What is inflammation? Joint inflammation is one of the types of inflammation in the body. Symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment of joint inflammation.

1.What is inflammation and its causes?

Inflammation

is the process by which the body's white blood cells and certain chemicals protect us from infection and foreign microorganisms - bacteria and viruses.

In general, it turns out that inflammation is a useful protective reaction of the body. But in some diseases, such as arthritis, for example, the immune system causes an inflammatory reaction even in the case when there are simply no foreign substances whose attack needs to be repelled. Such diseases are called autoimmune diseases. As a result, the body's defense system causes damage to its own tissues. And the body perceives them as if there is an infection or some kind of pathology in healthy tissues.

Causes of inflammation and its consequences

During inflammation, chemicals from the body's white blood cells are released into the blood or affected tissues to protect the body from foreign invaders. This release of chemicals increases blood flow to the area of ​​injury or infection and can cause redness and heat production. Some chemicals cause fluid to leak into the tissue, causing swelling. The protective process can also stimulate nerves and cause pain.

Can inflammation affect internal organs?

Yes, inflammation can affect organs as part of an autoimmune disorder. The type of accompanying symptoms depends on which organs are affected. For example:

• Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) can cause shortness of breath or fluid buildup in the body;
• Inflammation of the small tubes that carry air into the lungs can also cause shortness of breath.
• Inflammation of the kidneys (nephritis) can cause high blood pressure or kidney failure.

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Arthritis stages

Determining the stage of arthritis is an important diagnostic step

, which allows you to select appropriate treatment and monitor the rate of disease progression. Experts distinguish 4 stages, depending on the severity of the symptoms of arthritis, damage to cartilage and bone tissue.

1st stage of arthritis

Arthritis can begin unnoticed by the patient himself, because most symptoms of joint arthritis appear only at the 2nd stage. Particularly attentive patients note slight stiffness in the diseased joints and slight swelling, which is not helped by reducing salt in the diet. Mild pain may be felt when flexing and extending the joint, especially sharply. Patients complain of increasing fatigue and decreased stamina.

The initial stage of disease of the knee or shoulder joint is especially insidious

- in this case, the symptoms of arthritis are usually attributed to age-related changes or fatigue after a hard day.

Parents can notice grade 1 arthritis in a child by a decrease in his activity, lack of interest in games, frequent falls and awkwardness when performing physical exercises. A sick child does not like to run, avoids physical work, is capricious and whines if he is forced to exercise.

Although difficult to diagnose, stage 1 arthritis is the most treatable

. With a late onset of the disease, the prognosis is favorable: therapy may result in complete restoration of cartilage tissue.

Stage 2 arthritis

At stage 2, the pain becomes difficult to ignore. The pain syndrome intensifies in the morning and at night and can disrupt the patient’s healthy sleep. The swelling is clearly visible from the outside, but the patient himself may notice an unusual knotty or spindle-shaped shape of the fingers, thickening of the limb (associated with the accumulation of synovial fluid) in the joint and other visual signs of inflammation. At the 2nd stage of arthritis of the leg joints, gait disturbances and pain when walking are added to the symptoms.

At stage 2, irreversible changes and erosions may appear on the synovial membrane

.
Without the use of chondroprotectors - for example, Artracam sachet
- it is quite difficult to stop or slow down the process of cartilage destruction.

Stage 3 arthritis

At stage 3, visual changes and pain become significant. The joint becomes deformed, and when performing movements there is severe stiffness and pain. The simplest everyday activities cause difficulties for the patient. Even in the absence of loads, during rest, diseased joints continue to bother the patient. At this stage, most patients partially lose their ability to work - they may be assigned a disability.

Stage 4 arthritis

At the last stage of arthritis, the affected joints completely lose mobility

.
Pain torments patients continuously, creating a serious psycho-emotional burden. At this stage, only surgical treatment is indicated, since the cartilage tissue is almost completely destroyed, and the edges of the bones begin to grow together. At stage 4, the disease is irreversible
, accompanied by loss of the ability to self-care and/or independent movement, and persistent contractures.

