Polyosteoarthrosis: types, development risks and treatment methods

Malykhin

Sergey Aleksandrovich

11 years of experience

First qualification category

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Polyarthritis means multiple inflammation of the joints. It can develop in different parts of the body at the same time. The disease disrupts the functioning of cartilage, tendons and ligaments, and also provokes unbearable pain and inflammation in the muscles.

The disease can exist in chronic or acute form. In the acute form, the disease progresses rapidly and is characterized by severe symptoms. In the second case, the picture is more blurred, but the patient runs a high risk of remaining disabled. How not to miss the first symptoms of this disease and what to do if they are detected?

Symptoms of polyarthritis

Signs of polyarthritis of the joints manifest themselves through:

• constriction, internal stiffness;
• multiple swellings (in the area of ​​three or more joints);
• thickening of the limbs;
• the appearance of pain when trying to squeeze or squeeze the affected area of ​​the body;
• shortness of breath, development of bronchitis, difficulty swallowing food (with affected laryngeal joints);
• hyperthermia;
• malaise;
• redness;
• swelling;
• small dislocations of the cervical vertebrae, pinching blood vessels, nerve roots, and spinal cord.

Symptoms of polyarthritis are typical not only for adults, but also for children. In this case, not only the child’s joints begin to suffer, but also poorly formed internal organs.

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What is polyosteoarthrosis?

Polyosteoarthrosis (polyarthrosis)

is a chronic disease of the joints of the musculoskeletal system of the human body, leading to deformation of bone tissue or disruption, gradual loss of joint mobility.

The pathological condition under consideration is a representative of the varieties of pathologies of the “osteochondrosis” group, but at the same time it has a striking distinctive feature - the number of focal lesions (more than three). However, despite this, the causes, symptoms and treatment of diseases of the general group are almost the same.

During the development of the disease, destruction of articular and adjacent bone tissues is observed. Activation of the compensatory function of the body causes the accumulation of calcium salts in elastic tissues, which significantly reduces their elasticity and mobility, thus forming new bone formations.

Risk factors

A common cause of polyarthritis of the hands or other parts of the body is a genetic factor. That is, the disease is inherited. At a certain point, the immune system begins to attack the cartilage, destroying it and surrounding tissue. As a result, inflammation and further irreversible processes occur.

It should be clarified that even if there is a genetic predisposition, not all people become victims of such an unpleasant disease. For its “launch” to occur, a confluence of certain circumstances is necessary. They may be:

• injuries;
• lack of vital vitamins;
• obesity;
• diseases of the endocrine system;
• stress;
• exposure to toxins and allergens;
• respiratory tract infections.

Epidemiology of ARF

Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are called diseases of poverty and economic disadvantage. Complications caused by GABHS are the leading cause of death from cardiovascular disease in people under 50 years of age living in developing countries. ARF can occur at any age.

Worldwide, there are approximately 470,000 new cases of ARF and 275,000 deaths associated with rheumatic heart disease each year.

Most often, ARF occurs in children aged 5 to 15 years. ARF develops in 0.5-3% of cases if GABHS pharyngitis is not treated.

Classification

There are several types of polyarthritis:

• rheumatoid;
• infectious;
• crystal;
• psoriatic;
• reactive;
• destructive.

Rheumatic arthritis occurs most often among other types of disease. It is extremely dangerous and can lead to disability. Women are more susceptible to it. The disease occurs against the background of a severe weakening of the immune system. It attacks the hands, feet, destroys blood vessels, heart, kidneys. The synovial cavity with fluid accumulation becomes larger. The patient feels pain, fever and stiffness of movement.

Infectious polyarthritis occurs against the background of a pathogenic microorganism that enters the joints through the blood. With this disease, pus often forms. If measures are not taken in time, the patient will completely lose mobility of the affected joints.

Psoriatic polyarthritis appears against the background of the underlying cause - psoriasis - no earlier than six months later. Most often, this type of disease affects the feet of patients over 45 years of age. The peak of pain occurs in the morning. All movements become constrained, especially after prolonged sleep or rest.

Polyarthritis of the shoulder joint, fingers, and hands is also common. It can be triggered by severe hypothermia, domestic or industrial injuries, as well as tight, uncomfortable shoes or clothing. The bones in the legs and arms literally begin to stick out, taking on an unnatural appearance.

Types of polyosteoarthrosis

Today, there are several types of polyosteoarthrosis of the joints. Let's try to understand their features and define the classical classification of the disease in international medicine.

Based on external signs characterizing the condition of the joints of the musculoskeletal system, there are two main forms of polyosteoarthrosis:

1. knotless;
2. nodular (visually noticeable thickening, the so-called “Bouchard or Heberden nodes”).

