Causes, symptoms of arthrosis, its complications and treatment methods

29 August 2025

Arthrosis is a disease of the joints, considered dystrophic and associated with slow destruction of cartilage inside the joint.With arthrosis, over a long time, changes occur, restructuring the articular ends of the bones, inflammatory processes are underway and the degeneration of periosematic tissues occurs.Such a thing as “arthrosis” also includes not a very large group of articular diseases of a degenerative-inflammatory nature, which have different causes and similar mechanisms of their development.

Arthrosis is considered the most common joint disease in the world, according to statistical data to one degree or another, up to 80% of the globe population suffer from arthrosis.Lessions of this type are very common, and are in third place, after oncology and cardiovascular diseases.

The probability of developing arthrosis with age increases many times.The disease equally affects both men and women, the exception is only arthrosis of the inter -phalanx joints, since it is most often noticed in women.Arthrosis overtakes people at working age - from 30 years and every year the number of sick people steadily and steadily increases.

The causes of arthrosis

Arthrosis develops due to metabolic disorders in the joint, which in turn leads to the fact that cartilage begins to lose elasticity.This can be facilitated by complete or partial loss from the composition of the cartilage of proteoglycans, this happens, as a rule, due to rather deep cracks in the cartilage itself.The loss of proteoglycans can occur for another reason: due to the failure of their production by joint cells.

The following reasons may affect the occurrence and development of arthrosis:

Preented earlier injuries.It can be dislocations, bruises, fractures, ligaments and other damage.
Metabolic disorders.
Excess body weight, leading to additional loads on the joints.
The inflammatory process in the joints is acute purulent arthritis.
Elderly age.
Low quality of power.
Hypothermia.
Autoimmune diseases - red lupus, rheumatoid arthritis.
General intoxication of the body.
Frequent colds.
Specific inflammation - syphilis, tuberculosis, tick encephalitis, gonorrhea.
Thyroid diseases.
Violation of blood coagulation (hemophilia).
Pertes's disease is a violation of the blood supply to the femoral head.

Also, at risk, in the near future, such a disease as arthrosis, are people whose professions are: mason, miner, fisherman, blacksmith, metallurgist - and other areas of activity related to increased physical labor.

Symptoms of arthrosis

Symptom of arthrosisthere is pain at the load on the joint, which subsides when the joint at rest;Reducing the mobility of the joint, crunch, a feeling of muscle tension in the joint.The joint periodically affected by arthrosis may swell, and over time is deformed.

Consider the following 4 large groups of arthrosis symptoms:

Pain.The presence of pain is the first sign of arthrosis of the joints.It can be assumed that with any damage, similar sensations occur, but with arthrosis the pain has some features.Firstly, this is the occurrence of sudden pain or significant discomfort during movements.It will be localized in the place in which the sore joint is located.When a person stops the movement and goes into a state of rest, the pain passes.At night, a person practically does not experience unpleasant sensations, unless during the coups of the body, finding the optimal position - the patient calmly falls asleep.Pain appears during rest only at the stage of progression of the disease, they have some similarity with dental bastards when a person cannot fall asleep.They show themselves closer to morning - at 5 o’clock.So, at the beginning of the pain there is practically no pain, it can only be felt with load or palpation, over time a person’s suffering is intensified, and the joint requires more and more rest periods.Then life completely turns into torture - the hyaline cartilage is thinned, the bone is exposed, osteophytes begin to grow.Acute pain torments almost constantly, intensifying even more in bad weather and full moon.
Crunch.An equally indicative symptom of arthrosis is the presence of crunch.It becomes audible due to the fact that the softness of the rotation of the bones in the joint is reduced, they rub about each other, as a result of which a characteristic sound arises.A crunch can be heard with other diseases, and even when the joints are healthy.But it is precisely such a crunch that is distinguished by its “dry” sound.The more the disease progresses, the brighter the sound becomes.Moreover, if a crunch is heard, then pain will be felt.This is what makes it possible to distinguish the sound made by joints with arthrosis from the usual harmless click.
Reducing mobility in the joints is another characteristic symptom of arthrosis.At the initial stage, this phenomenon does not bother the patient, but with the progression of arthrosis, the germination of bone neoplasms leads to the fact that the muscles are spasmodic, and the articular gap almost completely disappears.This is the cause of the immobility of the limbs at the destination.
Joint deformation.Its modification is determined by the fact that osteophytes grow on the surface of the bones and the synovial fluid arrives.Although deformation is one of the latest symptoms, when arthrosis has struck the joint to a large extent.

