Almost every person over the age of 45 is familiar with joint pain, which is accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, violation of the normal functioning of the extremities. The main reasons for the development of such a disease are excessive physical exertion, injuries, unbalanced diet and so on. A common disease that people often encounter is osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint (coxarthrosis is less common). Treatment of the disease in the initial stages can be carried out at home, read about it below.
Causes of osteoarthritis
Degenerative changes in cartilage and surrounding tissues that cause discomfort when moving, pain is arthrosis 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 are:
- Injuries to the joints that have caused inflammatory processes that negatively affect the condition of cartilage and bone. The disease often develops after dislocation (especially if the joint is not placed in time, and improper tissue fusion has begun), broken arms, severe bruising.
- Hypothermia of the joint, which adversely affects the condition of cartilage and joint function.
- Excessive strain on the shoulder joint. Athletes, people who do physical work are at risk of disease.
- The presence of diseases that cause the development of osteoarthritis, for example, polyarthritis, obesity.
- Congenital pathologies can become a prerequisite for the development of the disease.
- An unbalanced diet, the use of harmful foods (salinity, fat, fast food), which negatively affects the condition of cartilage and causes disease.
Degrees and symptoms
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint is considered a chronic disease, but it can progress very quickly. It is worth starting treatment in the initial stages, when it is possible to conduct therapy at home, there is a high probability to get rid of the negative consequences and effects of the disease. To determine the presence of the disease, confirm the diagnosis, will help you visit a doctor, who you should go to if you have such symptoms:
- Weakness in the upper limbs, which is observed not only after intense exercise or exertion, but also in the morning, after rest.
- Shoulder pain that intensifies after exertion on the shoulder and disappears during rest.
- Painful sensations reduce the motor activity of the joint, which leads to stiffness, inability to lift or turn the extremities.
- Sometimes there is swelling in the joint area.
- Pain can be inflicted on the neck or upper extremity, which reduces vital activity, causing general weakness.
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 mild pain, which intensifies when raising the arm or increasing the load on it. Treatment in the first phase is the simplest and patients can perform it at home.
- 2nd degree. The mobility of the joints is disturbed, every manipulation causes sharp pain that does not recede even at rest. There are often cases when it is impossible to raise the arm on your own with a joint affected by arthrosis.
- 3 degrees. The stage is called deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint. This is a difficult phase in which cartilage deformation is observed, inert growths appear, and frequent exacerbations occur. Changes in the wrist interfere with the normal functioning of the hand, 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, so it is necessary to undergo treatment. In the first and second phase of the disease, it is possible to carry out therapy at home, following all the recommendations and prescriptions of the doctor.
A complex of methods is used for treatment, which enables the achievement of the most effective result. Many can be used at home. Complex therapy includes:
- Medications.
- Dietary compliance, transition to a proper, balanced diet.
- Performing simple physical exercises.
- Surgical intervention.
- Using folk methods.
- Physiotherapy procedures.
- Other methods: leech treatment, acupuncture.
Control and adherence to the diet
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 negatively affect the health of the joints include: dairy products, pork or veal, potatoes, corn, some vegetables - peppers, eggplant, tomatoes. It is worth reducing the amount of such consumed ingredients or eliminating them completely from the diet.
- Consumption of flaxseed and olive oil will help to improve the condition of the joints and their elasticity.
- It is recommended to eat foods rich in antioxidants, for example, fruits and vegetables (cabbage, cucumbers, bananas, olives).
- Alcohol intake is contraindicated.
- Cooking food is through cooking, baking, stewing. It is recommended to exclude fried, marinated dishes.
- The diet should be as balanced as possible in order for the body to get the maximum amount of useful vitamins and minerals.
- Experts recommend the use of sweets, carbonated water.
Physical activity and massage
The treatment of the disease is favorably influenced by performing 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, develop joint connections. Exercise set:
1 exercise:
- Starting position: the patient is equalized, and behind the back the arms are folded in a lock.
- Raise your arms, trying to keep them upright, without bending your elbows.
- Repeat the manipulations up to ten times.
2 exercises:
- Starting position: standing upright, arms free.
