Prevention of arthritis: how to prevent the development of the disease

Joint pain is the most common type of chronic pain. At least half of city residents over 18 years of age suffer from pain syndrome associated with pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, primary prevention of joints must be carried out from a very early age. And if there is discomfort in the joints or has already been diagnosed, pay attention to the secondary prevention of joint pain.

Who should think about joint prevention?

Prevention of joint arthrosis and arthritis is of particular importance for:

• women over 45 and men over 55 who experience age-related hormonal changes;
• persons who are promiscuous (at any age);
• those whose relatives have similar diseases (hereditary factor);
• allergy sufferers;
• people who have suffered serious injuries or surgical interventions in the joints;
• overweight persons;
• patients with congenital and acquired anomalies of the musculoskeletal system (for example, poor posture, flat feet);
• workers whose professional activities involve increased stress on the joints (office workers, loaders, dancers, athletes, drivers and others).

Women get sick, on average, 2 times more often than men. Prevention of arthritis and arthrosis of the knee, wrist and interphalangeal joints is especially important for them.

At risk for polyarthritis and polyarthrosis (i.e., diseases affecting more than 4 joints) are people who:

• suffered severe infections, poisoning, frostbite and burns;
• suffer from intense allergic reactions or chronic stress;
• have endocrine and metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus, gout);
• have a hereditary predisposition (for example, to rheumatoid arthritis and genetic problems with collagen synthesis).

Also, people with diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, respiratory tract, chronic infectious diseases (for example, tonsillitis), and kidneys need prevention of arthritis and arthrosis of the joints.

General prevention of arthritis and arthrosis

Primary (before the first symptoms appear) prevention of joint diseases involves following simple rules:

1. Balance your diet. It should contain not only vitamins and minerals, but also essential amino acids and antioxidants. Some diseases that lead to joint damage are not without reason called “nutritional diseases” (for example, gout). The right diet to prevent joint pain will help delay the onset of symptoms, even if you have a genetic predisposition! Even if the nutrition of the cartilage is already impaired, the degenerative process in the joint can be restrained with the help of healthy food. Eat more cartilage, jelly, jellied meat. Consume vegetables and dairy products daily. Reduce the amount of sweet fruits, starches and processed foods.
2. Watch your body weight. The human musculoskeletal system is built on the principle of redistributing the load between small and large joints, so excess weight especially affects the condition of the main joints. For example, the knee joint “feels” every extra kilogram as 5. Losing weight is important for the prevention of joints and in cases where the disease has already been diagnosed - it increases the time of remission, and most importantly, helps relieve pain.
3. Maintain water-salt balance. Due to dehydration, the cardiovascular system cannot properly transport nutrients. Nutrients (vitamins, minerals and other substances) are delivered worse to the “peripheral” tissues - and cartilage is the first to suffer. After all, they are devoid of capillaries and are nourished only by synovial fluid. The less it is, the less elastic the cartilage is, and the more vulnerable it is - and therefore complete prevention of arthritis and arthrosis of the joints requires drinking at least 2 liters of water per day.
4. Give up bad habits. They force organs (especially the liver, kidneys and heart) to work “for wear and tear”. Coffee, alcohol, cigarettes and drugs dehydrate the body, disrupt metabolism, make bones brittle and reduce immunity. Because of this, cartilage dries out and cracks, and age-related joint problems begin much earlier.
5. Lead an active lifestyle. To prevent joints, you don’t need grueling workouts—daily exercise and periodic warm-ups are enough. They improve tissue nutrition and blood circulation, and also keep muscles toned, which are additional insurance for joints, which significantly reduces the shock-absorbing load on synovial cartilage.
6. Don't spread diseases. Caries, flu, “acute” adenoids - all this needs to be treated as soon as possible. Many infectious diseases tend to become chronic. And then the body will have to constantly fight the disease. If the patient is injured, there is a risk that the infection will enter the joint and provoke a purulent process. Therefore, in the presence of chronic infections, it is important to visit a traumatologist after any injury to prevent joint arthritis.
7. Follow the recommendations of orthopedists. Try to arrange your workplace comfortably. Avoid overload and learn to take the correct posture during professional and domestic activities, so that the load is distributed throughout the musculoskeletal system. If you have orthopedic diseases, perform therapeutic exercises to prevent joint diseases, use special insoles and devices. Women are not recommended to wear high-heeled shoes for long periods of time.

Diagnosis of joint arthrosis

The presence of this disease, as well as the true cause of its development, can be determined by a qualified specialist. The patient's examination should not be limited to just a blood test and x-ray. It is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study of the whole organism. To do this, the following is carried out: a patient interview (history collection) to identify previous diseases and injuries, an X-ray examination, laboratory tests, instrumental and special examinations to obtain a complete picture. Such a thorough examination of the patient is required due to the fact that quite often arthrosis of the joints can be observed against the background of diseases of the cardiovascular system, endocrine system, infectious diseases and other diseases. Having initially established the cause of the disease, the doctor will be able to choose the most correct and effective treatment specifically for this patient. This will help speed up the patient's recovery.

Secondary prevention of joint diseases

Secondary prevention of joint arthrosis and other rheumatic diseases is aimed at containing the progression of the disease, preventing complications and irreversible changes in the joint. Some joint diseases (for example, reactive arthritis) can be cured in the early stages. If time is lost, they become chronic.

