Deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint is a common pathology, especially in elderly patients. The disease is chronic and develops rapidly. Patients of both sexes are diagnosed equally often. Damage due to degenerative disorders is observed not only in the cartilage tissue of the joint, but also in the bone tissue. The causes of the problem are microtraumatic injuries of the shoulder joint and inflammatory processes that develop there. Cartilage tissue gradually thins, microcracks appear on which salt deposits accumulate. Then the destructive processes gradually affect the bones, they become denser, grow and ultimately change their anatomical shape. In the initial stage of the disease, the disease continues for a long time without causing any discomfort in the person. In fact, its danger is here. Let's talk in more detail about the causes, symptoms, as well as how and with what to treat deforming arthrosis.
Why does pathology occur?
Among the causes of arthrosis of the shoulder joint, experts name the following conditions and factors.
Traumatic injuries
Shoulder injuries include intra-articular fractures, dislocations and contusions. Fractures are characterized by the location of the fracture line in the articulation space. In addition to the bone, it also affects the cartilage, causing additional damage: the ligaments are torn, the capsule is damaged.
Dislocation of the shoulder is one of the most common injuries that often lead to complications, joint deformation and the development of arthrosis. As a result, the joint can completely lose mobility.
Dislocation of the right shoulder is observed more often in right-handed people, and in left-handed people.
Bruises are caused by a strong impact, such as an accident, fall, or sports. Due to a bruise, bones are not displaced, cartilage tissue is not destroyed, but its normal nutrition is disturbed, which can cause post-traumatic arthrosis.
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.
All of them should do the same type of movement with their hands raised for a long time. Therefore, they experience micro-cracks and injuries, ligaments are twisted, muscles are over-strained and blood vessels are impaired. The joint is deprived of nutrients and becomes deformed.
If a person does not monitor the load and does not take preventive measures, glenohumeral arthrosis can occur.
Joint pathologies
Some articular pathologies can lead to the development of deforming arthrosis.
- Synovitis. Its cause is an infection that causes intense formation of intra-articular fluid. Due to the accumulation of fluid, the joint becomes swollen and painful. Often this problem is observed in connection with a shoulder injury. If synovitis is not treated, there is a high possibility of complications. The disease is treated with therapeutic means. Pain is relieved by NSAIDs. In addition, the patient will undergo a puncture to pump out the fluid that has accumulated in the joint. Then the shoulder is fixed in a stationary position. Synovitis of an infectious nature is treated with antibiotics. In the most difficult cases, surgical treatment is performed.
- Arthritis of the shoulder joint of various origins. Its symptoms: swelling of the shoulder and sharp pain in the joints.
- Bone necrosis also causes arthrosis of the shoulder joint. Triggered by injury or genetics, it is characterized by the death of bone cells. 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 drugs is complemented by physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy.
Hereditary, congenital, acquired pathologies
Various abnormalities in the structure of the shoulder (congenital or acquired) almost always deform it. The result of muscular dystrophy is insufficient nutrition of joint tissues, and then shoulder arthrosis.
If a person lacks collagen, this will lead to the development of pathology.
People with relatives with similar problems, including coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, are more likely to develop shoulder arthrosis. underdevelopment of cartilage tissue is inherited.
Blood vessel diseases
The situation in which the probability of arthrosis of the shoulder joint increases is considered to be various disorders in the work of blood vessels.
- Physical inactivity also significantly increases the probability of development of pathology. This is caused by insufficient physical activity. The disease is characterized by apathy, drowsiness, loss of 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 adhere to diet and exercise therapy.
- Obliterating endarteritis. It occurs due to a violation of pathological blood circulation, which results in a lack of oxygen supply to the tissues of the vessel. So their activity is limited and then they die.
- Poor nutrition and insufficient physical activity are conditions for obesity and impaired metabolism, which leads to difficult blood circulation in joint tissues. The result of the process is the development of arthrosis.
- Varicose veins, where the blood flow slows down in the veins, is one of the conditions that cause degenerative changes in the joints.
Hormonal imbalance and weakened immunity
Disruption of hormonal levels and a decrease in immunity can lead to destructive tendencies in joint tissues.
- Changes in the female body during menopause are characterized by metabolic disorders. The lack of calcium in the bones during this period is the result of a decrease in the level of estrogen in the female body. The result of these processes is possible arthrosis of the joints.
- Psoriasis is a chronic non-infectious pathology caused by various reasons (stress, reduced immunity, metabolic disorders, etc. ). The disease is systemic, therefore, under certain conditions, not only the skin, but also internal organs, bones and joints can be affected.
- Men often suffer from arthrosis due to gout. This occurs due to excessive accumulation of uric acid in the form of small crystals in the joints. Symptoms of pathology include joint swelling and pain. Externally, their manifestation can be noted during paroxysmal exacerbation of gout. It often happens at night. The shoulder feels hot and the skin is red. In an advanced state, gout can become a provoking factor for the development of pathology. In order to avoid complications, gout should be treated with drugs, not forgetting diet and exercise therapy.
- Reduced immunity can be the cause of arthrosis due to the exacerbation of inflammatory processes in the joint spaces.
Damaged metabolism
Lack of intake of various vitamins and microelements (especially calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D) often leads to malnutrition of intra-articular fluid, cartilage and bone tissue, which in turn causes degenerative-dystrophic changes in them.