The course of the disease is characterized by the stages of exacerbation and stages of remission.This significantly complicates the independent diagnosis of arthrosis, relying only on its own sensations.Therefore, it is necessary to seek a clarification of the diagnosis to the doctor.

Degree of arthrosis

Arthrosis is characterized by degenerative-dystrophic changes in the joints that will pursue a person in the form of a chronic disease.The result of such destruction is the defeat of the cartilage joint, pathological changes in its capsule and the synovial shell, in ligaments and bone structures.

It is customary to distinguish between three degrees of arthrosis, which characterize the different severity of the course of the disease and have various symptoms.

1 degree of arthrosis

At the first stage of the development of arthrosis, serious changes in the joint morphology are not observed.Only the composition of the synovial fluid is disturbed.It supplies the joint tissue with nutrients worse, so the cartilage loses its former resistance to the loads familiar to it.This leads to the fact that cartilage fabrics are inflamed, a person has pain.

The patient may complain of insignificant stiffness in the joints, but most often he does not pay any attention to this feeling, attributing such a violation of health changes in the weather, uncomfortable pose, etc.

Sometimes a weak crunch can be heard in the area of the affected joint.Pain can be aching.If the disease is diagnosed at this stage, then it will be possible to cope with it conservative methods.

2 degree of arthrosis

The second stage of arthrosis is accompanied by the destruction of cartilage.Bone growths appear on the edges of the joint.The more intense the load, the stronger the cartilage fabric of the joint will be destroyed.

A person experiences constant pains, to which he gets used to.Inflammation now calms down, then aggravates again.

The muscles surrounding the joints will lose their former functions, but most often such disorders are weak or moderate.Therefore, at this stage, a person may refuse to visit the doctor.

After a short load on the legs, a person may experience fatigue.At the same time, the aching pain in the joints becomes acute.Cryst during movement intensifies, which is explained by bone growths.

It is in the second degree of development of arthrosis in the joints that the deforming process begins, so you must definitely seek medical help.

3 degree of arthrosis

The third degree of arthrosis is the most severe.The joint cartilage of the affected joint is not only thinned, but also began to collapse, and the pathological foci are already quite large.The joint is very deformed, which affects the normal axis of the limb.

The ligaments that surrounded the joint earlier lose their functional activity, become short, which affects the mobility of the arms or legs.

During this period, a person has contractures and subluxation.The muscles surrounding the joint are shortened and stretched, they are difficult to contract.The joint itself and the nearby fabrics suffer from insufficient nutrition.

A person is tormented by severe pain, it is acute and sharp.Even at rest, the patient experiences significant discomfort.The third degree of arthrosis is associated with the risk of complete loss of human capacity.

Types of arthrosis

Depending on the cause of arthrosis, a disease with unclear etiology, that is, idiopathic arthrosis, is distinguished.Most often, it is diagnosed in people over 40 years old.There are also secondary arthrosis, which occurs against the background of obvious causes (after injury, with joint inflammation, with endocrine diseases, etc.).

