Arthrosis of the shoulder joint

Shoulder arthrosis is a chronic pathology in which articular cartilage and adjacent bone tissue degrade, wear out and break down.If you treat this disease negligently and do not start treatment in a timely manner, the consequences can be quite disastrous, including loss of motor functions of the hand.

Why does shoulder arthrosis develop?

The impetus for the development of shoulder arthrosis is inflammation in the joint.It can appear for various reasons:

• Injuries.Shoulder arthrosis can develop due to a previous shoulder injury, or constant, minor microtrauma to the shoulder, typical of athletes.
• Vascular diseases.With vascular pathologies, blood circulation is usually impaired, which leads to insufficient blood supply to the joints.As a result, articular tissues undergo degenerative changes, i.e. arthrosis develops.
• Excessive load.This is often associated with the patients’ work activities (loaders, builders).
• Hormonal or autoimmune disruptions.Often they significantly affect joint tissues, having a destructive effect on them.These are diseases such as psoriasis, gout, etc.
• Heredity.It has been proven that children of parents with arthrosis of the shoulder joint are more prone to developing joint defects than others.This also includes people who were already born with any joint defects.Both of them perceive the usual load placed on their hands as excessive, and therefore the process of wear of the cartilage occurs much faster.
• Failures in metabolic processes and the endocrine system.Because of this, salts begin to accumulate in the joints, and cartilage tissues cease to receive proper nutrition (phosphorus, calcium, etc.) and begin to deteriorate.
• Joint diseases.A prerequisite for the development of arthrosis can be joint pathologies such as arthritis, bone necrosis, synovitis, etc.
• Age.Elderly people (50 and older) are especially at risk, since joint tissues wear out with age, which in itself leads to the development of pathology.

Signs of shoulder arthrosis

Arthrosis is characterized by a long development, sometimes not manifesting itself in any way in the initial stages.Therefore, you should be very wary of the slightest symptomatic manifestations.Shoulder arthrosis is usually indicated by:

1. Pain is considered the main symptom of the disease.Aching pain often bothers patients in the morning.Pain syndromes are also more possible with sudden changes in weather.If you subject your sore shoulder to any load, for example, lifting something heavy, then the pain will also remind you of itself.The patient feels pain even when feeling the shoulder.With the development of shoulder arthrosis, pain begins to occur even in a quiet position.This fact should be taken into account - with arthrosis of the shoulder joint, pain can occur not only in the affected joint, it can be localized in the arm, elbow or back.
2. Motor dysfunction.Because of the pain, it becomes difficult for the patient to cope with seemingly simple tasks on his own, for example, combing his hair.By the way, this action is one of the test movements for diagnosing arthrosis.Rotational movements and attempts to move the arm back are also difficult.If treatment is not started on time, then gradually the shoulder joint and, accordingly, the arm stop moving altogether, and contracture develops.
3. Painful crunch, creaking in the joint.It usually occurs due to salts deposited in the diseased joint (osteophytes).Initially, a weak, creaking rustle appears in the diseased joint; as the disease progresses, it turns into distinct crunchy clicks, audible even at some distance from the patient.
4. Swelling, increased general temperature and redness at the site of the affected joint.These signs confirm the presence of inflammation in the diseased joint.
5. Hardening of the joint.This symptom appears when the disease is advanced due to bone growths that cover the joint.

You should not put off going to the clinic if you suddenly begin to experience pain in your shoulder, especially after a bruise or dislocation.Indeed, in the later stages, arthrosis is practically untreatable.Please note that some patients may have no signs of the disease at all.

Symptoms of shoulder arthrosis depending on the stage of the disease:

1. The first degree of shoulder arthrosis is characterized by morning and evening pain.The patient needs to “develop” the joint before it begins to move without stiffness.A sharp movement of the shoulder or arm is accompanied by a slight, as yet painless crunching sound.At rest, no pain is observed.X-ray examination shows no significant changes in the joint.
2. Shoulder arthrosis in the second stage is accompanied by more intense pain and a clear crunching sound.The amplitude of possible movements of the hand is reduced, but the joint is still mobile.The joint has already begun to collapse and deform.
3. The third degree is a severe, advanced stage of the disease.Patients can only shake their hand slightly; the sharp pain torments them constantly.The joint itself becomes very inflamed and deformed.There is even partial atrophy of the muscles around the shoulder joint.The joint can only be cured by surgery.Osteoarthritis rarely develops to this stage.It occurs only in patients who do not take care of the affected joint and subject it to unbearable overloads.
4. Stage four – absolute destruction of the joint and fusion of bones.Even strong painkillers do not relieve the pain syndrome.This stage mainly occurs in elderly patients.

Treatment of shoulder arthrosis

Drug treatment of shoulder arthrosis is aimed, first of all, at destroying the source of the inflammatory process and pain.Typically, your doctor will prescribe NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).First of all, they stop inflammation and relieve pain.

Often, with severe inflammation, doctors resort to corticosteroids.These are anti-inflammatory drugs used for joint blockade.This procedure is an injection given into the joint itself.This method is a non-invasive method of treatment, i.e. with it neither the skin nor mucous membranes are damaged.As a rule, it involves the use of ointments, gels, creams, etc.

Chondroprotectors are also prescribed for shoulder arthrosis - medications that can restore damaged cartilage, based on hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.

In addition to drug treatment, exercise therapy, sanatorium treatment, massage and physiotherapy are also used.The latter refers to ultrasound treatment procedures, laser therapy, mud therapy, cryotherapy and magnetic therapy.Recently, the treatment of arthrosis using leeches (hirudotherapy) has become quite popular due to its effectiveness.Therapeutic gymnastic exercises, without overloading the joint, stimulate the muscles to the required extent, as a result the joint is developed and restored.

Additionally, the patient is prescribed a therapeutic diet based on avoiding too spicy and salty foods.Doctors advise eating more collagen-containing foods: turkey, seafood, greens and salmon fish.

In cases where shoulder arthrosis has led to complete destruction of the articular cartilage, a surgical operation called endoprosthetics is performed, during which a ceramic, plastic or metal prosthesis is implanted in place of the affected joint.

Traditional medicine has also shown effectiveness in the fight against shoulder arthrosis.

Folk remedies are usually effective as an additional pain reliever.Remember, they are not able to restore a shoulder joint affected by arthrosis.This requires medical treatment under the guidance of a doctor.

Compresses

Boil oatmeal (30 g) in two glasses of water for about 10 minutes.Soak a piece of gauze folded in several layers with the resulting solution and apply to the sore spots for at least half an hour.

A cabbage juice compress has proven itself to be a good pain reliever.It is usually done every night, leaving it on the sore joint until the morning.

You can simply apply cabbage leaves smeared with honey to the affected joint at night.

Rubbing

Infuse elecampane roots (50 g) with vodka (125 ml) for a couple of weeks.The mixture should be rubbed on sore joints.

Leave angelica roots (15 g) for half an hour, pour boiling water over them.The strained solution must be rubbed into the affected areas 3-5 times a day.

Herbal baths

You can add various herbal decoctions and infusions to a bath filled with water.Knowledgeable people note the special effect of baths with decoctions of mustard, hay dust, mint, and burdock.Such baths should be taken before the body is thoroughly steamed, and then, after rubbing the joints, the patient needs to lie down, covered with a warm blanket, so that the body retains heat longer.

Ointments

To regular Vaseline you need to add 15 g of sweet clover, hops and St. John's wort.The resulting mixture should be rubbed into the joint area regularly.