Based on the characteristics of the course of the pathological condition and the degree of its intensity, osteoarthritis is classified somewhat differently:

1. low-symptomatic – characteristic mainly of young people, it is practically asymptomatic. Instead of the characteristic soreness, a cramp in the calf muscles may be observed, as well as a change in the appearance of the fingers;
2. manifest – a slowly progressive form, the intensity of symptoms in which is determined by the patient’s level of health. Moderate pain may be experienced (as the weather changes, when performing various movements, etc.)

Diagnostics

To make sure that the patient really has polyarthritis of the joints, and not a disease with similar symptoms, the doctor prescribes a differential diagnosis. During it, those diseases that can be confused with polyarthritis are gradually eliminated.

Diagnosis consists of a medical examination, as well as:

• x-ray;
• MRI or CT;
• general blood test;
• general urine analysis;
• histological examination of joint tissue samples;
• arthrography.

Based on the data obtained, treatment for polyarthritis is prescribed.

What is the true danger for a patient with such a diagnosis?

Diagnosed polyarthrosis signals serious disorders occurring in the human body. In most cases, the disease develops in the presence of other pathological conditions, which indicates a not very favorable prognosis, unlike other types of osteochondrosis (elbow, knee or hip joint).

The true danger of lack of control over degenerative-dystrophic processes lies in the limited mobility of the limbs and spine. If left untreated, the joint tissues wear out greatly, which causes intense pain to the person.

A large number of lesions of articular and bone lesions can lead to irreversible consequences and cause a significant deterioration in a person’s quality of life, namely, obtaining the status of “disabled” and the inability to self-care.

Treatment

How to treat polyarthritis? First you need to understand and eliminate the disease that caused the disease. It could be psoriasis, a viral infection or gout, for example. Treatment of polyarthritis of the joints also necessarily includes anti-inflammatory therapy, against the background of which severe pain should disappear. In addition, the patient needs to strengthen his immunity and the body’s resistance to infections and viruses.

Physiotherapy has a good effect on the affected areas:

• acupuncture;
• acupressure;
• manual sessions;
• pharmacopuncture.

How to test pain in the hip joint?

The hip joint is called a multiaxial formation, which includes the head of the femoral bone tissue and the acetabulum, which allows the joint to perform the following movements:

• flexion and extension due to the frontal axial position;
• The sagittal axis allows the joint to be moved to the side and returned to its original position;
• implementation of pronation and supination of the hip joint - tilt and rotate outward. A vertical axis allows you to perform these actions.

The spherical surface, similar in anatomical structure to the hinge mechanism, allows you to perform circular movements of the hip.

The main difficulty of clinical diseases of the hip joint is the similarity in symptomatic painful manifestations with other pathologies affecting vital organs. These pathologies manifest themselves as painful manifestations in the lower extremities, lower back or sacroiliac joint tissue.

There are some simple tests that can help identify hip joint pathologies:

• Lie on your back and bend your leg at the knee joint. If, during the process of aggravating compressive pressure on the articular tissue of the knee in the inner part of the thigh, acute pain appears in the groin area, it means that there have been disturbances in the functionality of the hip joint. As the movement increases with the help of internal rotation of the femoral surface, the painful manifestations increase, which ultimately leads to pinching of the tissues in the hip joint in the front.
• Place the back of your hand on the groin area and press firmly. If a clinical disease exists in the joint tissue, acute pain can be felt.
• We find a trochanter in the hip joint and put pressure on it; if such actions are accompanied by painful manifestations, this may indicate the development of trochanteritis.

If you seek specialized help in a timely manner, it is possible to identify hip disease, and this will also allow you to correctly diagnose the pathology and prescribe the correct therapy.

Home treatment methods

When treating polyarthritis, a diet is prescribed. Every extra kilogram of weight increases the load on the joints, causing the disease to actively progress. To eliminate the disease it is necessary:

• take medications;
• perform therapeutic exercises;
• take massage courses;
• use traditional medicine recipes.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory tablets are used as medications. They eliminate fever, pain, swelling and redness. Anti-inflammatory drugs can also be injected and applied in the form of ointments.

If the infection spreads and pus forms, an additional course of antibiotics is added. They can be administered intravenously, intramuscularly or directly into the joint cavity.

Chondroprotectors, immunomodulators, and preparations with calcium D3 are used in treatment.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The patient’s lifestyle and compliance with the specialist’s recommendations are of great importance. During remission, you can attend courses of therapeutic exercises or massage. If you want to do physical therapy at home, you should consult a specialist and put together a set of exercises.

Massage can be performed in several ways. The first element is represented by carefully massaging the diseased areas in a circular motion. You can clasp the sore arm from above, placing the other on it. Stroking is carried out from the nails to the palm. In this case, the joints will not be affected. Rubbing sore joints should be done after receiving permission from a doctor. To perform this task, rotational movements are used.

Diet is an important component of treatment. It is necessary to limit the intake of harmful products, which especially applies to fast food chains. Salty foods and smoked products are excluded from the diet. The same fate must surely befall sweet and pickled foods. It can lead to an exacerbation of the disease, so it is not worth risking your well-being. The situation is similar with coffee and energy drinks. Carbonated drinks should be avoided.

