shoulder joint

The shoulder joint is one of the most fragile joints in the human skeleton. This is because the joint structure is quite complex and the fixation with the scapula is weak. Shoulders are put under a lot of stress on a daily basis while performing household or work responsibilities. If damage occurs, metabolic processes are disrupted and tissues wear down with age – and cartilage tissue begins to show dystrophic changes. This pathology is called shoulder osteoarthritis.Grade IV pathology is diagnosed based on the presentation and extent of damage to the glenohumeral joint. There is also a distinction between acute and chronic shoulder arthritis. If treatment is not timely or poor, the joints will continue to deform and collapse, eventually leading to significant limitation of upper limb function and loss of mobility.Today, only Grade 1 shoulder joints can be completely healed. But this does not mean that we can give up and take no measures for pathologies of grade 2 and above. Comprehensive, adequate treatment of the shoulder joint with medication or surgery can help slow the destruction of the joint, preserve at least some mobility in the arm and shoulder, and prevent disability.

symptoms and causes

Shoulder joint deformity is not something that can be accomplished in a day. At first, the changes were small. Cartilage gradually loses elasticity under the influence of various factors - these may be age-related changes or disruptions in tissue metabolic processes. Microcracks appear on its surface, in which calcium salts accumulate. Then it becomes weak, fragile, and begins to crumble.Often this process is accompanied by inflammation, which also spreads to surrounding muscle, connective tissue, and bone tissue. This mainly manifests as pain - mild at first. They then become more intense and never go away in advanced stages, which can significantly reduce a person's performance and quality of life.The main causes of DOA in the shoulder joint are as follows:

• Atherosclerosis and other chronic blood vessel-related diseases result in impaired blood circulation to the cartilage tissue in the shoulder.
• Autoimmune chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
• Endocrine system dysfunction (diabetes).
• Congenital shoulder joint anomalies, infant birth injuries, and other injuries that lead to pathological deformation and dysfunction of limbs.
• Acquired lesions of joint structures after injury or accident, failed surgery, including inflammation caused by arthritis, synovitis, osteoporosis, etc.

In addition, there are some predisposing factors, under the influence of which the risk of shoulder joint disease increases several times. These include:

• Occupational activities in which the shoulder joint is subjected to heavy loads day after day for many years - shoulder arthrosis is rightly called a disease of plasterers, painters and loaders;
• Sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity - lack of exercise, slowed blood circulation, joint tissues do not get the nutrients they need and begin to atrophy;
• Overweight – often in combination with pre-existing factors; obesity can prevent a person from being active and joints can be put under additional stress from increased weight;
• genetic predisposition;
• Older adults – About 80% of people over the age of 70 show symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Most often, when examining and interviewing patients, doctors will identify a combination of illnesses and predisposing factors. Typical patients diagnosed with shoulder osteoarthritis are men or women over 50 years old, engaged in heavy manual labor, overweight, and suffering from other chronic diseases (diabetes, arterial hypertension, varicose veins, knee arthritis, etc. ). In this case, lesions are more common in the right shoulder than in the left shoulder. This is because most people actively use their right hand at work and at home, except those who are congenitally left-handed.

How to recognize disease

Symptoms of shoulder arthritis may not appear for a long time. If the shoulder starts to hurt from time to time, people blame it on fatigue, take painkillers, use ointments with a warming effect, and calm down. But sooner or later, the medicines and ointments no longer help, and the pain becomes constant, severe, and bothers you at rest and at night. In addition to this symptom, the following signs indicate shoulder dystrophy:

• Visible joint swelling and deformation;
• The joint skin becomes red and the local temperature increases;
• The characteristic crunching sound in the joints. The squeaking sound that occurs when the hand is moved violently is caused by cracks in the cartilage and the accumulation of salt between the joint elements. At first, the crunching only occurred with sudden movements; it was quiet and almost inaudible. In advanced forms of the disease, the shoulders creak with every movement, a sound that can be heard by others;
• Limb movement is limited. When examining a patient, the doctor will ask him to comb his hair. This test is enough to diagnose shoulder osteoarthritis: The patient will feel severe pain, make rotational movements of the shoulder, have difficulty moving the shoulder backward, and the doctor will hear cracking and clicking sounds in the joint.

Shoulder DOA must be treated or, over time, patients will completely lose mobility and function in their upper extremities. If the process of destruction of cartilage and surrounding tissue has begun, it will not stop on its own. Here, proper nutrition, folk remedies, healthy lifestyle and exercise are not enough. To solve this problem and prevent disability, complex treatment is required using medications and physical procedures of various effects.

degree

There are several stages of shoulder DOA, each presenting differently and requiring different treatments.