There are 4 stages of arthritis

To make a diagnosis and exclude similar diseases, a rheumatologist performs an initial examination, palpation (palpation) of the affected joint, as well as motor tests. At the first appointment, a medical history is taken, the patient is asked about the symptoms of arthritis, after which the specialist issues a referral for tests and hardware examinations. Among them:

• general and biochemical blood test, rheumatic factor test;
• X-ray examination (in 2 standard projections);
• puncture and analysis of synovial fluid;
• arthrography (x-ray examination with preliminary administration of a contrast agent - usually performed during an inflammatory process in the shoulder or knee joint);
• arthroscopy (insertion of a sensor directly into the joint cavity through a microincision);
• Ultrasound (for large joints such as the shoulder or hip);
• serological reactions to a pathogen or antibodies to an infectious agent.

Thus, X-ray examination helps to determine the width of the joint space, osteoporosis, proliferation of osteophytes, the presence of erosions, dislocations, subluxations, and deformities. If changes are not clearly visible or bone growths interfere with their assessment, and also if there is a need to examine soft tissues, additional computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be prescribed. Ultrasound also helps to assess the extent of the disease and the changes caused by it.

Be healthy and may arthritis pass you by!

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Symptoms of joint inflammation

Symptoms of joint inflammation may include:

• Redness;
• Joint swelling, warm to the touch;
• Joint pain;
• Loss of joint function.

Symptoms of joint inflammation can also include those sensations that are often associated with a cold - high fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, loss of appetite, muscle stiffness.

Pain is not the main symptom of an inflammatory disease

, since many organs do not have many pain-sensing nerves. And treatment of organ inflammation is aimed at addressing the cause of inflammation, whenever possible.

Visit our Rheumatology page

Causes of the disease

Inflammation of the joints of the musculoskeletal system is a pressing problem for modern people. Rheumatoid arthritis, which is a type of autoimmune disease, mainly affects people of working age after forty years, and it is five times more common in women than in men. The main causes of joint disease are considered to be:

• Genetic predisposition associated with abnormal chromosome structure. Blood relatives are four times more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis.
• Infections - viral diseases: rubella, herpes, retrovirus, Epstein-Barr. All of them are factors contributing to the development of the inflammatory process in the joints.
• Unfavorable environmental conditions: radioactive radiation, constant exposure to low temperatures, chemical pollution.
• Systematic stressful situations, emotional overload. Autoimmune arthritis in the female half of the population often occurs during pregnancy, after childbirth, abortion, and during menopause.
• Rapid increase in body weight.
• Alcohol and tobacco addiction.

All of the above factors contribute to the development of the inflammatory process, primarily in the cartilage tissue of the joints.

4. Treatment of joint inflammation

There are different methods of treating inflammatory diseases (including arthritis) - medications, rest, exercise and surgical treatment of damaged joints. The specific joint treatment regimen depends on several factors, including the type of disease, the person's age, whether the patient is taking any other medications, medical history, and the severity of symptoms.

The goal of treating inflammation may be:

• Avoiding activities that increase pain;
• Reducing pain with painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs;
• Maintaining muscle strength through physical therapy;
• Reducing stress on joints using canes, support devices, etc.;
• Control and slow down the development of the underlying disease.

Medicines to treat joint inflammation

can be very different. They help reduce swelling and pain in the joints and slow or stop the progression of inflammatory disease. The group of drugs prescribed by a doctor may include:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, ibuprofen, naprxen);
• Corticosteroids;
• Antimalarial drugs;
• Other drugs, for example - methotrexate, sulfasalazine, penicillamine, cyclophosphamide, etc.;
• Biological drugs.

Some of these drugs are traditionally used to treat other diseases. For example, cancer or inflammatory bowel disease, or to reduce the risk of transplanted organ rejection. But in this case the dosage will be much less. This means the likelihood of side effects is reduced.

In any case, no medications should be taken without first consulting a doctor. Moreover, potent medications for the treatment of joint inflammation.

