Arthropathy of shoulder joint

Shoulder arthrosis is a chronic pathology in which articular cartilage and adjacent bone tissue degenerate, wear out, and break down.If this condition is neglected and treatment is not initiated promptly, the consequences can be catastrophic, including loss of hand motor function.

Why do shoulder joints occur?

The dynamic that occurs in the shoulder joint is inflammation within the joint.It can occur for a variety of reasons:

• Injuried.The shoulder joint may be caused by a previous shoulder injury or ongoing, minor shoulder microtrauma (a classic symptom in athletes).
• Vascular disease.With vasculopathy, blood circulation is often compromised, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the joints.As a result, joint tissue undergoes degenerative changes, i.e., arthropathy occurs.
• The load is too large.This is often associated with the patient's work activities (loader, construction worker).
• Hormonal or autoimmune disorders.They often significantly affect joint tissues, having a damaging effect on them.These are diseases such as psoriasis and gout.
• genetics.It turns out that children whose parents have shoulder disease are more likely than others to develop joint defects.This also includes people who are born with joint defects.Both of them believed that the load usually placed on the hands is too great, so the wear-and-tear process of the cartilage occurs more quickly.
• Malfunctions in metabolic processes and the endocrine system.As a result, salt begins to accumulate in the joints, and the cartilage tissue does not receive proper nutrients (phosphorus, calcium, etc.) and begins to deteriorate.
• Joint disease.Arthritis, osteonecrosis, synovitis and other joint diseases are prerequisites for the occurrence of joint disease.
• age.The elderly (50 years and older) are particularly at risk, as joint tissue wears down with age, which itself can lead to the development of pathology.

Symptoms of shoulder joint disease

Arthropathy is characterized by a long-term development that sometimes does not manifest itself in any way during the initial stages.Therefore, you should be very alert to the slightest manifestation of symptoms.Shoulder joints often have the following symptoms:

1. Pain is considered the main symptom of the disease.Morning soreness often bothers patients.Sudden changes in weather are also more likely to trigger pain syndromes.If you put any load on your sore shoulder, such as lifting something heavy, the pain will also remind you of yourself.The patient may feel pain even if the shoulder is touched.As the shoulder joint develops, pain begins to occur even in a quiet position.This fact should be taken into account - in the case of joints in the shoulder joint, pain can occur not only in the affected joint, but also in the arm, elbow or back.
2. Movement dysfunction.Because of the pain, patients have difficulty handling seemingly simple tasks, such as combing their hair, on their own.By the way, this movement is one of the test movements for diagnosing joint disease.Rotational movements and trying to move your arms back are also difficult.If treatment is not started on time, the shoulder joint and arm will gradually stop moving and develop contractures.
3. A painful crunch, a creaking joint.It is usually caused by salt deposits (osteophytes) in diseased joints.Initially, there will be a faint crunching sound from the affected joint.As the disease progresses, it turns into a distinct crunching sound that can be heard even at some distance from the patient.
4. Swelling, increased body temperature, and redness in the affected joint area.These signs confirm the presence of inflammation in the diseased joint.
5. Hardening of joints.This symptom occurs when the disease progresses due to growth of the bone covering the joint.

If your shoulder suddenly begins to hurt, especially after a bruise or dislocation, you should not delay going to the clinic.In fact, in its later stages, arthropathy is virtually untreatable.Note that some patients may show no signs of disease at all.

Symptoms of shoulder arthritis depend on the stage of the disease:

1. The first degree of shoulder joint disease is characterized by pain in the morning and evening.Patients need to "develop" their joints before they can begin to move without stiffness.A slight but painless crunching sound accompanied by vigorous movement of the shoulder or arm.At rest, no pain was observed.X-ray examination showed no obvious changes in the joints.
2. Stage 2 is associated with more severe pain and a distinct crunching sound in the shoulder joint.The range of motion of the hand may be reduced, but the joints can still move.The seams have begun to collapse and deform.
3. The third degree is the severe, advanced stage of the disease.The patients could only shake hands gently; severe pain continued to torture them.The joints themselves become very inflamed and deformed.Even the muscles around the shoulder joint are partially atrophied.The joint can only be healed through surgery.Osteoarthritis rarely progresses to this stage.This condition occurs only in patients who do not take care of the affected joint and subject it to unbearable overload.
4. Stage 4 – Complete destruction of joints and fusion of bones.Even powerful painkillers cannot relieve the pain syndrome.This stage mainly occurs in elderly patients.

Shoulder joint treatment

Medical treatment of the shoulder joint is first aimed at eliminating the inflammatory process and the source of the pain.Typically, your doctor will prescribe NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).First, they suppress inflammation and relieve pain.

Often, for severe inflammation, doctors turn to corticosteroids.These are anti-inflammatory drugs used for joint blockade.The procedure involves an injection into the joint itself.This method is a non-invasive treatment, meaning it does not damage the skin or mucous membranes.Typically, it involves the use of ointments, gels, creams, etc.

Chondroprotectants are also used to treat shoulder arthropathy, a medication based on hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate that restores damaged cartilage.

In addition to drug treatment, exercise therapy, convalescence treatment, massage, physiotherapy, etc. are also used.The latter refers to ultrasound therapy procedures, laser therapy, mud therapy, cryotherapy and magnetic therapy.Recently, the use of leeches to treat joint disease (leech therapy) has become quite popular due to its effectiveness.Therapeutic gymnastics exercises stimulate the muscles to the desired degree without overloading the joints, allowing the joints to develop and recover.

In addition, the patient was prescribed a therapeutic diet based on avoiding foods that were too spicy and too salty.Doctors recommend eating more collagen-containing foods: turkey, seafood, vegetables and salmon.

In cases where shoulder arthrosis results in complete destruction of articular cartilage, a surgical procedure called endoprosthesis is performed, in which a ceramic, plastic, or metal prosthesis is implanted into the affected joint location.

Traditional medicine has also shown effectiveness in combating shoulder joint disease.

Folk remedies are often effective as additional pain relievers.Keep in mind that they cannot restore an affected shoulder joint.This requires treatment under the guidance of a doctor.

compression

Boil rolled oats (30g) in 2 cups of water for about 10 minutes.Soak a piece of gauze folded in several layers with the resulting solution and apply it to the painful area for at least half an hour.

Cabbage juice compresses have proven to be a great pain reliever.This is usually done once a night and left on sore joints until morning.

You can simply apply honey-coated cabbage leaves on the affected joints at night.

rub

Steep Elecampane root (50 g) with vodka (125 ml) for a few weeks.The mixture should be applied to painful joints.

Leave the Angelica sinensis (15g) for half an hour and pour boiling water.The filtered solution must be applied to the affected area 3-5 times a day.

herbal bath

You can add various herbal decoctions and infusions to a tub filled with water.Knowledgeable people noted that baths with decoctions of mustard, hay powder, mint and burdock had special effects.Such baths should be performed before the body is completely evaporated, and then after rubbing the joints, the patient needs to lie down and cover himself with a warm blanket so that the body retains heat for a longer period of time.

ointment

You'll want to add 15 grams of sweet clover, hops, and St. John's wort to regular petroleum jelly.The resulting mixture should be rubbed into the joint area regularly.