Almost everyone over the age of 45 is familiar with joint pain, which is accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, disruption of normal limb function. The main reasons for the development of such a disease are excessive physical activity, injuries, unbalanced diet and others. A common disease that people often encounter is osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint (coxarthrosis is less common). Treatment of the disease in the early stages can be done at home, read about it below.
Causes of osteoarthritis
Degenerative changes in cartilage and surrounding tissues that cause discomfort during movement, pain is osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint. The disease can develop as a result of various factors, which can be subjective or objective. The main reasons for the development of the disease include:
- Injuries to the joints that provoke inflammatory processes that adversely affect the condition of cartilage and bone. There is often the development of the disease after a sprain (especially if the joint was not placed in time and improper tissue fusion has begun), fracture of the arm, severe bruising.
- Hypothermia of the joint, which adversely affects the condition of cartilage and joint function.
- Excessive strain on the shoulder joint. Athletes, people engaged in physical labor, are at risk of the disease.
- The presence of diseases that provoke the development of osteoarthritis, such as polyarthritis, obesity.
- Congenital pathologies can become a prerequisite for the development of the disease.
- Unbalanced diet, the use of harmful foods (saltiness, fat, fast food), which adversely affects the condition of cartilage and provokes the disease.
Degrees and symptoms
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is considered a chronic disease, but can progress very quickly. It is worth starting treatment in the early stages, when it is possible to conduct therapy at home alone, there is a high probability to get rid of the negative consequences and consequences of the disease. To determine the presence of the disease, to confirm the diagnosis, a visit to the doctor will help, which you should go if you have such symptoms:
- Weakness in the upper extremities, which is observed not only after intense exercise or exertion, but also in the morning after rest.
- Shoulder pain that intensifies after a load on it and subsides during rest.
- Painful sensations reduce the motor activity of the joint, which leads to stiffness, inability to lift the limb high or rotate.
- Sometimes there is swelling in the joints.
- The pain can be attributed to the neck or upper limb, which reduces vital activity, causing general malaise.
In medicine there are three stages of development of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, each of which has certain characteristic symptoms and characteristics:
- 1 degree. At this stage there is a slight pain that increases during raising the arm or increasing the load on it. The treatment of the first stage is the simplest and can be performed at home by the patients themselves.
- 2nd degree. Joint mobility is impaired, each manipulation causes sharp pain that does not subside even at rest. There are often cases when it is impossible to raise a hand on your own with a joint affected by osteoarthritis.
- 3rd degree. The stage is called deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint. This is a difficult stage in which deformation of cartilage is observed, inert growths appear, frequent exacerbations occur. Changes in the joint interfere with the normal functioning of the arm and surgery is used as a treatment in 98% of cases.
Recommendations for treatment at home
This disease brings a lot of inconvenience, interferes with normal life, disrupts the normal rhythm. This negatively affects the general well-being, the emotional state of the patient, which is why it is necessary to undergo treatment. In the first and second stages of the disease it is possible to conduct therapy at home, following all the recommendations and prescriptions of the doctor.
A set of methods is used for healing, which allows to obtain the most effective result. Many of them can be used at home. Complex therapy includes:
- Medicines.
- Adherence to a diet, transition to a proper, balanced diet.
- Perform simple physical exercises.
- Surgical intervention.
- Using folk methods.
- Physiotherapeutic procedures.
- Other methods: treatment with leeches, acupuncture.
Diet control and observance
In the treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, diet and proper nutrition play a significant role. First of all, it is worth removing from the diet foods that adversely affect the condition of cartilage, the elasticity of the joints. Basic principles of nutrition:
- Harmful foods that adversely affect the health of the joints include: dairy products, pork or beef, potatoes, corn, some vegetables - peppers, eggplant, tomatoes. It is worth reducing the amount of these ingredients consumed or completely eliminating them from the diet.
- To improve the condition of the joints, their elasticity will help the consumption of flaxseed and olive oil.
- It is recommended to eat foods rich in antioxidants, such as fruits and vegetables (cabbage, cucumbers, bananas, olives).
- Alcohol intake is contraindicated.
- Cooking food is through cooking, baking, stewing. It is advisable to exclude fried, pickled dishes.
- The diet should be as balanced as possible so that the body receives the maximum amount of useful vitamins and minerals.
- Experts recommend the use of pastries, carbonated water.
Physical activity and massage
The treatment of the disease is favorably influenced by the performance of certain physical exercises that can be performed independently at home. Gymnastics improves blood circulation in the tissues around the joint, which contributes to additional cell nutrition; helps strengthen muscles, develops joint connection. Complex of exercises:
1 exercise:
- Starting position: the patient becomes straight and the arms are locked behind the back.
- Raise your arms, trying to keep them straight without bending at the elbows.
- Repeat the manipulations up to ten times.
Exercise 2:
- Starting position: upright, arms down freely.