Main symptoms of arthritis

Despite the different etiologies of arthritis, there are manifestations of the disease that are observed in all patients without exception. So, the main symptoms of arthritis include:

• soreness of the affected joint (can only be observed with movement or even with the slightest touch to the skin on the inflamed joint);
• swelling of the diseased joint and swelling of the periarticular tissues;
• skin hyperemia (local redness and temperature increase);
• stiffness and reduction in the range of free movements in the joint;
• crunching noise during sudden voluntary movements;
• increased fatigue and feeling of chronic fatigue;
• decreased endurance in the affected parts of the body;
• feeling of numbness, tingling, “pins and needles” next to the sore joint;
• joint deformation (in advanced cases).

At first, pain as the main symptom of arthritis may only occur when the joint is stressed (for example, lifting heavy objects) or after a long period of rest (upon waking up in the morning). Because of this, patients attribute it to an uncomfortable sleeping position, stretching or overload, without noticing the onset of the disease

.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

is a disease that has an infectious-allergic origin.
At first, the disease makes itself felt by pain and swelling in the area of ​​the interphalangeal joints of the hands
; it can also affect
the elbow
,
wrist
,
ankle joints
and
small joints of the foot
.
Knee
and
shoulder joints
, as a rule, become inflamed already in the 2nd and later stages of the disease. A characteristic symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is the symmetry of the lesions - the same joints begin to hurt on the left and right sides.

Another indicative symptom of arthritis is morning stiffness, which gradually goes away after warming up or as you perform household chores. Against the background of noticeable redness over the diseased joints, there is a deterioration in appetite and weight loss (in particular, due to muscle dystrophy). The general body temperature can remain at low-grade levels or reach 38°C. The patient complains of weakness, apathy, fatigue, which torments him from the moment he wakes up, as well as meteosensitivity. In this case, there is pallor of the mucous membranes and anemia, caused by the body's immune cells attacking its own red bone marrow and other tissues. In addition to cartilage and bone tissue, rheumatoid arthritis can affect internal organs (heart, lungs), eyes, skin, causing specific symptoms (difficulty breathing, uveitis, rashes, inflammation of the salivary glands, increased sweating). In some patients, movable fat nodules with a diameter of 1-2 cm form under the skin or on internal organs, which are easy to detect in the back of the head, on the forearms.

The disease is chronic and can begin at any age

. As a rule, the first symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis appear already at 25-30 years after a shock to the immune system.

Symptoms of shoulder arthritis

The shoulder joint is a multi-axial spherical joint, and therefore allows movements of flexion-extension, abduction-adduction and circular rotation. Therefore, disturbances in the normal functioning of the shoulder joint quickly become apparent to the patient. It is important not to confuse the discomfort characteristic of the onset of arthritis of the shoulder joint with increased fatigue after a working day or due to poor posture.

The most noticeable symptom of shoulder arthritis is stiffness and pain when trying to lift your arm, to the point of being completely unable to do so.

Symptoms of shoulder arthritis most often occur in older patients, but can also affect people aged 40-45 years. In this case, inflammation can be localized only in one of the shoulder joints, be symmetrical, or also affect other joints.

Symptoms of knee arthritis

The symptoms of arthritis in the joints of the legs are similar, and arthritis of the knee joint is no exception. Due to the high load on this joint and its constant involvement in work (when walking and even sitting in an incorrect position), patients often experience pain even at rest. Swelling and redness are also clearly visible on the knees, which give the legs a spindle shape and create a feeling of heaviness. It becomes more difficult for patients to walk long distances; Climbing stairs is especially difficult. The knees often begin to crunch, and the crunching is repeated and not isolated. In the morning, until the patient leaves, he, as a rule, hobbles; gait disturbances, as a clear symptom of knee arthritis, are noticeable throughout the day.

Symptoms of Foot Arthritis

The most noticeable symptom of foot arthritis is a change in the volume of the leg.

, because of which the shoes begin to noticeably pinch or rub, and a feeling of “tight boots” appears even in house slippers. In this case, the leg from the ankle down noticeably swells, and there is a feeling of impaired blood circulation. Patients prefer to keep their legs elevated to relieve their condition. Movements of the foot (rotation, tucking the toes, etc.) are difficult for patients and cause a feeling of stiffness and stiffness in the muscles.