Due to diabetes, blood vessels become thinner, blood flow from them decreases, periarticular tissues do not receive enough nutrients. All this leads to arthrosis.
Age-related changes
With age, bones and cartilage become thin and weak. After the age of 50, the probability of developing shoulder arthrosis increases dramatically.
Often, shoulder arthrosis is observed due to exposure to a complex of the listed conditions.
Symptoms
Deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint is characterized as a disease that develops gradually over a long period of time. At first, it practically does not show anything, but in the later stages of development, the following symptoms are observed.
- Shoulder pain. Its character is the most painful, pulling, in the morning, after a night's rest, it bothers a person. It can happen before the weather changes. If physical activity is required on the affected shoulder, the pain becomes strong and pronounced. As the condition worsens, the pain syndrome manifests itself even at rest. Wearing an orthosis helps to solve the problem.
- Violation of motor activity of the affected arm occurs due to severe pain. Exacerbation often occurs due to hypothermia or ligament sprains. The patient cannot raise his arm or perform normal movements. He experiences excruciating pain when making circular movements in his shoulder or trying to move his arm behind his back. If therapy is not started in time, complete immobilization of the upper limbs may occur.
- Creaks and creaks in the joint are not very noticeable at first and are very little noticeable. Then they intensify 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 joint stiffness is caused by the growth of bone tissue - osteophytes, and manifests itself when the disease progresses.
Disease development
The disease goes through three stages in its development. At each stage, the symptoms are similar, but differ significantly in intensity.
Arthrosis 1st degree
Arthrosis of the shoulder joint of the 1st degree is characterized by mild pain in the morning and evening. The patient "develops" the joint with effort before performing the movements. If a person shakes his hand sharply, a slight crack in the shoulder is possible. Pain is not felt at rest.
Second degree
Arthrosis of the shoulder joint of the 2nd degree manifests itself with more severe pain, a creaking 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, joint tissues gradually thin, dystrophy is observed. Ligaments, cartilage and bones are affected. Wearing a special orthopedic device - an orthosis or bandage helps to reduce the intensity of pain.
Arthrosis 3 degrees
The third degree of the disease is the most severe. Symptoms of arthrosis significantly change a person's quality of life. The patient can only turn his arm a little, he constantly experiences sharp pain in his shoulder, deformation of the joint is observed. Muscles partially atrophy. The problem is solved by surgery. In its absence, there is a possibility of complete immobility and disability.
Treatment
It is absolutely impossible to treat arthrosis deformities. You can only slow down its development and affect the symptoms. Doctors offer two types of treatment for deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint: therapeutic and surgical.
Therapeutic treatment
As a therapeutic correction of the patient's condition, doctors suggest using the following drug groups.
- 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 arthrosis of the shoulder joint involves the use of corticosteroids. They help to eliminate inflammation, thereby stopping the development of pathology.
- Chondroprotectors for arthrosis are prescribed in the non-acute phase to restore damaged cartilage and bone tissue. These preparations are based on various active substances: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid. They help stop the destruction of cartilage tissue and restore it. However, the effectiveness of the use of chondroprotectors can be expected only in the initial stages of the disease, because the main condition for their action is necessary - the cartilage tissue must remain in the affected joint. Otherwise, these drugs will not help. All these drugs are prescribed by a doctor. Positive results can be expected from their use no later than six months of use.
- External agents (ointments, gels, creams) are also widely used in the treatment of arthrosis.
- Analgesics also relieve pain and are used consistently.
Surgery
The operation is performed at the third stage of the development of the pathology. It consists of replacing the shoulder and back with a prosthesis. Surgical treatment has contraindications, in most cases it is the old age of the patient.
How to treat arthrosis of the shoulder joint will be decided by an orthopedist or a traumatologist.
Additional methods of conservative treatment of shoulder arthrosis include exercise therapy, massage and traditional medicine. The prerequisite for these methods is that they should not be used during the exacerbation period.
Physical therapy with shoulder arthrosis can significantly alleviate the patient's condition. In the set of exercises, you should choose simple movements (circular movements, lifting, arm flexion-extension). Gymnastics is performed at a calm pace, without overloading.
Self treatment
You can use folk recipes for home treatment. However, their use should be agreed with the attending physician.
- Rubbing the painful joint helps a lot with arthrosis. The rub is made from 50 g of elecampane root and 125 ml of vodka. The tincture is kept in a dark place for two weeks, then it is used to rub on the shoulder before going to bed.
- Oatmeal compresses are easy to make yourself. Take 30 g of flakes in half a liter of water and boil for 8-10 minutes. The solution is moistened with gauze folded several times, then applied to the damaged joint for half an hour.
- You can use cabbage leaves as a compress (at night). They cope well with pain.
- Herbal baths are recommended for the treatment of arthritic deformities. To prepare them, mustard, mint and burdock are used.
Shoulder joint arthrosis, like any other joint diseases, cannot be ignored. It is necessary to take a comprehensive approach to its treatment, to follow the doctor's instructions: to take medicines regularly, to implement a complex of exercise therapy. To prevent arthrosis, you should not overload your joints, do not do excessive cooling and watch your diet.