Deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint is a common pathology, especially in elderly patients. The disease is chronic and develops rapidly. It is diagnosed equally often in patients of both sexes. Due to degenerative disorders, damage 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 to the shoulder joint and inflammatory processes that develop in it. The cartilage tissue gradually becomes thinner, microcracks appear on it, where salt deposits accumulate. Then destructive processes gradually affect the bones, which become denser, grow and ultimately change their anatomical shape. The disease develops over a long period without causing discomfort to a person in the initial stages of the disease. In fact, this is where its danger lies. Let's dwell in more detail on the causes, symptoms, as well as how and with what to treat deforming arthrosis.
Why does pathology occur?
Among the causes of osteoarthritis in the shoulder joint, experts mention the following conditions and factors.
Traumatic injuries
Shoulder injuries include intra-articular fractures, dislocations and bruises. Fracture is characterized by the fact that the fracture line is located in the articulation cavity. In addition to the bone, it also affects the cartilage, causing additional damage: ligaments are torn, the capsule is damaged.
Shoulder dislocation is one of the most common injuries that often leads to complications, joint deformation and the development of osteoarthritis. As a result, the joint may completely lose mobility.
Dislocations of the right shoulder are observed more often in right-handers and of the left in left-handers.
Bruises occur as a result of a strong impact, for example due to an accident, fall or sports. Due to a bruise, the bones are not displaced, the cartilage tissue is not destroyed, but its normal nutrition is disturbed, which can also lead to post-traumatic arthrosis.
Increased load
Excessive loading of the shoulder joint is observed in some groups of people:
- Professional athletes: volleyball players, tennis players, athletes.
- Builders, plasterers, loaders.
- Dachnikov.
They all have to make the same type of movement with their raised hand for a long time. Therefore, they experience microcracks and injuries, sprained ligaments, muscles are overloaded and the function of the blood vessels is disturbed. The joint lacks 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 provoke 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 swells and begins to hurt. Most often, this problem is observed in connection with shoulder injury. If synovitis is not treated, there is a high likelihood of complications. The disease is treated with therapeutic agents. Pain is relieved by NSAIDs. In addition, the patient will undergo a puncture to pump out the fluid that has 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. Triggered by injury or genetics, it is characterized by bone cells starting 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 cope with pain. The use of medication is supplemented with physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy.
Heredity, 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 tissues of the joint and then shoulder arthrosis.
If a person has a lack of collagen, this will also provoke the development of pathology.
The probability of developing shoulder arthrosis is much higher in those people whose relatives had similar problems, including coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, because underdevelopment of cartilage tissue is inherited.
Blood vessel diseases
The condition in which the probability of arthrosis in the shoulder joint increases is considered to be various disturbances in the functioning of the 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, reduced appetite and insomnia. One of the most common complications of physical inactivity is cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis. The disease is treated conservatively; it is also necessary to follow a diet and exercise therapy.
- Obliterative endarteritis. The pathology occurs due to reduced blood circulation, which results in a lack of oxygen supply to the tissue of the vessel. Their performance is thus limited and then they die out.
- Poor nutrition and insufficient physical activity are conditions for overweight and impaired metabolism, which leads to difficult blood circulation in the joint tissues. The result of the process is the development of osteoarthritis.
- Varicose veins, where the blood flow in the vessels is slowed 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 that causes destructive tendencies in joint tissue.
- The changes that occur in a woman's body due to menopause are characterized by metabolic disturbances. 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 consequence of these processes is possible arthrosis of the joints.
- Psoriasis is a chronic non-infectious pathology caused by various reasons (stress, reduced immunity, reduced metabolism, 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 osteoarthritis due to arthritis. It occurs due to excess accumulation of uric acid in the form of small crystals in the joints. Signs of pathology include joint swelling and pain. Externally, their manifestation can be noted at the time of paroxysmal exacerbation of gout. Most often this happens at night. The shoulder feels warm and the skin turns red. In an advanced situation, arthritis can become a provoking factor for the development of pathology. To avoid complications, arthritis must be treated with medication, not forgetting diet and exercise therapy.
- Decreased immunity can be the cause of arthrosis due to exacerbation of inflammatory processes in the joint cavities.
Decreased metabolism
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 in the joint, which in turn causes degenerative-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 arthrosis after the age of 50 increases sharply.
