Symptoms and treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint

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 of the shoulder joint and inflammatory processes that develop in it. Cartilage tissue gradually becomes thinner, microcracks appear on it, where salt deposits accumulate. Then the destructive processes gradually affect the bones, which become denser, grow and eventually change their anatomical shape. The disease progresses over a long period of time, without causing any discomfort to a person in the initial stages of the disease. In fact, therein lies its danger. Let's take a closer look at the causes, symptoms, as well as how and with what to treat deforming arthrosis.

Why does pathology arise?

Among the causes of arthrosis of the shoulder joint, experts list the following conditions and factors.

Traumatic injuries

Shoulder injuries include intra-articular fractures, dislocations and contusions. Fractures are characterized by the fact that the fracture line is located in the joint cavity. In addition to bone, it also affects cartilage, causing additional injuries: ligaments are torn, the capsule is damaged.

Dislocation of the shoulder is one of the most common injuries that often leads to complications, joint deformation and the development of arthrosis. As a result, the joint can completely lose mobility.

Dislocations of the right shoulder are more often observed in right-handed people, and of the left shoulder in left-handed people.

Bruises occur as a result of a strong impact, for example from an accident, fall or playing sports. Due to the bruise, the bones do not move, the cartilage tissue is not destroyed, but its normal nutrition is disturbed, which can also lead to post-traumatic arthrosis.

Increased workload

Excessive loading of the shoulder joint is observed in some groups of people:

• Professional athletes: volleyball players, tennis players, athletes.
• Builders, plasterers, loaders.
• Dachnikov.

Everyone has to make the same kind of movement with their raised hand for a long time. Because of this, microcracks and injuries occur, ligaments are stretched, muscles are overstrained, and the work of 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 may occur.

Joint pathologies

Some joint pathologies can cause 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 starts to hurt. Most often, this problem occurs in connection with a shoulder injury. If synovitis is not treated, there is a high probability of complications. The disease is treated with therapeutic means. Pain is relieved with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In addition, the patient will undergo a puncture to pump out the fluid accumulated inside the joint. Then the shoulder is 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: shoulder swelling and severe pain in the joints.
• Bone necrosis also causes osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint. Triggered by injury or genetics, it is characterized by the fact that bone cells begin to die. Medicine offers therapeutic or surgical correction of the condition depending on the stage of the disease and the individual characteristics of the organism. Chondroprotectors restore bone tissue, and NSAIDs help cope with pain. The use of drugs is complemented by physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy.

Hereditary, 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 joint tissue, and subsequently shoulder arthrosis.

If a person has a lack of collagen, this will also cause the development of pathology.

The probability of developing shoulder arthrosis is much higher in those people whose relatives had similar problems, including coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, and underdevelopment of cartilage tissue is hereditary.

Diseases of blood vessels

The condition under 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 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 are cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. The disease is treated conservatively, it is necessary to follow a diet and exercise therapy.
• Obliterating endarteritis. The pathology is caused by disturbed blood circulation, which results in a lack of oxygen supply to the vessel tissue. So their effect is limited and then they die off.
• Poor nutrition and insufficient physical activity are conditions for obesity and impaired metabolism, which leads to impaired blood circulation in the tissues of the joints. The result of the process is the development of arthrosis.
• Varicose veins, in which the blood flow in the vessels slows down, is also one of the conditions that causes degenerative changes in the joints.

Hormonal imbalance and weakened immunity

Disturbed hormonal levels and reduced immunity can become a factor that causes destructive tendencies in joint tissues.

• Changes that occur in the female body due to 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 consequence of these processes is possible arthrosis of the joints.
• Psoriasis is a chronic non-infectious pathology caused by various reasons (stress, decreased immunity, metabolic disorder, etc. ). The disease is systemic, so under certain conditions it can affect not only the skin, but also internal organs, bones and joints.
• Men often suffer from arthrosis due to gout. It is caused by excessive 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 observed at the time of paroxysmal exacerbation of gout. Most often it happens at night. The shoulder is hot and the skin becomes red. In an advanced situation, gout can become a provoking factor for the development of pathology. To avoid complications, gout must be treated with medication, not forgetting diet and exercise therapy.
• Decreased immunity can be the cause of arthrosis due to the worsening of inflammatory processes in the joint cavities.

Metabolic disorder

The lack of intake of various vitamins and microelements in the body (especially calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D) often causes a lack of nutrition in the intra-articular fluid, cartilage and bone tissue of 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 arthrosis.