In the initial stage, symptoms of foot arthritis can only occur after prolonged walking - so they are often attributed to uncomfortable shoes or swelling. In later stages, the toes become deformed, becoming flattened or claw-like. Hallux valgus is also noticeable.

Foot arthritis is more common among middle-aged women.

Symptoms and treatment of hip arthritis

The symptoms and treatment of arthritis of the hip joint are somewhat specific in comparison with the symptoms of arthritis of the joints of the legs. This is due to the deep location of the joint, its size and the multi-axial movement of this joint.

The determining factors in clarifying the symptoms and treatment of arthritis of the hip joint are:

• pain in the buttocks, groin, thigh, which increases with stress on the joint (for example, prolonged standing or walking);
• crunching in the joint and difficulty raising the leg;
• in later stages of the disease - lameness and gait disturbances.

Symptoms of gouty arthritis

Symptoms of gouty arthritis are often localized to the big toes and are accompanied by severe pain, redness and swelling that prevent the patient from moving normally. In some cases, the disease has symptoms similar to knee arthritis; Gouty inflammation of the elbow joints with the appearance of characteristic nodules is also possible.

Symptoms of gouty arthritis worsen at night, after consuming fatty foods, meat foods, and alcoholic beverages.

Symptoms and treatment of reactive arthritis

Symptoms and treatment of reactive arthritis require immediate medical intervention due to the risk of rapid development of complications. The disease begins suddenly, accompanied by a sharp increase in body temperature to +38°C, fever and chills, headache, nausea, and muscle aches. The joint swells greatly. The main difference between the symptoms and treatment of reactive arthritis from rheumatoid arthritis is that the lesions are asymmetrical.

Symptoms of arthritis in children

Often, children under the age of 16 have juvenile rheumatoid, infectious or reactive arthritis. In all cases, the symptoms of arthritis in children remain similar:

• slight or significant increase in body temperature;
• moodiness and irritability;
• poor appetite and lack of weight;
• swelling of the joints and a distinct crunching sound when moving;
• lameness or sensitivity to any of the joints;

• increased fatigue, acute reluctance to participate in active games, which is often accompanied by tears.

Particular attention should be paid to specific symptoms of arthritis in children, which are accompanied by red eyes and skin rashes.

Childhood arthritis is a fairly common disease.

Compresses for treating arthritis at home

During periods of exacerbation of the disease, compresses with medicinal herbs will help.

• Compress with burdock leaves

Large burdock has a lot of medicinal effects, which have been used since ancient times in folk medicine to treat arthritis. The active substances contained in the leaves of the plant suppress the inflammatory process, remove toxins, accelerate metabolic processes, relieve pain, and dissolve salt deposits. Leaves collected in late spring or early summer are especially useful. They are dried on a line for a couple of hours (like laundry) so that the water leaves the surface layers of the sheet. The lower part of the leaves (or the area of ​​the affected joint itself) is lubricated with any vegetable oil and applied to the affected area. Waxed or oiled paper is placed on top and the compress is secured with a bandage. Leave it overnight. The procedure is carried out daily for 1–2 months until the condition improves.

• Wormwood leaf compress

Wormwood leaves contain arsumin and absinthine, as well as terpenoid compounds - active substances with pronounced anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, due to the presence of saturated hydrocarbons, the plant has a bactericidal effect, and the presence of capillin in the leaves explains the ability of wormwood to have an antibiotic and fungicidal effect. All these properties are successfully used to treat arthritis. For a compress, pour 0.5 liters of boiling water into a couple of flower baskets of the plant, infuse, and filter. The steamed raw material is applied to the affected joint and wrapped with cellophane film and warm woolen cloth on top. After an hour, the compress is removed. The sore spot is massaged.

Medications

To treat arthritis, drugs are used in various dosage forms; the doctor may prescribe tablets, ointments and injections. The choice is made individually, taking into account all the characteristics of the patient.

