Almost all people over 45 years old are familiar with joint pain, which is accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, a violation of the normal functioning of the limb. The main reasons for the development of such a disease are excessive physical exertion, injuries, unbalanced nutrition 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 early stages can be carried out 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 several factors, which can be subjective or objective. The main reasons for the development of the disease include:
- Joint injuries that have provoked inflammatory processes that negatively affect the state of cartilage and bone. Often there is a development of the disease after a dislocation (especially if the joint was not put in place in time and inadequate tissue fusion began), an arm fracture, a severe contusion.
- Joint hypothermia, which negatively affects the condition of the cartilage and the work of the joint.
- Excessive stress on the shoulder joint. Athletes, people engaged in physical work are at risk of contracting the disease.
- The presence of diseases that provoke the development of arthrosis, for example, polyarthritis, obesity.
- Congenital pathologies can become a prerequisite for the development of the disease.
- Unbalanced diet, the use of harmful foods (salt, 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 early stages, when it is possible to carry out therapy at home on your own, there is a high probability of getting rid of the consequences and negative effects of the disease. To determine the presence of the disease, to confirm the diagnosis, a visit to the doctor will help, to which you should go if you have these symptoms:
- Weakness in the upper limbs, which is observed not only after exercise or intense exertion, but also in the morning after rest.
- Shoulder pain that increases after exertion and decreases during rest.
- Painful sensations reduce the motor activity of the joint, which leads to stiffness, the inability to lift the limb high or rotate it.
- Sometimes there is swelling in the joint area.
- Pain can be given to the neck or upper limb, which reduces vital activity, causes general malaise.
In medicine, there are three stages of development of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, each with certain symptoms and characteristic features:
- 1 degree. At this stage, there is mild pain, which increases when lifting the arm or increasing the load on it. Treatment in the first stage is the simplest and can be performed at home by the patients themselves.
- 2 degrees. Joint mobility is impaired, any manipulation causes a sharp pain that does not subside even during rest. Often, there are cases when it is impossible to independently lift the hand with a joint affected by arthrosis.
- 3 degrees. The stage is called deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint. This is a difficult stage in which cartilage deformation is observed, inert growths appear, frequent exacerbations occur. Changes in the joint interfere with the normal functioning of the hand, and surgery is used as a treatment in 98% of cases.
Recommendations for home treatment
This disease brings many inconveniences, interferes with normal life, interrupts the usual rhythm. This negatively affects the general well-being, the emotional state of the patient, therefore, it is necessary to undergo treatment. In the first and second stages of the disease, it is possible to carry out therapy at home, adhering to all the doctor's recommendations and prescriptions.
For healing, a complex of methods is used, which allows to obtain the most effective result. Many can be used at home. Complex therapy includes:
- Medication.
- Compliance with a diet, the transition to a proper and balanced diet.
- Performing simple physical exercises.
- Surgical intervention.
- Using popular methods.
- Physiotherapy procedures.
- Other methods: treatment with leeches, acupuncture.
Diet control and adherence
In treating osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, proper diet and nutrition play a significant role. First of all, it is worth removing from the diet foods that negatively affect the condition of cartilage, the elasticity of joints. Basic nutrition principles:
- Harmful foods that negatively affect joint health include: dairy products, pork or veal, potatoes, corn, some vegetables - bell 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 joint, its elasticity will help in the consumption of flaxseed and olive oil.
- 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 and marinated dishes.
- Nutrition should be as balanced as possible so that the body receives the maximum amount of useful vitamins and minerals.
- Experts recommend using sweets, sparkling water.
Physical activity and massage
The treatment of the disease is favorably affected by carrying out certain physical exercises that can be performed at home on their own. Gymnastics improves blood circulation in the tissues around the joint, which contributes to the additional nutrition of the cells; Helps to strengthen muscles, develop joint connection. A set of exercises:
1 exercise:
- Starting position: the patient is level and, behind the back, the hands are clasped in the lock.
- Raise your arms, trying to keep them straight, without bending your elbows.
- Repeat the manipulations up to ten times.
2 exercise:
- Starting position: standing, arms lowered freely.
- Make alternating circular movements with your shoulders, first forward, then back.
- Repeat 14-20 times.
3 exercise:
- Become straight, lower your hands.