It is recommended to include the following components in the menu:

1. Dairy products.
2. Greenery.
3. Fruits.
4. Vegetables.

It is useful to eat not only vegetables and fruits, but also seafood, eggs, poultry and buckwheat. Fish is good for bones, and among vegetables and fruits, preference should be given to the following products:

• apples;
• lingonberries;
• pumpkin;
• onion;
• cranberries

It is important to prevent the disease, which will avoid the appearance of polyarthritis of the fingers and its symptoms. This requires timely elimination of infections and visiting a doctor if necessary. Avoid overcooling your hands. A proper diet and physical activity help avoid not only the development of polyarthritis, but also other joint diseases.

Surgery for hip arthritis

Minimally invasive endoprosthetics in the Czech Republic: doctors, rehabilitation, terms and prices.

Find out more

Among the surgical treatment technologies today, endoprosthetics and arthroscopic synovectomy predominate. Hip replacement is primarily indicated for people with rheumatoid arthritis, preferably in the phase before the joint “locks up.” And this is stage 2 of RA. If bone ankylosis has occurred, endoprosthesis replacement surgery is also possible, although it will involve the greatest technical difficulties (separation of ankylosis and determination of the direction of femoral neck osteotomy), but quite surmountable for experienced specialists. Installation of an endoprosthesis in place of a native joint affected by severe arthritic arthrosis is the only way to return the patient’s quality of life with good functional results. Various conservative methods are ineffective for severely advanced forms of coxitis.

As for synovectomy, it is performed when the inflammatory process with the accumulation of pathological fluid persists for a long time and is not amenable to drug treatment. Chronic synovitis is treated using an arthroscopic technique, which is minimally invasive (the procedure is done through small punctures). The essence of this operation is partial or complete excision of the synovial membrane of the hip joint. Along with the removal of this tissue, the pathological cells located on it, which produced a large amount of complement and immunoglobulins responsible for tissue inflammation, are also removed.

Note that with the help of arthroscopy, in case of acute purulent pathogenesis, a puncture and washing of the articular cavity can be performed, followed by the introduction of antibiotics or antiseptics into it

Causes

The etiology of arthritis of the hip joint is very different. A special group of diseases consists of lesions of various origins in childhood and adolescence. They are united under the common name “juvenile idiopathic arthritis” (JIA), where the term “idiopittic” means unspecified origin. This includes both truly unspecified arthritis and rheumatoid, psoriatic and other arthritis in children under 16 years of age. Very often at this age the disease occurs with the development of hip arthritis.

Another reason for the development of hip arthritis is a specific infection - tuberculosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, brucellosis. Infectious hip arthritis in adults most often develops with gonorrhea, in children and adolescents - with tuberculosis.

Nonspecific infection (mostly coccal) can also cause arthritis of the hip joint. The inflammatory process usually develops against the background of open injuries during wounds, surgical interventions and intra-articular manipulations. The process often becomes purulent and requires surgical treatment.

In rheumatoid arthritis, coxitis rarely develops, but it is often one of the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune disease that affects the spine and large joints.

Quite often, the cause of the development of hip arthritis is chronic intestinal diseases and some other diseases of the internal organs. Reactive hip arthritis is quite rare.

Read more about which joints are affected by reactive arthritis here.

Very often, patients with coxitis have a hereditary burden - close relatives suffering from similar diseases. Triggering factors for the onset of the disease are: past infections, hypothermia, stress, heavy physical activity, bad habits.

General clinical recommendations

To avoid relapses of hip arthritis and forget about pain, patients are recommended to:

• lead an active healthy lifestyle;
• Healthy food;
• get rid of excess weight and bad habits - smoking and alcohol abuse;
• do exercise therapy every day; Swimming is especially beneficial;
• avoid heavy physical activity, hypothermia and stress;
• carefully treat all acute and chronic diseases;
• take courses of anti-relapse therapy several times a year as prescribed by a doctor.

How not to get sick

The hip joints should be especially taken care of by persons with a family history and who have relatives with a similar pathology. To do this, you need to avoid any factors that provoke the disease: infections, hypothermia, stress. It is also necessary to move more, engage in feasible sports to strengthen the muscles of the back and lower extremities, and also maintain normal body weight.

What to eat

Meals should be varied and regular. It is worth limiting: spicy seasonings, fried, fatty, smoked foods, alcohol, sweets - all this can provoke inflammatory processes in the joints.

Which doctor should I contact?

If your city has a small clinic, if you suspect polyarthritis, you should contact a therapist. He must conduct the first examination, write out directions for tests and send to a rheumatologist or orthopedist. A traumatologist, immunologist, infectious disease specialist or surgeon is also involved in the examination and treatment, depending on the type of polyarthritis.

ADVICE! In large cities, you can find a special arthrologist and immediately begin treating the disease with him.