In addition to the fact that arthrosis is classified depending on the cause of its occurrence, the following varieties of the disease are distinguished:

Knee arthrosis or gonarthrosis.This is the most common type of disease.At the same time, the knee joints suffer.Pathology is diagnosed most often in people with an excess body weight, against the background of metabolic impairment in the body, as well as due to the stress.The disease develops over the years, at its late stage, the knee completely loses its mobility.
Ankle arthrosis.In this type of disease, the ankle joint is affected.The disease develops against the background of injuries, with stretching of the ligaments, due to the available dysplasia, gout, and diabetes.Sometimes the cause of pathology is rheumatoid arthritis.Most often, ankle arthrosis is diagnosed in people whose work is associated with excessive loads on this area: in dancers, athletes, in women who wear high -heeled shoes.
Shoulder arthrosis.The main reason for the pathology is considered to be congenital defects of the shoulder joint, or excessive loads on it.The risk group includes carriers, plasters and people who are busy with hard manual labor.This also includes arthrosis of the elbow joint.
Arthrosis of the hip joint or coxarthrosis.This is one of the heavy varieties of pathology.The main reason is age -related changes in articular tissues.The risk group includes people over 40 years old.
Cervical arthrosis.The reasons that can lead to the development of this pathology: insufficient mobility of the cervical spine, obesity and injuries.The risk group includes people who are engaged in sedentary work.In addition to the main symptoms of arthrosis in the form of pain and restriction of joint mobility, patients have dizziness, headaches, and sometimes even loss of consciousness.This is due to the involvement of the vertebral artery in the pathological process, which feeds the brain.
Osteoarthrosis of the hands and fingers.In this case, the wrist joint is damaged, the joints of the fingers, etc. Most often, women who entered during the period of menopause suffer from pathology.
Spondylarthrosis in which the joints and cartilage of the spine suffer.The disease develops most often in people aged, after 65 years.Women are mainly suffered from him, which is explained by a decrease in estrogen level after Climax that has come.
In Polyosteoarthrosis.This is a disease of a degenerative nature in which peripheral joints, ligaments and tendons suffer.The joints of the spine may be involved in the pathology.

Complications of arthrosis

If arthrosis does not provide proper attention, do not treat it in time and correctly, this can lead not only to the complete destruction of the diseased joint, but also to a change in the biomechanics of the spine, which is why hernias in the intervertebral discs may appear and the development of arthrosis in other healthy joints can begin.The complication of arthrosis of the joints is better not to allow.

The following pathologies are distinguished as the main complications of arthrosis:

Destruction of the joint.
Joint deformation.
The impossibility of carrying out movements.
Disability of the patient.
Violation of biomechanics of the spine and other joints.
Hernias of intervertebral discs.
Reducing the standard of life of the patient.

Diagnosis of arthrosis

To make a diagnosis, the doctor must interview and inspect the patient.Then he will appoint him an X -ray of the affected joints.

X -ray pictures are performed most often in 2 projections.The study allows you to visualize dystrophic changes in the tissues, damage to the cartilage and adjacent bones.The articular gap in patients with arthrosis is narrowed, the bone site is deformed, bone growths, osteophytes can leave it.Sometimes the joint itself loses stability, which leads to dislocations.

The first sign of arthrosis, which can be visualized in an x -ray, is the presence of osteophytes.First, the edges of the articular surface simply become sharp.In the future, they thicken, and then outgrowths and spikes appear on them.The joint gap is already becoming as the pathology progresses.

Depending on the resulting radiological picture, the doctor can make the following diagnosis (the classification of Kellgren-Lawrence is taken as the basis):

Arthrosis is dubious.It is not possible to determine the degree of narrowing of the joint gap, but small osteophytes are visible.
Soft arthrosis, in which osteophytes are well visualized, but there are doubts about the narrowing of the joint gap.
Moderate arthrosis is diagnosed when the joint gap is clearly narrowed and osteophytes are clearly visible.Sometimes bone deformations are found.
Severe arthrosis is accompanied by a significant narrowing of the joint gap and the formation of large osteophytes.The joint will be deformed.

If the doctor needs more information about the condition of the joint, then he can direct the patient to pass the CT, Arthroscopy or MRI.To assess the quality of the synovial fluid, articular puncture is performed.

