Classic shoulder arthritis is relatively rare compared to hip or knee joints, but symptoms of the disease can cause severe discomfort to patients and require comprehensive treatment.Shoulder joint disease is most common in patients over the age of fifty.Its development is associated with a deterioration in the quality of the cartilage tissue covering the joint surfaces.Cartilage acts as a shock absorber; it is thanks to it that the individual skeletal components can slide optimally within the shoulder joint.When cartilage thins and its integrity is compromised, the bones in the joint begin to contact each other.This is a painful process that results in limited joint movement.Progression of the disease leads to the formation of osteophytes—abnormal growths of bone tissue at the edges of the shoulder joint.
Causes of arthritis in shoulder joints
In the vast majority of cases, shoulder joints develop with age due to natural wear and tear on the joint.After all, the structure of this part of the body is quite complex, and if it is regularly subjected to severe stress, the likelihood of pathological changes increases.
Shoulder arthritis also occurs in young people.A similar situation may occur if the cartilage tissue is damaged in an accident (serious fall, traffic accident, etc.).If a person does not receive proper treatment after an injury, the cartilage cannot be used properly, which can lead to joint disease.
Sometimes the loss of cartilage tissue in the shoulder joint is due to systemic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
symptom
There are several typical symptoms of the shoulder joint.in:
- Shoulder pain, especially when starting to move;
- Morning stiffness, and limited movement after prolonged periods of “inactivity”;
- There is a cracking, clicking or friction sensation in the shoulder joint when moving;
- There is limited movement of the shoulder joint, which is progressive.
Sometimes shoulder joint pain only occurs after prolonged pressure on the area.The intensity of disease symptoms and their combination with each other may vary from patient to patient.However, pain often remains a stable symptom of the disease.
If you ignore unpleasant symptoms, your arm will become more painful and your condition will worsen.The joint cavity will shrink to a minimum and the inflammatory process will begin.In this case, patients suffer from more obvious symptoms of the disease:
- swelling of joints;
- Severe, ongoing pain;
- Forced restriction of movement (until the joint is completely immobile).
A longer course of the disease can lead to muscle atrophy due to refusal of daily activities.In this case, only surgery can help cope with the disease.
treat
Unfortunately, the wear and tear of cartilage tissue is an irreversible process.If the shoulder joint is in an early stage of development and symptoms are brief and mild, it is recommended that patients with shoulder joints undergo conservative treatment aimed at restoring joint function.Typically, treatment includes:
- Limit activity and cool the joint until inflammation resolves;
- Use NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to relieve pain and inflammation;
- Intra-articular administration of hormonal drugs (if the above drugs do not have the desired effect).
After suppressing the inflammatory process, treatment of arthropathy usually includes:
- massage;
- Regular gymnastics (physical therapy);
- Physiotherapy procedures (shock wave therapy, laser therapy, muscle stimulation, phonophoresis, ozone therapy, etc.).
In addition, people with shoulder arthritis often take medications designed to stimulate the recovery of cartilage tissue.These are chondroprotective drugs.
Modern methods of conservative treatment of shoulder joints
To treat destructive processes in cartilage joints, doctors can use several new techniques.
autologous plasma therapy
With this intervention, patients are injected with their own platelet-rich plasma.It is believed that growth factors present in platelets stimulate the activity of fibroblasts - the production of collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin.Through this process, a new intercellular matrix is formed and small blood vessels grow, which in turn helps restore metabolism, activate local immunity, improve microcirculation and normalize tissue respiration.According to doctors, autologous therapy can activate the full function of the joint synovium, reduce the severity of pain and increase the range of motion of the joint.
Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid
Scientists around the world are still researching the effectiveness of hyaluronic acid from non-animal sources for joint disease.In 2019, American experts (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, USA) published an article introducing preliminary research results on the effectiveness of this surgery.Hyaluronic acid has been shown to reduce pain severity over six months and increase range of motion in affected joints.
When is surgery needed?
If conservative treatment of the shoulder joint does not produce the desired results and the symptoms of the disease significantly affect the patient's quality of life, the doctor may recommend surgery to restore movement to the affected area.Today, endoprostheses – the installation of artificial joints (bioprostheses) – can solve this problem.This is a relatively new type of surgical intervention that allows you to completely eliminate joint problems: restore function to the joint and the entire upper limb, neutralize pain, and maintain performance as much as possible.