- Make circular movements alternately with your shoulders, first forward and then backward.
- Repeat 14-20 times.
3 exercises:
- Straighten up, put your hands down.
- A load of up to half a kilogram (weight, bottle of sand or water) should be taken in the left hand.
- Make circular hand movements back and forth, repeating 15 times.
- Perform similar manipulations with the other hand.
In addition to performing exercises, a massage of the affected shoulder will also help. The procedure has its nuances that must be adhered to in order to achieve the maximum result:
- The procedure should be entrusted to a professional who can do everything at the highest level.
- The massage is worth starting by rubbing and caressing, which will help relieve pain, prepare the body for the procedure.
- The movements should be as precise as possible so as not to cause pain, but to alleviate the pain.
Medications
In the initial stages of disease development, drug treatment is applied, which, depending on the group of drugs, acts differently on the disease. 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, for example, physical activity. The doctor's recommendations and dosage should be followed when taking medication, injecting or using ointments. The following groups of drugs are used:
- Nonsteroidal 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 in tablet form or topical ointments can be used to relieve pain
- Muscle relaxants are medications that help relieve muscle spasms and pain.
- Vitamins, dietary supplements that enrich the body with beneficial substances to improve health.
Folk remedies
Folk methods are often used for treatment to help eliminate symptoms, disease manifestations, alleviate the condition and resolve pain. Medical professionals recommend the use of traditional and traditional medicine in combination, but it is important to coordinate everything with the attending physician. Ointments, homemade compresses, baths, compresses and rubbing are especially popular.
Fats
In folk medicine, fats are often used, which include natural ingredients that help 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.
- For a better connection of all the ingredients, add Vaseline and mix everything well.
- Rub the ointment on the shoulder, it will help reduce pain and eliminate inflammation.
Decoctions and tinctures
Soup: in an enamel bowl, mix half a celery root, parsley (3 roots), three glasses of water, a pinch of black pepper. Cook all the chopped ingredients under the lid for 10 minutes. Drink the resulting decoction during the day 14 days before meals. A decoction of corn stigmas is also useful, for the preparation of which 2 tablespoons of ingredients cook for 10 minutes and drink five times a day per tablespoon.
Effective infusion: boil buckthorn bark (3 tablespoons), dandelion root (2 tablespoons), primrose seeds (2 tablespoons) and mint (3 tablespoons) boil in 0. 5 liters of water. Leave in a dark place for one night. 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 before bed, preferably after water treatments.
Compresses and rubbing
A popular recipe for traditional medicine is a dressing with oatmeal. For the procedure it is necessary 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 sore shoulder. Another effective recipe for rubbing: boil rosemary flowers and turkey root for 10 grams, mix with ointment and rub three times a day.
Baths
Baths are actively used to improve blood circulation in damaged tissues and supply them with additional nutrients. Medicinal herbs and fees are added to the water to achieve maximum results. Herbs that have a beneficial effect on the patient are popular: chamomile (relieves inflammation), mint (has a calming effect), juniper, burdock (relieves pain, relieves the condition).
Rules for preparing the bath for the procedure:
- Boil the plant, make a concentrate, which is poured into the bathroom.
- Lie down in the bathroom so that the sore spot is immersed in water.
- Rub the inflamed shoulder with a towel, and then lubricate with cream or ointment.
Other folk methods
Other methods of traditional medicine are used to treat arthrosis of the shoulder joint, which also have a tangible effect:
- To relieve and alleviate pain, it is necessary to mix a few grams of propolis with 50 g. thick. After physical exertion, rub into the shoulder.
- Wrapping the shoulders with a cloth soaked in a solution of hay dust will help relieve bloating.
- Experts in traditional medicine recommend that you drink the juice of half a lemon before dinner to improve metabolic processes in the tissues.
- It helps to break a hard-boiled egg that must be overturned over a sore shoulder.
Prevention
The main methods of disease prevention include:
- Balanced diet, with a complex of essential minerals, vitamins.
- Regular set of physical exercises.
- Do not overload the shoulders, arms, so as not to negatively affect the joints.
- Elimination of the causes that cause the development of the disease.