Age-related changes

With age, bones and cartilage become thinner and weaker. The probability of developing shoulder arthrosis increases sharply after 50 years.

Most often, arthrosis of the shoulder is observed due to exposure to a complex of the above-mentioned conditions.

Symptoms

Deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint is characterized as a disease that develops gradually over a long period of time. In the beginning, it shows practically nothing, however, in the later stages of development, the following symptoms are observed.

1. Shoulder pain. Its character, most often painful, twitching, bothers a person in the morning, after a night's rest. It may appear before the weather changes. If physical activity is required on the affected shoulder, the pain becomes intense and pronounced. As the situation worsens, the pain syndrome manifests itself even at rest. Wearing orthotics helps to solve the problem.
2. Impaired motor activity of the affected arm is caused by severe pain. Exacerbation often occurs due to hypothermia or stretched ligaments. The patient cannot raise his arm or perform normal movements. He experiences excruciating pain when he makes circular movements in his shoulder or tries to move his arm behind his back. If therapy is not started in time, complete immobilization of the upper limbs may occur.
3. Creaking and grinding in the joint are not very noticeable at first and may be barely noticeable. Later they become intense and can be heard not only by the patient, but also by the people around him.
4. Inflammation in the joint is manifested by edema, swelling, local increase in skin temperature and redness.
5. The feeling of joint stiffness is caused by growths of bone tissue - osteophytes, which manifests itself if the disease is advanced.

Disease development

The disease goes through three stages in its development. The symptoms in each stage are similar to each other, however, they differ significantly in intensity.

Arthrosis of the 1st degree

Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint of the 1st degree is characterized by mild pain in the morning and in the evening. The patient "develops" the wrist with effort before performing the movement. A slight crunch in the shoulder is possible if the person suddenly jerks the arm. At rest, no pain is felt.

Second degree

Arthrosis of the shoulder joint of the 2nd degree is manifested by stronger pain, a crunching 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, the tissues of the joint gradually become thinner, and dystrophy is observed. Ligaments, cartilage and bones are affected. Wearing a special orthopedic device - orthosis or bandage - helps to reduce the intensity of pain.

Arthrosis 3 degrees

The third stage of the disease is the most severe. Symptoms of arthrosis significantly change a person's quality of life. The patient can only slightly turn the arm, constantly feels acute pain in the shoulder, and joint deformation is also observed. Muscles partially atrophy. The problem is solved by surgery. In its absence, complete immobility and disability are likely.

Treatment

It is completely impossible to cure deforming arthrosis. You can only slow down its progression 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 groups of drugs.

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The main goal in this phase 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 in the form of injections.
• Treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint includes the use of corticosteroids. They help relieve inflammation, which stops the development of pathology.
• Chondroprotectors for arthrosis are prescribed in the non-acute phase 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, because the main condition is necessary for their effect - the cartilage tissue must remain in the affected joint. Otherwise, these drugs will not help. All these medicines are prescribed by a doctor. You can expect positive results from their use only after six months of use.
• External means (ointments, gels, creams) are also widely used in the treatment of arthrosis.
• Analgesics also relieve pain and are used inconsistently.

Operation

The operation is performed in the third stage of pathology development. It consists of a prosthetic replacement of the shoulder and scapula. Surgical treatment has contraindications, most often the elderly patients.

The decision on how to treat arthrosis of the shoulder joint will be made 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 cannot be used during the period of exacerbation.

In shoulder arthrosis, physical therapy can significantly ease the patient's condition. In the set of exercises, you must choose simple movements (circular movements, lifting, flexion-extension of the arm). Gymnastics is performed at a calm pace, without overloading.

Self-healing

For treatment at home, you can use folk recipes. But their use must be agreed with the attending physician.

• Rubbing a painful joint helps a lot with arthrosis. The massage is prepared from 50 g of elecampan root and 125 ml of vodka. The tincture is left for two weeks in a dark place, and then it is used to rub the shoulders before going to bed.
• Oatmeal compresses are easy to make yourself. Take 30 g of flakes per half liter of water and boil for 8-10 minutes. The decoction is moistened with gauze folded several times, and then applied to the affected joint for half an hour.

• You can use cabbage leaves as a poultice (at night). They cope well with pain.
• Herbal baths are recommended for the treatment of arthrosis deformans. Mustard, mint and thistle are used for their preparation.

Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, like any other joint disease, cannot be ignored. Its treatment should be approached comprehensively, follow the doctor's orders: take medicines in a disciplined manner, carry out a complex of exercise therapy. To prevent arthrosis, you should not overexert your joints, avoid catching a cold and watch your diet.