- In your left hand, you need to carry a load of no more than half a kilo (a weight, a 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 doing exercises, massage of the affected shoulder will help. The procedure has its own nuances that must be followed to achieve the maximum result:
- The procedure must be entrusted to a professional who can do everything at the highest level.
- It is worth starting the massage with rubbing and caressing, which will help to relieve pain, prepare the body for the procedure.
- The movements must be as precise as possible so that they do not cause pain, but relieve pain.
Medicines
In the early stages of the development of the disease, drug treatment is used, which, depending on the group of drugs, has a different effect on the disease. It is important to remember that taking drugs does not solve all problems, this technique must be used in combination with other methods of fighting, for example, physical activity. When taking medications, injecting or using ointments, you should follow the doctor's recommendations and follow the dosage. The following drug groups are used:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Medicines help relieve swelling, remove inflammation from tissue in diseased joints, reduce pain.
- Chondroprotectors - drugs that improve blood circulation, help restore cartilage.
- Analgesics, anesthetics can be taken as pills or topical ointments can be used for pain relief
- Muscle relaxants are drugs that help relieve muscle spasm and relieve pain.
- Vitamins, food supplements that enrich the body with substances useful to improve health.
Folk remedies
Often folk methods are used for treatment, which help to remove symptoms, manifestations of the disease, alleviate the condition and get rid of pain. Medical workers recommend the combined use of traditional and traditional medicine, but it is important to coordinate everything with the treating physician. Especially popular are ointments, homemade compresses, baths, compresses and rubs.
ointments
In folk medicine, ointments are often used, which include natural ingredients that help to overcome the disease. To prepare a popular and effective drug, you need:
- Take 10 grams of hops, sweet clover, St. John's wort. Chop the herbs finely and rub.
- For a better bonding of all the ingredients, add Vaseline and mix everything very well.
- Rub the ointment on your shoulder, this will help reduce pain and remove inflammation.
Decoctions and tinctures
Broth: in an enameled container, mix half a celery root, parsley (3 roots), three glasses of water, a pinch of black pepper. Boil all the chopped ingredients under the lid for 10 minutes. Drink the resulting decoction throughout the day for 14 days before meals. A decoction of corn stigmas is also useful, for the preparation boil 2 tablespoons of the ingredient for 10 minutes and drink one tablespoon five times a day.
Effective infusion: boil hawthorn bark (3 tbsp), dandelion root (2 tsp), parsley seeds (2 tsp) and mint (3 tsp) boil at 0. 5 liters of water. Leave it in a dark place overnight. Drink 2 tablespoons of the 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 procedures.
compress and rub
A popular recipe for traditional medicine is an oatmeal compress. For the procedure, you need to prepare 30 grams of oatmeal in two glasses of water. Apply the prepared dough to the shoulder for 30 minutes. For rubbing, angelica is used (pour 15 grams of grass with boiling water, insist). Rub the resulting tincture on the sore shoulder. The second effective rubbing recipe: prepare rosemary flowers and hellebore root 10 grams each, mix with fat and rub three times a day.
baths
Baths are actively used to improve blood circulation to damaged tissues and provide additional nutrients. For maximum results, medicinal herbs and fees are added to the water. Such plants 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 baths for the procedure:
- Prepare the herb, make a concentrate, which is poured into the toilet.
- Lie down in the bathroom so that the sore spot is submerged in water.
- Rub the sore shoulder with a towel and lubricate with cream or ointment.
Other popular methods
For the treatment of osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, other methods of traditional medicine are also used, which also have a tangible effect:
- For pain relief and relief, you need to mix a few grams of propolis with 50 gr. fat. After physical exertion, rub on the shoulder.
- Wrapping the shoulder with a mesh soaked in a hay powder solution will help relieve swelling.
- Experts in traditional medicine recommend drinking the juice of half a lemon before dinner to improve metabolic processes in the tissues.
- It helps to extend a hard-boiled egg, which must be rolled over a sore shoulder.
Prevention
The main preventive methods of the disease include:
- Balanced diet, with a complex of essential minerals, vitamins.
- Regularly a set of physical exercises.
- Do not overload the shoulders, arms, so as not to adversely affect the joints.
- Elimination of the causes that provoke the development of the disease.