degenerative changes in the joints.
Hormonal imbalances and weakened immunity.
Disturbed hormonal levels and reduced immunity can become a factor causing destructive tendencies in joint tissues.
- The changes that occur in a woman's body due to menopause are characterized by metabolic disorders. The lack of calcium in the bones during this period is the result of a decrease in estrogen levels in the female body. The consequence of these processes is possible osteoarthritis of the joints.
- Psoriasis is a chronic, non-infectious pathology caused by various reasons (stress, decreased immunity, altered metabolism, etc. ). The disease is systemic, therefore, under certain conditions, not only the skin can be affected, but also internal organs, bones and joints.
- Men often suffer from osteoarthritis due to gout. It occurs due to excessive accumulation of uric acid in the form of small crystals in the joints. Signs of pathology include joint swelling and pain. Externally, its manifestation can be noted at the time of a paroxysmal exacerbation of gout. Most often this happens at night. The shoulder feels hot and the skin turns red. In an advanced situation, gout can become a provoking factor in the development of pathology. To avoid complications, gout should be treated with medications, including diet and exercise.
- Reduced immunity can be the cause of osteoarthritis due to exacerbation of inflammatory processes in the joint cavities.
Impaired metabolism
The lack of intake of various vitamins and microelements in the body (especially calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D) often causes a lack of nutrition of the intra-articular fluid, cartilage and bone tissue of the joint, which, in turn, causes degenerative diseases. dystrophic changes in them.
Due to diabetes, blood vessels become thinner, blood flow through them decreases, and periarticular tissues do not receive enough nutrients. All this leads to osteoarthritis.
Age-related changes
With age, bones and cartilage become thinner and weaker. The probability of developing shoulder osteoarthritis after age 50 increases considerably.
Most often, osteoarthritis of the shoulder is observed due to exposure to a complex of the listed conditions.
Symptoms
Deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is characterized as a disease that develops gradually over a long period of time. Initially, it practically does not show anything, however, at later stages of development the following symptoms are observed.
- Shoulder pain. Its character, most often painful, tight, bothers the person in the morning, after a night's rest. It can occur before a change in weather. If physical activity is necessary in the affected shoulder, the pain becomes intense and pronounced. As the situation worsens, the pain syndrome manifests itself even at rest. Wearing an orthosis helps solve the problem.
- Alteration of motor activity in the affected arm occurs due to severe pain. Exacerbation often occurs due to hypothermia or sprained ligaments. The patient cannot raise his arm or perform normal movements. You experience excruciating pain when performing circular movements in your shoulder or trying to move your arm behind your back. If therapy is not started in a timely manner, complete immobilization of the upper extremities may occur.
- Cracking and cracking sounds in the joint are initially not very noticeable and may be barely noticeable. Later they become intense and can be heard not only by the patient, but also by the people around him.
- Inflammation in the joint is manifested by edema, swelling, local increase in skin temperature and redness.
- The feeling of hardening of the joint is caused by growths of bone tissue, osteophytes, which manifest if the disease is advanced.
Development of the disease.
The disease goes through three stages in its development. The symptoms at each stage are similar to each other, however, they differ noticeably in intensity.
1st degree osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint of the first degree is characterized by slight pain in the morning and evening. The patient "develops" the joint with effort before performing movements. A slight crunch in the shoulder may occur if a person abruptly moves his or her hand. At rest no pain is felt.
Second grade
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint of the second degree is manifested by more intense pain, a cracking sound is clearly heard in the shoulder. The mobility of the hand is still preserved, but it is already noticeably reduced. The destructive process is already present, the joint tissues gradually thin and dystrophy is observed. Ligaments, cartilage and bones are affected. Wearing a special orthopedic device (an orthosis or bandage) helps reduce the intensity of the pain.
Osteoarthritis 3 degrees
The third degree of the disease is the most serious. The symptoms of osteoarthritis significantly change a person's quality of life. The patient can only slightly rotate his arm, constantly experiences sharp pain in the shoulder, and deformation of the joint is observed. The muscles partially atrophy. The problem is solved with surgery. In the absence of it, complete immobility and disability are likely to occur.
Treatment
It is completely impossible to cure deforming osteoarthritis. You can only slow its progression and influence the symptoms. Doctors offer two types of treatment for deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint: therapeutic and surgical.
therapeutic treatment
As a therapeutic correction of the patient's condition, doctors suggest using the following groups of medications.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The main goal at this stage of treatment is to relieve inflammation and pain. Medicines suppress inflammatory processes and relieve pain. It is important to remember that NSAIDs are used for a limited time. They are prescribed both in the form of tablets and injections.
- Treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint involves the use of corticosteroids. They help relieve inflammation, thus stopping the development of pathology.
- Chondroprotectors for osteoarthritis are prescribed in the non-acute stage to restore damaged cartilage and bone tissue. These drugs are based on several active ingredients: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid. They help stop the destruction of cartilage tissue and restore it. But the effectiveness of the use of chondroprotectors can only be expected in the initial stages of the disease, becausefor their action, one main condition is needed: cartilaginous tissue must remain in the affected joint. Otherwise, these medications will not help. All of these medications are prescribed by a doctor. You can expect positive results from its use no earlier than six months of use.
- External agents (ointments, gels, creams) are also widely used in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
- Analgesics also relieve pain and are used inconsistently.
Surgery
The operation is performed in the third degree of development of the pathology. It consists of prosthetic replacement of the shoulder and scapula. Surgical treatment has contraindications, most often the patient's advanced age.
The decision on how to treat osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint will be made by an orthopedist or traumatologist.
Additional methods of conservative treatment of shoulder osteoarthritis include physiotherapy, massage and traditional medicine. A prerequisite for these methods is that they cannot be used during an exacerbation period.
In case of shoulder osteoarthritis, physiotherapy can significantly alleviate the patient's condition. In the set of exercises, it is necessary to select simple movements (circular movements, lifting, flexion-extension of the arm). Gymnastics is performed at a calm pace, without overload.
Self-treatment
For treatment at home, you can use popular recipes. But its use must be agreed with the treating doctor.
- Rubbing the sore joint helps a lot with osteoarthritis. The dressing is prepared with 50 g of elecampane root and 125 ml of vodka. The tincture is left for two weeks in a dark place and then rubbed on the shoulder before going to bed.
- Oatmeal compresses are easy to make yourself. Take 30 g of flakes per half a liter of water and boil for 8-10 minutes. The broth is moistened with gauze folded several times, and then applied to the affected joint for half an hour.
- You can use cabbage leaves as a compress (at night). They deal well with pain.
- Herbal baths are recommended for the treatment of deforming osteoarthritis. Mustard, mint and burdock are used to prepare them.
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint cannot be ignored, like any other joint disease. Your treatment should be approached comprehensively, follow the doctor's prescriptions: take medications in a disciplined manner, perform a complex of exercise therapy. To prevent osteoarthritis, you should not put too much stress on the joints, avoid excessive cooling, and monitor your diet.