Most 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. At first it shows practically nothing, but at later stages of development the following symptoms are observed.
- Shoulder pain. Its character, which most often aches, pulls, bothers a person in the morning after a night's sleep. May occur before a change in weather. If physical activity is necessary on the affected shoulder, the pain becomes intense and pronounced. As the situation worsens, the pain syndrome manifests itself at rest. Wearing an orthosis helps to solve the problem.
- Decreased motor activity of the affected arm occurs due to severe pain. Aggravation often occurs due to hypothermia or sprained ligaments. The patient cannot lift the arm or perform the usual movements. He experiences excruciating pain when he makes circular movements in the shoulder or tries to move his arm behind his back. If treatment is not started in time, complete immobilization of the upper limbs may occur.
- The crunch and creak in the joint is not very noticeable at first and can hardly be felt. Later they become intense and can be heard not only by the patient, but also by people around him.
- Inflammation in the joint is manifested by oedema, swelling, local increase in skin temperature and redness.
- The feeling of hardening of the joint is due to the growth of bone tissue - osteophytes, which appear if the disease is advanced.
Development of the disease
The disease goes through three stages in its development. The symptoms of each stage are similar, however they differ markedly in intensity.
Osteoarthritis 1st degree
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint 1st degree is characterized by light pain in the morning and evening. The patient "develops" the joint with effort before performing movements. A slight crunch in the shoulder is possible if a person jerks the hand vigorously. At rest, no pain is felt.
Second degree
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint of the 2nd degree is manifested by more severe pain, a crunching sound in the shoulder is clearly audible. The mobility of the hand is still preserved, but is already noticeably reduced. The destructive process is already present, the tissues of the joint gradually become thinner, and dystrophy is observed. Ligaments, cartilage and bones are affected. Wearing a special orthopedic device - an orthosis or bandage - helps reduce the intensity of pain.
Osteoarthritis 3 degrees
The third degree of the disease is the most serious. Symptoms of osteoarthritis significantly change a person's quality of life. The patient is only able to turn his arm slightly, he experiences constant acute pain in the shoulder, and deformation of the joint is observed. The muscles partially atrophy. The problem is solved with surgery. In its absence, complete immobility and disability are likely.
Treatment
It is completely impossible to cure arthrosis deformans. You can only slow down its development and affect 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 medicines.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The main goal at this stage of treatment is to relieve inflammation and pain. The drugs suppress inflammatory processes and relieve pain. It is important to remember that NSAIDs are used for a limited period of 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 and thereby stop the development of pathology.
- Chondroprotectors for arthrosis are prescribed in the non-acute stage to restore damaged cartilage and bone tissue. These drugs are based on different active substances: 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 be expected only in the initial stages of the disease, becauseFor their action, the main condition is necessary - cartilage tissue must remain in the affected joint. Otherwise, these medications will not help. All these medicines are prescribed by a doctor. You can expect positive results from their use at the earliest after six months of use.
- External agents (ointments, gels, creams) are also widely used to treat 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 arthrosis include exercise therapy, massage and traditional medicine. A prerequisite for these methods is that they cannot be used during an exacerbation period.
With shoulder arthrosis, physiotherapy can significantly alleviate the patient's condition. In the set of exercises, choose simple movements (circular movements, lifting, bending-extension of the arm). Gymnastics is performed at a calm pace, without overloading.
Self-treatment
For treatment at home, you can use folk recipes. But their use must be agreed with the attending physician.
- Rubbing the sore joint helps a lot with osteoarthritis. The rub is made from 50 g of elecampane root and 125 ml of vodka. The tincture is left for two weeks in a dark place, after which it is used to rub the shoulder before going to bed.
- Oatmeal compresses are easy to make yourself. Take 30 g of flakes perhalf a liter of water and boil for 8-10 minutes. The decoction is moistened with gauze folded several times, then applied to the affected joint for half an hour.
- You can use cabbage leaves as a compress (at night). They handle pain well.
- Herbal baths are recommended for the treatment of osteoarthritis deformans. Mustard, mint and burdock are used to prepare them.
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, like any other joint disease, cannot be ignored. Its treatment must be approached comprehensively, follow the doctor's order: take medicine in a disciplined way, carry out a complex of exercise therapy. To prevent osteoarthritis, you should not overexert your joints, avoid overcooling and watch your diet.