Every third person over 60 years of age suffers from shoulder pain. In most cases, the cause of pain is osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint (OPS). However, not only older people experience this disease. It affects both young miners, builders, athletes, and seamstresses, supermarket workers and even people who very rarely put stress on their joints. With a diagnosis of OPS, it is painful and difficult to raise your hand not only to reach the top shelf of the closet, but also to brush your teeth or comb your hair! What causes the disease and how to cope with it at any age?
How and why does deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint appear?
All joints, including the shoulders, are subject to age-related changes. Over the years, joints become more fragile and vulnerable, and metabolism deteriorates. Nutrients reach the capsule in small portions and with a delay; cartilage lacks building elements such as glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid. Little lubricating synovial fluid is secreted, the cartilaginous cover begins to deteriorate, which leads first to minor and later to acute painful sensations.
However, all this can happen not only to elderly patients, but also to young people. If their professional and amateur activities involve serious loads on the shoulder area, then the shoulder joints quickly undergo degenerative changes and “become unusable.” For example, this applies to swimmers, painters or active summer residents, on whose shoulders a significant physical load falls. In this case, more intensive nutrition of the joint capsule is necessary. The human body is simply not able to take care of itself - not enough glucosamine and chondroitin are synthesized to promptly and fully restore cartilage covers and prevent the development of osteoarthritis. With age, destruction accelerates, and natural healing processes, on the contrary, slow down.
The result is that the cartilage is destroyed, the bones rub against each other, and bone growths grow. If the process is not stopped and reversed in a timely manner, the range of movements is reduced so much that the patient completely stops moving his arms.
In addition to aging, factors that provoke osteoarthritis are:
- Injuries.
For example, fractures or dislocations. Even an unfortunate fall on the shoulder can result in microcracks, which in turn will become prerequisites for early osteoarthritis.
- Sports or heavy physical activity.
Volleyball, basketball, gymnastics and even gym classes may not go unnoticed and trigger OPS.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Endocrine or hormonal disorders.
- Past infectious or viral diseases.
- Congenital skeletal anomalies.
- Lack of load on the shoulder joint.
- Excess weight.
- Inflammation.
- Accompanying illnesses.
For example, pathologies of the biliary tract and liver or spinal disease.
- Hypothermia.
OPS often develops for several reasons at once, which is why treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint can be complex. For example, you will need to change your diet, regulate hormone levels and do gymnastics.
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint: symptoms and treatment
Initially, it is very difficult to notice osteoarthritis in yourself. In the first months of the disease, there are no symptoms of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint. This is due to the fact that in the cartilage tissue itself there are no nerve endings or blood vessels. The first signs are revealed much later, when the lubricating fluid has already become less, and the cartilage cover has weakened and began to lose its protective properties.
OPS is characterized by:
- Crunching or clicking noise while driving.
- Impaired mobility.
- Swelling of the shoulder, deformation, increased temperature in the affected area.
- Pain after waking up. Intensity decreases after little activity.
- Pain after exercise that subsides with rest.
If you diagnose the pathology at the initial stages, the treatment of deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint will be as quickly and effective as possible, so it is important to “listen” to your feelings, monitor changes and consult a doctor in a timely manner. Osteoarthritis is also dangerous because short-term “remissions” are possible; pain can disappear and then return with a vengeance.
Causes of the disease
If osteoarthritis develops without cause, it is called primary, or idiopathic. But more often it is triggered by other diseases, for example, purulent inflammation of the joint, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus. The following pathological conditions also cause its occurrence:
- previous injuries - fractures, dislocations, ruptures of muscles, ligaments, tendons;
- congenital dysplastic changes of the shoulder joint;
- intestinal, urogenital, less often respiratory infections (gonorrhea, syphilis, tuberculosis, brucellosis);
- hemarthrosis - bleeding into the joint cavity;
- osteoporosis, in which bones become brittle.
The development of the disease can be triggered by excessive physical activity, poor blood circulation due to smoking or low physical activity, obesity, and working with toxic substances.
The first 2 degrees of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint: is treatment possible?
There are 2 stages of OPS, which are treatable and differ in the severity of changes and symptoms:
- 1st degree
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is distinguished by the fact that pain occurs very rarely or is absent at all. A person feels slight pressure, stiffness after temporary immobility of the joint, and discomfort and spasm under significant loads.
- 2nd degree
manifested by increased pain. Especially after heavy lifting or hypothermia. The pain itself becomes permanent, can spread to the entire arm, and radiate to the shoulder blades. At this stage, the cartilage delaminates, tears and bone growths appear on it. The movements are accompanied by a crunching sound.
In phases 3-4 of the disease, the area of destruction increases, moving the hand is difficult and very painful. Even holding the phone to your ear requires a lot of effort and patience. The pain occurs both during the day and at night when at rest. Swelling is noticeable, the joint area feels hot to the touch.
Treatment of grade 1 osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint may be limited to medications, while grade 3 or 4 osteoarthritis will most likely require surgery and joint replacement under general anesthesia. The absence of surgical intervention threatens disability and complete dysfunction of the joint.
How is osteoarthritis diagnosed?
Diagnosis of OPS is carried out by an orthopedic doctor, rheumatologist or traumatologist. Based on the patient’s complaints, visual examination and palpation of the affected area, he diagnoses osteoarthritis. To confirm the hypothesis, additional examinations may be required, including:
- Radiography
to detect bone spurs, narrowing of the joint space and other deformities.
- Arthroscopy.
- Magnetic resonance imaging.
- Ultrasonography.
- General blood analysis.