Quite often, 2 or even three medications are used simultaneously:

• Tablets are used to relieve pain, fight inflammation or restore immunity. Often prescribed are “Shark tablets”, “Stop arthritis”, “Methotrexate”, “Neoran”, “Plaquenil”, “Diclofenac”, “Ibuprofen”.
• Injections are used only as prescribed by a doctor . Most often these are hormonal drugs. This could be “Hydrocortisone”, “Celeston”, “Kenalog”, “Diprospan”.
• Ointments are used for local effects on the joint . Doctors usually prescribe Voltaren, Fastum Gel, Indomethacin, and DIP Relief. You can use ointments prepared at home.

Diclofenac

Pilocarpine hydrochloride

Kenalog

Celeston

Voltaren gel

Fastum

In addition to painkillers, vitamin preparations and enzymes are prescribed for better absorption of calcium and phosphorus.

Arthritis as a joint disease

Arthritis is an inflammatory process that occurs in the joints. When bending, straightening or any movement, a person feels pain. The disease affects any joints.

As arthritis develops in the area of ​​the affected joint, the skin may become red and hot. The disease develops in one or more joints. But if it appears in at least one place, it can be assumed that the disease will spread further.

It most often develops in people over 65 years of age. At this age, the disease can be detected in almost 60% of people. But arthritis can develop in young people and even children. It is impossible to get rid of arthritis completely and forever, but with adequate treatment you can significantly slow down the progression of the disease.

Reaction arthritis of the joints

Medicines for chronic arthritis

To prevent chronic arthritis of the joints from progressing and exacerbating, it is important to take chondroprotectors and vitamin-mineral complexes. And if the disease has already reached a new stage, a rheumatologist or orthopedist selects anti-inflammatory, painkillers, antispasmodics and other drugs.

Chondroprotectors for chronic arthritis

Taking chondroprotectors requires consistency from the patient, since the course cannot be interrupted. The duration of the course reaches 150 days per year. A visible effect, subject to the doctor’s recommendations, occurs when taking the drugs from 3 months to several years.

For the purpose of prevention, chondroprotectors for joints are used twice a year, in courses of 1.5-2 months. The treatment course usually takes from 12 to 24 weeks, then, after a break of 10-12 weeks, it must be repeated. Depending on the dynamics of the disease, treatment can take 3-5 years, or can be carried out for life.

Chondroprotectors include: artracam, alflutop, protecon, movalis, teraflex, chondroitin complex, structum, dona, elbona and others.

Anti-inflammatory drugs for chronic arthritis

Unlike chondroprotectors, non-steroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are aimed not at the causes, but at the symptoms of the disease. Their task is to reduce discomfort for the patient, relieve pain and inflammation, improve mobility in the joint and create conditions for normal metabolism. By solving several problems at once, these drugs compare favorably with simple analgesics, which only mask pain.

However, they must be taken in courses, in strict accordance with the doctor’s instructions. Uncontrolled use of anti-inflammatory drugs without supportive therapy for the stomach can lead to gastritis, ulcers and other diseases of the digestive system. And self-medicated corticosteroids are fraught with hormonal imbalance, rapid weight gain, skin problems and blood pressure.

The most popular NSAIDs: meloxicam (arthrozan), ortofen, diclofenac, nurofen, ibuprofen, nimesil, ketoprofen, dollit, voltaren, finalgon, ketonal, fastum, celecoxib, lornoxicam, ketorolac. They are produced in the form of injections, ointments and tablets.

Glucocorticoids: hydrocortisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, triamcinolone, betamethasone (diprospan), dexamethasone.

Antispasmodics, muscle relaxants and others

Constant tension and spasms disrupt blood circulation in the periarticular area, causing muscle atrophy and discomfort. Therefore, as an auxiliary therapy for chronic arthritis, patients are prescribed antispasmodics: no-shpa (drotaverine), spasmalgon, papaverine, Novigan, Nimbex, Listenone, Sirdalud, baclofen.

It is advisable to supplement them with angioprotective agents (to protect blood vessels). These are: pentoxifylline (trental), troxerutin, detralex, actovegin.

