Compared to arthrosis of the hip or knees, classic arthrosis of the shoulder joint is quite rare, but the symptoms of this disease can cause severe discomfort to the patient, so it requires comprehensive treatment.Shoulder arthrosis (oarthrosis) is most often diagnosed in patients over fifty years of age.Its development is associated with a deterioration in the quality of the cartilage tissue that covers the surfaces of the joints.Cartilage plays the role of a shock absorber; it is thanks to it that the individual bone components slide optimally inside the shoulder joint.When the cartilage thins and its integrity is compromised, the bones in the joint begin to contact each other.This is a painful process that leads to limited joint mobility.The progression of the disease causes the formation of osteophytes - abnormal growth of bone tissue at the edges of the shoulder joint.
Causes of development of arthrosis of the shoulder joint
In the vast majority of cases, arthrosis of the shoulder joint develops with age due to natural wear and tear of the joint.After all, such a part of the body is a rather complex structure; if it is regularly subjected to severe stress, the likelihood of pathological changes increases.
There are cases where arthrosis of the shoulder joint occurred in younger people.A similar situation is possible if the cartilage tissue was damaged in an accident (bad fall, traffic accident, etc.).If a person does not receive proper treatment after an injury, the cartilage is not used correctly, and this can lead to arthrosis.
Sometimes the loss of cartilage tissue in the shoulder joint is the result of systemic diseases, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
Symptoms
There are several typical symptoms of shoulder arthrosis.Among them:
- pain in the shoulder, especially when starting to move;
- morning stiffness, as well as limitation of movement after prolonged “inactivity”;
- cracking, clicking or rubbing sensation in the shoulder joint when moving;
- limited mobility of the shoulder joint, which is progressive.
Sometimes pain due to arthrosis of the shoulder joint occurs only after prolonged stress on this area.The intensity of the symptoms of the disease, as well as their combination with each other, may differ in different patients.However, pain, as a rule, remains a stable symptom of the disease.
If you ignore unpleasant symptoms, your arm will hurt even more and the disease will progress.The joint cavity will narrow to a minimum, and the inflammatory process will begin.In such a situation, the patient will be bothered by more obvious symptoms of illness:
- swelling of the joint;
- severe continuous pain;
- forced restriction of movements (up to complete immobility of the joint).
A long course of the disease can lead to muscle atrophy due to refusal of usual activities.In such a situation, only surgery will help to cope with the disease.
Treatment
Unfortunately, wear and tear of cartilage tissue is an irreversible process.If arthrosis of the shoulder joint is at an early stage of development, the symptoms are transient and mild, conservative treatment aimed at restoring the functions of the joint is recommended for the patient with arthrosis of the shoulder joint.Typically, therapy includes:
- limiting activity and cooling the joint until inflammation is eliminated;
- the use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to relieve pain and inflammation;
- use of hormonal drugs for intra-articular administration (if the above drugs do not give the expected effect).
After suppressing the inflammatory process, treatment of arthrosis usually includes:
- massages;
- regular gymnastics (physical therapy);
- physiotherapeutic procedures (shock wave therapy, laser therapy, myostimulation, phonophoresis, ozone therapy, etc.).
Also, patients with arthrosis of the shoulder joint are usually prescribed medications that are designed to stimulate the restoration of cartilage tissue.These are chondroprotective drugs.
Modern methods of conservative treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint
To treat destructive processes in the cartilage joint, doctors can use several new techniques.
Autoplasmotherapy
With this intervention, the patient is injected with his own platelet-rich plasma.It is believed that those growth factors that are present in platelets are able to stimulate the activity of fibroblasts - the production of collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin.Thanks to this process, a new intercellular matrix is built and small blood vessels grow, and this in turn helps restore metabolism, activate local immunity, improve microcirculation and normalize tissue respiration.According to doctors, autoplasma therapy makes it possible to start the full functioning of the synovial membrane of the joint, reduce the severity of pain and increase the range of motion in the joint.
Intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid
The effectiveness of hyaluronic acid of non-animal origin for omarthrosis is still being studied by world scientists.In 2019, an article was published by American specialists (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA), which described the results of a preliminary study of the effectiveness of this procedure.It has been established that hyaluronic acid can reduce the severity of pain for more than six months and increase the range of motion of the affected joint.
When is surgery necessary?
If conservative treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint does not produce the expected result, and the symptoms of the disease significantly interfere with the patient’s quality of life, doctors may suggest surgery to restore the activity of the affected area.Today, endoprosthetics—the installation of an artificial joint (bioprosthesis)—can cope with this problem.This is a relatively new type of surgical intervention, which allows you to completely eliminate the problem of arthrosis: restore the function of the joint and the entire upper limb, neutralize painful sensations, and preserve performance as much as possible.