Recommendations for the prevention of joint diseases are drawn up by the attending physician, taking into account the stage of the lesions, the number of joints involved, the individual characteristics and capabilities of the patient. They often include:

• special therapeutic exercises for the prevention of joint pain (daily);
• massage (in particular, using warming ointments and balms);
• orthopedic prevention of arthritis and arthrosis (use of canes, orthopedic insoles, corsets, orthoses and bandages);
• drug therapy (courses, if necessary), as well as taking chondroprotectors;
• spa treatment - if necessary;
• regular preventive examinations;
• standard preventive measures (healthy diet, weight control, protection from hypothermia, etc.).

These methods of preventing joint diseases help maintain joint mobility, prevent increased pain and the development of the inflammatory process.

How to relieve pain

Orthopedists use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as a symptomatic treatment for joint pain. Among them, the following are particularly pronounced in relation to joint pain:

• Diclofenac;
• Nimesulide;
• Ketorol;
• Ketoprofen;
• Ibuprofen.

If the pain is unbearable, you will need to contact a specialist who will install a blockade. This is a procedure that allows you to inject anesthesia into the joint itself and into the radicular zone of the nerve endings. But this solution to the problem is temporary. After 10-16 hours, the patient’s condition will return to its original position.

Correct load mode

The main enemy of joints is prolonged static loads, which cause stagnant processes in the body. Even a comfortable position, if not changed for hours, leads to the fact that the load-bearing joints are overloaded and do not receive sufficient nutrition.

When preventing arthrosis of the joints, it is important to take into account that nutrition of cartilage is possible only by alternating load and rest. Having a porous structure, it releases synovial fluid when compressed and absorbs it back in a calm state. Synovial fluid in this case plays not only the role of a lubricant, but also a nutrient solution. If cartilage is loaded for a long time, it does not receive the elements it needs. But too long a period of rest for the prevention of arthrosis is fraught - the synovial “solution” is depleted, because all this time the useful substances from it pass into the cartilage tissue. Both extremes lead to the fact that the joint “starves”, becomes fragile and inelastic, and chondrocytes (cartilage cells) begin to die. Prevention of joint diseases consists of proper alternation of rest and physical activity. This means that when working sedentarily or doing monotonous physical work, it is important to take breaks for 5-10 minutes every hour to stretch your joints and muscles.

Here are some more tips to help you prevent joint pain:

• when standing, use a low bench, periodically placing one leg or the other on it to rest;
• Make sure that when carrying heavy objects your back is straight;
• when lifting a heavy object, squat down with a straight back, and then rise using the leg muscles - this way you won’t break your back every time;
• to prevent arthrosis, use a comfortable chair with armrests for work or rest - it is advisable to choose one that can be adjusted to your height;
• read the tips for maintaining posture in schoolchildren - they will help relieve joints at any age;
• prefer hard seats to soft ones - this will make it easier for you to monitor fatigue and take a timely break to warm up to prevent arthritis of the joints;
• When driving or at your desk, stay straight and do not lean forward;
• install ergonomic headrests and lumbar bolsters in the car to reduce the shock-absorbing load on the joints due to vibration of the vehicle;
• give up running and highly traumatic sports.

To prevent arthritis and arthrosis, do swimming, walking, therapeutic exercises, do not neglect cycling - and may your joints never get sore!

Causes of joint pain

The causes of joint pain can be either mechanical or infectious. After an injury, no one is surprised by pain when moving. But when pain occurs for no obvious reason, the patient does not understand how to act to get rid of the problem.

However, a bacterial infection can cause pain. When pathogenic microorganisms penetrate the synovial fluid, they infect nearby soft tissues. An infection can get into a joint in several ways:

• As a result of prosthetics, due to poor quality sterilization of materials.
• Due to deep tissue damage due to skin infections;
• After any surgical intervention performed in violation of the rules of antiseptic treatment.

In addition to bacteria, the joint is also threatened by fungus. These microorganisms also enter the synovial fluid as a result of infection obtained during surgical interventions.

Few people associate stomach disease or bladder damage with pain in the knee or elbow joint. However, there is a connection. When the gastrointestinal tract is affected by a bacterial infection, toxins and colonies of microorganisms enter the bloodstream and move through the body with the bloodstream. Some of them settle in the joint cavity. Joint risks include:

• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• damage to the urinary system;
• venereal diseases;
• rubella;
• angina;
• Infectious mononucleosis;
• pneumonia.

This suggests that improper treatment of infectious diseases can lead to more serious consequences than one might imagine. For example, late diagnosed tonsillitis, or the patient’s refusal of prescribed antibiotics can lead to disability. This is due to the fact that streptococcus, which causes tonsillitis, is recognized by the immune system in the same way as cells from the heart valves and intra-articular tissue. If antibiotic therapy is not used as the primary treatment, the immune system itself will destroy the joint tissue while fighting the infection.

Viral infections also affect joints. These are diseases such as:

• rubella;
• hepatitis C;
• hepatitis B;
• herpes.

Humanity has not yet come up with a proven effective medicine that would fight viruses. The only exception is the drug Acyclovir, which is effective against the herpes virus. Other diseases of viral etiology can only be defeated by the human immune system. To protect yourself from infections that can destroy joint tissue, you can arm your immune system with vaccination. Vaccinations against rubella and hepatitis are included in the mandatory calendar.

Ergonomic training

Training employees on the correct ways to perform job duties in the safest manner is key to reducing employee injuries. Because retail and retail workers perform multiple repetitive tasks during a typical workday, ergonomic training can prevent employees from developing bad habits that could lead to future injuries.

From how to properly lift heavy materials to the best ways to move objects, ergonomic training provided on an ongoing basis (at least once a year) can give workers the training tools they need to stay safe on the job.