If the cause of chronic arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, specific immunosuppressive therapy is used, which includes methotrexate, azathioprine, leflunomide or sulfasalazine.

Folk recipes

You can treat arthritis with vinegar, bay leaves and natural juices.

Recipes for using folk remedies:

• Apple cider vinegar is drunk diluted with water. To do this, you need a teaspoon of vinegar and a glass of clean water. This should be done several times a day, no less than three and no more than five. You can be treated with this method for about a month. But this method is not suitable for people with problems in the digestive system.
• You need to prepare a decoction from bay leaves. To do this, take 300 milliliters of water and a pack of bay leaves. After this, it is infused for 3 hours. After fasting, it is filtered and taken before bed. Treatment lasts 3 days. The broth should always be fresh. After 3 days the course of treatment is repeated.
• Natural juices can be made from vegetables. Several methods are used for this. Carrots are combined with cucumber and beets. At the same time maintaining the proportion. Carrot juice 10 parts, and other ingredients 3 parts. When using carrot and spinach juice, the proportions will be 10 parts vegetable ingredient and 6 parts spinach.
• You can relieve pain with turnip juice with the addition of grapefruit or apple. Add a few tablespoons of lingonberries to the water.

Herbal medicines are used to treat arthritis. They make decoctions, compresses, and infusions. In various combinations you can use: chamomile, St. John's wort, yarrow.

Treatment for arthritis in the legs

Arthritis of the legs can be cured using various methods. To select, special examinations are carried out. Based on the results obtained, the most effective method is selected.

Traditional therapy can be used:

• Calamus root is poured with water and boiled. Afterwards, the broth is added to the bath, the water in which has a temperature of 35 to 37 degrees. Pain will decrease and blood circulation will worsen;
• Eucalyptus oil is mixed with an ointment based on the flowers of sweet clover, St. John's wort and hops. Then all this is used in the form of a compress on the knee, ankle or hip joint;
• Potato peelings are boiled and the broth is warmed to the desired joint.

Special attention is paid to nutrition, not only during the treatment period. But in the future, patients who suffer from arthritis need to eat right.

Recommended folk remedies:

• Foot baths are made with various decoctions and salts.
• Drink carrot juices with the addition of cabbage juices.

All traditional treatment methods should be used in combination and only after consultation with a doctor.

Treatment for hand arthritis

To treat hand arthritis, medications are used; other methods are used to enhance the effect.

Methods for treating arthritis of the shoulder, elbow or hand joints:

• it is necessary to tie burdock or cabbage leaves at night . With prolonged use of such compresses, the pain goes away for a long time;
• you need to make a pillow into which chamomile, elderberry, hops, and clover are stuffed . Then apply it to the joint, warming it up before doing so;
• lemon and garlic are crushed and infused. After this, take 50 ml of tincture before each meal. Treatment lasts for 30 days.

To treat any type of arthritis, herbal teas are used, which will help improve blood circulation and cleanse the body of harmful substances.

Treatment of the mandibular joint

First of all, you need to ensure the immobility of the diseased mandibular joint for several days. To do this, make a special bandage or splint on the jaw joint. For the desired bite, a plate is placed between the teeth so that liquid food can be used for nutrition.

Traditional methods used:

• Birch and nettle leaves with the addition of violet flowers and parsley root are infused in boiling water. Then the decoction is taken orally and rinses the mouth;
• A decoction can be prepared from elderberry, nettle, and willow bark. It is boiled for 5 minutes. Take two glasses during the day.
• You can rinse your mouth with a decoction of bay leaves. The crushed leaf is boiled for about 10 minutes, and after straining, it is drunk or used for rinsing.

For rinsing, decoctions of medicinal chamomile or St. John's wort are used. You can also make tea from these herbs.

Herbal infusions for treating arthritis at home

The above methods for treating arthritis at home will be especially effective in combination with taking infusions. Aqueous extracts of medicinal plants with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, restorative, diaphoretic, bacterio- and virusostatic, bactericidal properties allow you to influence the disease from the inside.

