2024-04-23 14:36:15
“Joint arthrosis is a chronic degenerative disease involving the entire joint, which weakens, thins and wears out the cartilage, the joint capsule, ligaments, surrounding tissues and bones are damaged. Also, bone growths – osteophytes – are formed at the edges of the joint, and when this disease progresses, various deformations can appear”, says V. Švainauskas.
What causes joint arthrosis?
The risk of developing this disease is increased by excessive load on the joints, for example, certain work characteristics or being overweight. Also intense sports, constant monotonous movements or excessive physical exertion.
“The cause of this disease can also be traumas, previous inflammations and genetic inheritance. In addition, gender can also be associated with this disease – it is noticeable that knee arthrosis occurs more often in women than in men,” points out the orthopedic traumatologist.
Younger patients may have complaints about the functionality of the hip joint for other reasons, for example, damage to the joint related to its formation and growth process or certain anatomical features.
“Pain or mobility problems related to the hip joint can be caused by various traumas, fractures or bone infarcts – necrosis. Also, the hip and knee joints can wear out prematurely due to such systemic inflammatory diseases as rheumatoid arthritis”, notes V. Švainauskas.
What symptoms are important not to ignore?
First of all, arthrosis of the joint can be suspected from such unpleasant symptoms as pain or discomfort, especially aggravated during or after physical exertion. Also, people suffering from this disease often experience creaking in the joints. Consultation with an orthopedic traumatologist as soon as you feel these symptoms helps to avoid complications of the disease.
“When the disease progresses, the joints become stiff, become immobile, lose mobility – this is how the body protects the joint from further damage. In case of damage to the hip joint, the length of the leg is changed, so it happens that if the patient delays to consult a doctor, due to uneven distribution of weight and stiffness of the joints, damage to the spine may begin to develop”, notes the orthopedic traumatologist.
He also notices that without timely consultation and feeling pain, patients often take a lot of drugs, which can have a negative effect on the condition of the internal organs. In addition, people tend to move less because of the discomfort they feel, which weakens their muscles. As arthrosis progresses, the range of motion of the joint decreases, bone growths are formed, and changes in the surrounding joint tissues, so the treatment becomes more complicated.
How is arthrosis treated?
Osteoarthritis of the hip or knee joint is determined after evaluating the patient’s complaints and taking into account the changes found during radiological examinations (X-ray). When diagnosing arthrosis, the movements of the limbs moved through these joints and the resulting deformations are evaluated.
Treatment of arthrosis is divided into non-surgical (conservative) and surgical. After the diagnosis of the disease, the patient is initially prescribed conservative treatment, which can be medicinal, when the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effect is aimed at, or non-medicinal. During it, the emphasis is on rehabilitation treatment – preservation of range of motion and muscle mass, as well as correction of physical activity and body weight, taking into account nutrition.
“Arthritis of the hip and knee joints is divided into 4 stages – if it is found to be advanced, and the conservative treatment method does not achieve a sufficient effect, symptoms progress, limiting the person’s ability to move and live comfortably – the doctor decides on surgical treatment – joint endoprosthetics”, says the orthopedic traumatologist.
Joint replacement is performed under general or regional anesthesia. During the operation, an incision is made and the worn surfaces of the joint are replaced with an artificial implant – an endoprosthesis. Usually, the next day after the procedure, the patient is allowed to put full weight on the operated leg and start walking with assistive devices – a walker or crutches, which are usually abandoned after about 4 weeks, when the patient starts walking independently.
It is important to mention that full recovery after surgery usually takes 2-3 months, but it is individual for each patient and depends on age, previous level of physical activity, changes in the joint, activity in the postoperative period and the desire to return to everyday life as soon as possible.
2024-04-23 14:36:15