• Level one.At this stage, the disease is just beginning to develop and changes in the cartilage tissue are still minimal. The main symptoms of grade 1 DOA are joint and limb weakness and periodic, persistent pain. Pain occurs after physical exertion and during prolonged, monotonous, repetitive hand movements. After a night's sleep or a long period of rest, a person will feel stiffness in the shoulder joint, but as the condition progresses, this stiffness will still disappear without medication and physical therapy - a slight warm-up is enough. If X-rays are taken at this stage, the images will not show significant changes in the joint structure, but cartilage thinning and deformation may be evident.
• second degree.Pathological processes proceed and manifest themselves more actively. A person is accustomed to the fact that his shoulders hurt after get off work, he "waits" for the pain, prepares painkillers and ointments for joint pain, from the pharmacy or homemade. Diagnostic X-rays will show noticeable changes in the joint: thinning and deformation of the cartilage, inflammation of the joint membrane. The joints may become red and swollen from time to time; they may make crunching, creaking, and clicking sounds when moved.
• Level three.The shoulder joint is constantly aching and creaking, and in order to relieve discomfort, the patient tries not to touch it or move the limb. The deformity is visually apparent; the affected shoulder differs in size and shape from a healthy one; it often becomes red and swollen, accompanied by increased pain. They cannot be removed with painkillers.

If no action is taken during the third stage of the disease, the fourth stage occurs - complete immobility of the shoulder joint and limb. In this case, there is no point in prescribing medications and physical therapy; only endoprosthetic surgery can help at least partially restore hand function. But even this is not always successful.

Remark:In medical practice, it is extremely rare to encounter grade 3 shoulder arthropathy. Typically, patients seek medical help and begin treatment as early as possible. If for some reason the patient cannot see a doctor, or if the patient lives in unfavorable social conditions and there is no qualified doctor, severe destruction of cartilage can occur against the background of extensive trauma.

How are joint diseases diagnosed and treated?

A good doctor will be able to make a preliminary diagnosis after talking to the patient and external examination. Instrumental diagnostic methods are more needed to rule out other pathologies and complications or to identify them. In order to accurately determine how severely the joint is affected and whether inflammation has occurred, the following diagnostic measures need to be performed:

• radiography;
• CT scan;
• Magnetic resonance imaging;
• In some cases, ultrasound can provide a complete picture of the condition of a joint;
• Clinical urine and blood tests - white blood cell count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate will be assessed. If they are too high, inflammatory processes can occur in the body.

The best way to treat a pathology is determined by the doctor on an individual basis, taking into account the patient's age, occupation and general condition.Traditional treatment involves the use of the following methods and techniques:

• A course of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The drug is prescribed in the form of oral tablets or powder or external ointment to eliminate the main symptoms of inflammation - pain, swelling, redness, increased body temperature.
• An anesthetic used to treat severe pain, in the form of tablets or injections. These drugs cannot be taken continuously; they do not eliminate the cause and are only used in extreme cases where the pain is unbearable.
• A course of chondroprotectants - medications that promote the recovery of cartilage tissue and prevent further destruction. They can also provide partial relief from pain, swelling, and deformity of the shoulder joint. These medications do not work immediately and need to be taken for at least 3-4 months.
• Muscle relaxant treatments - tablets or injections to relieve muscle spasms. These are optional medications in the complex treatment of osteoarthritis; they are not always prescribed.
• A course of vitamin-mineral complexes and dietary supplements containing collagen and hyaluronic acid.

Special therapeutic nutrition is also needed to increase the effectiveness of treatment, speed recovery and prevent new lesions. The patient's diet includes foods rich in vitamins B, A, C, E - fresh fruits and vegetables, cabbage of any variety, cereals, legumes. Polyunsaturated fatty acids can be obtained from marine fish and seafood. Follow a gelatin diet as gelatin helps restore the elasticity of cartilage tissue. The menu includes aspics, aspics and various jellies made from ox hooves and tails. It is useful to take pure gelatin pre-soaked in warm water.Physical therapy is the next focus in the complex treatment of shoulder osteoarthritis. They start only when the inflammatory process stops. Depending on the extent, dynamics of the disease and the effectiveness of medical treatment, doctors choose a combination of the following physical therapies:

• cryotherapy;
• acupuncture;
• electrophoresis;
• Laser Treatment;
• magnet therapy;
• mud therapy;
• Various types of massage;
• physiotherapy.

Physiotherapy procedures are designed to activate metabolic processes in joint tissues, normalize blood circulation and restore limb mobility. With their help, it is possible to reduce the number and dosage of medications taken, which is especially valuable if lesions are observed in adolescents, the elderly or lactating women.

Helpful advice:Shoulder pathologies of grade 1-2 can be treated at home with the additional use of folk remedies. Most importantly, patients do not forget to take their medications on time, nor do they skip physical procedures - only by regularly and conscientiously following all the doctor's prescriptions will the results be noticeable and long-lasting.

If conservative treatments fail, doctors are forced to perform surgery. The remains of the damaged joint will be removed and a prosthesis implanted in its place. This intervention is not uncommon but requires highly qualified doctors, precision and attention at every stage. Additionally, implants do not always take root well, and the recovery period after surgery can take at least six months. Therefore, if you notice that your shoulder begins to experience frequent pain, pulling, numbness, or if you hear a crunching sound when moving, do not put off seeing a doctor, get it checked out promptly, and start treatment if necessary.Shoulder arthritis is a fairly common pathology of the musculoskeletal system, mainly occurring in people over 50 years old. The pathology gradually develops, and under the influence of adverse factors, the joint structure begins to collapse, manifesting as joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. In the early stages, the progression of the disease can be halted with a combination of treatments including medications, vitamin supplements, dietary therapy, and physical therapy. Advanced osteoarthritis can only be treated with surgery.