• Grind black elderberry flowers (10 g) and birch leaves (40 g) to particles of 5 mm in size, and willow bark (50 g) to particles of no more than 3 mm. Place the raw materials in an enamel pan, add boiling water, close the lid and simmer in a water bath for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool at room temperature. Strain and squeeze out the remaining raw material. Add boiled water to the finished hood to the original volume. Take 0.5 cups 4 times a day before meals.
• Take black elderberry flowers, stinging nettle leaves, parsley root, and willow bark in equal proportions and prepare in the same way as in the previous recipe. Take according to the same regimen.
• Birch leaves, stinging nettle leaves, tricolor violet herb are mixed in equal proportions to prepare an infusion (see first recipe). The finished infusion is taken 0.5 cups 4-6 times a day before meals.

Treating arthritis at home can be quite effective if you coordinate your actions with your doctor, remember to visit the clinic in a timely manner and monitor the results of therapy using prescribed tests.

Osteomed Forte can be purchased in pharmacies and online stores.

Sample exercises for treating knee arthritis at home

Their author is Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor, founder of kinesitherapy Sergei Mikhailovich Bubnovsky.

1. Leg raise with fixation

I. p. - lying on your back, hands on your stomach. One leg is raised until the knee joint is bent and held in this position for 60 seconds, then slowly extended. The heel of the second leg should not leave the floor. The position of the legs changes one by one. Repeat at least 10 times with each leg.

1. Bridge with emphasis on the feet

I. p. - lying on your back, arms along the body. Leaning on your feet and straight arms, raise your pelvis, preferably to the maximum possible bending at the knees, and maintain this position for at least 60 seconds. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 15 times.

1. Knees to face

I. p. - lying on your back, legs brought together. Bend your legs at the knee and hip joints, clasp them with your hands and try to touch your knees to your face. The angle between the thigh and shin should be as sharp as possible, the knee should be fully bent. Repeat 10 times. The exercise is best performed on a soft surface.

Exercising should not cause pain. If it does appear, you need to inform your doctor about it. He will select another complex, with less physical activity.

Infectious arthritis: causes, mechanism, complications

What is infectious arthritis? Infectious arthritis is an acute or chronic inflammation that occurs in the joint capsule due to bacterial or viral infection. Infection (gonococcal or non-gonococcal) can develop in the synovium, synovial fluid and soft tissue adjacent to the joint. The incubation period usually varies from several hours to several days (usually no more than 10).

Many pathogenic microorganisms produce so-called adhesive proteins and acids that help them attach to articular surfaces for further reproduction. These substances actually “eat away” the cartilage - the initial erosion develops into irreversible changes as the number of microorganisms increases. In addition to poor nutrition, the joint suffers from enzymes with which the human body tries to cope with bacterial agents - by “dissolving” foreign cells, these proteins damage the synovial fluid, ligaments and the cartilage itself.

What are the causes of the disease? The cause of the disease in children and adults is gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria - staphylococci, streptococci, gonococci, HIV, parvoviruses, spirochetes. Diseases such as rubella, mumps, hepatitis, dysentery, brucellosis, and borelliosis can provoke infection of the joint and an acute form of arthritis. Tuberculosis, mycosis and a number of other diseases often lead to a chronic, sluggish form.

People with rheumatoid and other types of arthritis and arthrosis, gout, joint prostheses, people over 60 years of age, and those addicted to injecting drugs or alcohol are especially susceptible to the disease. Risk factors also include recent surgery, immunosuppressive therapy, skin infections, the presence of bacteria in the blood (bacteremia), chronic diseases of the lungs, liver, kidneys (especially those requiring hemodialysis), cancer, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases and a number of systemic diseases .

What complications occur with infectious arthritis? Almost a quarter of patients affected by infectious arthritis complain of partial or complete limitation of mobility in the affected joints.

Left untreated, this disease can provoke a purulent and even necrotic process in the bone and adjacent soft tissues. If the septic process spreads to the bone marrow, inflammation of the spinal column may develop. This is fraught with destruction of the vertebrae. The relatively high percentage of deaths in infectious arthritis is explained by severe intoxication of the body, septic shock and the possible development of respiratory failure.