- Make circular movements successively with the shoulders, first forward, then backward.
- Repeat 14-20 times.
Exercise 3:
- Stand up straight, put your hands down.
- In the left hand you need to take a load of a maximum of half a kilogram (weight, bottle of sand or water).
- Make circular movements with your hand back and forth, repeating 15 times.
- Perform similar manipulations with the other hand.
In addition to exercise, a massage of the affected shoulder will help. The procedure has its own nuances that must be followed to achieve maximum results:
- The procedure should be entrusted to a professional who can do everything at the highest level.
- It is worth to start the massage with rubbing and stroking, which will help relieve pain, prepare the body for the procedure.
- The movements should be as precise as possible so that they do not cause pain but alleviate the pain.
Medications
In the initial stages of the disease, drug treatment is used, which has a different effect on the disease depending on the group of drugs. It is important to remember that taking medication does not solve all problems, this technique should be used in combination with other methods of combating, such as physical activity. You should follow your doctor's recommendations and follow the dosage while taking medicines, injecting or using ointments. The following groups of drugs are used:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Medications help relieve swelling, eliminate inflammation of tissues in diseased joints, reduce pain.
- Chondroprotectors - drugs that improve blood circulation, help restore cartilage.
- Analgesics, anesthetics can be taken as tablets or topical ointments can be used to relieve pain
- Muscle relaxants are drugs that help relieve muscle spasm and relieve pain.
- Vitamins, nutritional supplements that enrich the body with nutrients to improve health.
Folk remedies
Folk methods are often used for treatment, which help to eliminate the symptoms, manifestations of the disease, relieve the condition and get rid of pain. Healthcare professionals recommend a combination of traditional and traditional medicine, but it is important to agree with your doctor. Ointments, home-made compresses, baths, compresses and rubs are especially popular.
Ointments
Ointments are often used in folk medicine, which include natural ingredients that help to overcome the disease. To prepare a popular and effective medicine, you need:
- Take 10 grams of hops, sweet clover, St. John's wort. Finely chop the herbs and rub together.
- To better combine all the ingredients, add Vaseline and mix everything thoroughly.
- Rub the ointment on the shoulder, this will help reduce pain and eliminate inflammation.
Decoctions and tinctures
Broth: in an enamel bowl mix half a celery root, parsley (3 roots), three glasses of water, a pinch of black pepper. Boil all the chopped ingredients under a lid for 10 minutes. Drink the resulting decoction throughout the day for 14 days before meals. A decoction of corn lollipops is also useful, for the preparation of which 2 tablespoons of the ingredient are boiled for 10 minutes and one tablespoon is drunk five times a day.
Effective infusion: buckthorn bark (3 tablespoons), dandelion root (2 tablespoons), parsley seeds (2 tablespoons) and mint (3 tablespoons) boil in 0, 5 liters of water. Leave in a dark place overnight. Drink 2 tablespoons of tincture on an empty stomach before breakfast. Another recipe for a simple but effective tincture: squeeze radish juice (about 30 ml), honey (20 grams) and a small pinch of salt. Take at bedtime, preferably after water treatments.
Compresses and rubbing
A popular recipe for traditional medicine is a compress with oatmeal. For the procedure you need to boil 30 grams of oatmeal in two glasses of water. Apply the prepared mass on the shoulder for 30 minutes. Angelica is used for rubbing (pour 15 grams of grass with boiling water, insist). Rub the resulting tincture on the affected shoulder. The second effective recipe for rubbing: boil rosemary flowers and hellebore root in 10 grams, mix with fat and rub three times a day.
Baths
Baths are actively used to improve blood circulation in damaged tissues and provide additional nutrients. Medicinal herbs and fees are added to the water for maximum results. Popular are those plants that have a beneficial effect on the patient: chamomile (relieves inflammation), mint (has a calming effect), juniper, burdock (relieves pain, relieves the condition).
Rules for preparing baths for the procedure:
- Boil the herb, make a concentrate, which is poured into the bath.
- Lie down in the bathroom so that the sore spot is immersed in water.
- Rub the affected shoulder with a towel, then lubricate with cream or ointment.
Other folk methods
For the treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, other methods of traditional medicine are used, which also have a tangible effect:
- To relieve and relieve pain you need to mix a few grams of propolis with 50 g thick. After exercise, rub into the shoulder.
- Wrapping the shoulder with a cloth soaked in a solution of hay powder will help relieve puffiness.
- Specialists in traditional medicine recommend drinking the juice of half a lemon before dinner to improve metabolic processes in tissues.
- Helps to roll a hard-boiled egg, which should be rolled on a sore shoulder.
Prevention
The main methods of disease prevention include:
- Balanced diet with a complex of essential minerals, vitamins.
- Regular set of exercises.
- Do not overload the shoulders, arms, so as not to adversely affect the joints.
- Eliminate the causes that provoke the development of the disease.