Taking into account the stage of the disease, the doctor prescribes individual therapy.
Diagnostic methods
The earlier the diagnosis of acromioclavicular arthrosis is made, the greater the patient’s chances of slowing down the process and maintaining quality of life. To reach a correct conclusion, you will need a set of measures:
- examination by a specialist with mandatory palpation of the joint;
- CT scan is necessary to determine changes in the structure of bone tissue;
- MRI – shows the condition of cartilage, ligaments, bone elements;
- Ultrasound of the shoulder joint;
- radiography - shows a narrowing of the gap between the distal part of the scapula and the collarbone;
- blood test for markers of autoimmune disorders;
Evaluation of the examination results is the basis for prescribing one or another type of treatment and the use of physiotherapeutic methods.
How to treat osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint correctly?
The treatment of OPS must be approached comprehensively, and not locally. The objectives of all therapeutic measures are: to normalize metabolic processes, block pain and remove inflammation, increase blood supply to the shoulder, and strengthen the immune system.
It is necessary to eliminate or minimize heavy loads on the joint area, review the diet (add more protein, sulfur, selenium and fatty acids), and sign up for physical therapy. For example, electrophoresis, phonophoresis, ozone therapy, shock wave therapy and other procedures improve metabolism, shoulder mobility, help eliminate pain and dilate blood vessels.
In addition, you cannot do without medications, multivitamin complexes, and massages. Therapeutic exercises for osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint will also help in the rehabilitation of the joints.
Folk remedies
The treatment of arthrosis with folk remedies must be approached in a balanced, rational manner, without relying entirely on information gleaned from dubious newspapers about a healthy lifestyle and conversations with neighbors. Blindly following incompetent, unscientific recommendations, no matter how convincing and categorical they are expressed, can only do harm, contributing to the transition of the disease to a more advanced stage. And advanced arthrosis will then be very difficult to treat “from scratch”. Therefore, before starting to use this or that folk remedy, you should consult your doctor. Here we will also list several medicinal plants, the use of which for deforming osteoarthritis has stood the test of time and has repeatedly proven its effectiveness:
- White cabbage;
- Birch buds;
- St. John's wort;
- corn silk;
- burdock (large, small, felt);
- field dandelion;
- black radish;
- horseradish;
- creeping thyme.
These plants and their parts are used in a wide variety of forms (decoctions, infusions, lotions, ointments). The dose and duration of use is determined individually, experimentally. Treatment begins with minimal doses. In case of a weak therapeutic response, provided the treatment is well tolerated, the dose can be increased. It is not recommended to use a preparation from one plant for more than a month. It is necessary to periodically consult a doctor to monitor the results of treatment.
Gymnastics for osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint
During therapy, they try not to overstrain the joint, so excessive activity is prohibited. However, this does not mean that the joint cannot be used at all. Physical therapy for osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is needed to gradually restore normal range of motion, improve blood flow, strengthen ligaments, maintain muscle tone and speed up recovery.
Important to remember:
- It is recommended to devote 15-25 minutes a day to corrective gymnastics.
- You can exercise at any convenient time, including at home.
- The frequency of repetitions and range of movements are increased gradually. They should be smooth and unhurried.
- If an activity causes pain, the activity should be stopped temporarily.
Exercises for osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint:
- Sit on a chair, straighten your back. Slowly perform circular movements back and forth. At least 10-15 times.
- Lie on your back, extend your arms with your palms down. Alternately lower and raise your arms.
- While standing, take your hands back, clasp them in the lumbar region. For about 10-15 seconds, pull your hands in different directions, as if you are going to disconnect the lock. Relax and repeat.
- The starting position is similar to the previous one. Pull your joined hands up, hold for 10 seconds, and lower. And so 5-10 repetitions.
Attention! To find out more about how to treat osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint with exercise therapy, and what exercises are recommended in a particular case, contact your doctor.
Exercise therapy from Bubnovsky
Professor S. M. Bubnovsky developed his own original method of rehabilitation of people with diseases of the musculoskeletal system. He confirmed its effectiveness from his own experience, literally raising himself to his feet after a severe disaster. Exercise therapy for arthrosis of the shoulder joint from Bubnovsky involves a harmonious combination of exercises with medication and physiotherapy. You need to do gymnastics according to Bubnovsky during the period of relief (remission), after the acute phase of the disease has stopped. Before including the Bubnovsky method for arthrosis of the shoulder joint in the treatment regimen, you should seek medical advice. In the presence of concomitant pathologies that do not allow the use of physical activity, the exercise therapy complex for arthrosis of the shoulder joint from Bubnovsky is contraindicated. The appearance of pain during exercise is an indicator that the exercise is performed incorrectly or is contraindicated for the patient. In such cases, you should consult your doctor. You should not count on a tangible effect from Bubnovsky’s gymnastics for arthrosis of the shoulder joint if you systematically skip classes: to get positive results, you should exercise daily. It is recommended to end each session with a light massage session in the area of the affected shoulder.
Drug treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint
For APS, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are taken along with proton pump blockers, muscle relaxants, painkillers, drugs to improve blood flow and chondroprotectors.
Painkillers and NSAIDs can relieve pain, slightly relieve swelling and inflammation for a short period of time. Although muscle relaxants relieve muscle pain, they also do not solve the problem of targeted destruction of cartilage. All these remedies only reduce the intensity of the pain syndrome. Symptoms are temporarily eliminated, and treatment for osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint seems to be working, but soon the pain returns and intensifies. And only chondroprotectors will help slow down the destruction, restore mobility and reduce the need for analgesics.