Methods of treatment

It is better to treat sore joints at an early stage, the treatment itself should be pathogenetic and complex.The essence of treatment is to remove the causes that contribute to the development of this disease, it is also necessary to eliminate inflammatory changes and restore the functions that have been lost earlier.

Comprehensive treatment of arthrosis includes drugs that have anti -inflammatory and analgesic properties, physiotherapeutic procedures should also be carried out, which have an analgesic effect on the joints.If the treatment is performed in a spa-resort, then it consists in climatic conditions that favorably act on the joints, as well as in the use of mineral waters and mud.

The treatment of arthrosis is based on several basic principles:

Damaged joints should be eliminated from excessive load.If possible, during treatment, it must be generally reduced to minimum.
Following the established orthopedic regime.
Classes of physiotherapy exercises.
The passage of physiotherapy, which includes a magnet and electrotherapy, shock-wave, as well as laser therapy.
Sanatorium treatment.To do this, it is necessary once a year, on the recommendation of a doctor, undergoes course treatment in specialized resorts.
Saturation of the joint with oxygen, or the so -called joint oxygenotherapy inside.
Therapy with drugs.
Inside, bone blockade, as well as decompression of metrophyse.
Rational approach to nutrition.

Physiotherapeutic treatment

You can cope with arthrosis using physiotherapeutic treatment methods.

These include:

UVT.Shock wave therapy makes it possible to get rid of osteophytes, which are bone processes.It is they who become the main cause of pain.The waves soften these outgrowths and after a while they are absorbed.In parallel, the power of the joint improves, metabolic processes are normalized.This procedure is effective only in the early stages of the development of the disease.In addition, only a doctor can appoint it, since it has many contraindications.
Myostimulation.The method is based on muscle stimulation by electrical impulses.The procedure is shown for the treatment of bedridden patients who are forced to adhere to the bed rest after injury.This method is not very often prescribed for arthrosis, although it allows you to normalize blood flow in the problem area and increase muscle tone, which makes it possible to bring the deadlines for the restoration of the joints.
Phonophoresis.In this method of treatment, the joint is exposed to ultrasound waves and drugs.The effect of medicines increases, as they will be delivered "exactly at the destination", and the cells will better learn them.
Ozonotherapy.This method involves the introduction of a gas mixture into the joint.The patient disappears, inflammation decreases, joint mobility is normalized, and blood circulation improves.Treatment is carried out in courses.Their duration depends on the severity of the flow of pathology.

Surgical types of treatment

When it is not possible to cope with the disease with conservative methods, the patient is directed to the operation.

The methods of surgical intervention include:

Performance of puncture.This is not only a therapeutic, but also a diagnostic method.During its implementation, the needle is inserted into the joint, taking a small amount of liquid.In the future, it is sent for analysis.This method allows you to remove the load from the joint, as well as deliver drugs to it, for example, corticosteroids.
Arthroscopy.At the same time, an arthroscope is introduced into the joint, for which several small cuts are made on the skin.This procedure makes it possible to assess the condition of the joint from the inside.During the arthroscopy, the doctor can remove unnecessary cartilage, thereby delivering a person from pain.
Near the articular osteotomy.The operation boils down to the fact that the bones of the joint is slightly sawn and fixed in the right position.This allows you to reduce the load on the defeat zone, as well as save a person from pain.Although the procedure is sufficiently effective, they rarely resort to it, since it is carried out under anesthesia and requires a long recovery period.
Replacing your own joint with a prosthesis.Endoprosthetics is resorted to if the joint is very deformed and cannot be restored.This is a difficult operation that costs a lot of money.The prosthesis itself is made of materials such as: metal, ceramics, plastic.After the intervention, a person is restored for a long time, can suffer from pain.Although it is often impossible to help patients with other methods, otherwise a person can be completely immobilized.A high -quality prosthesis is able to last for 20 years.All this time, a person will not experience any problems with movement.

Drug treatment

Let us consider in more detail the drug treatment:

Anti -inflammatory drugs.Starting therapy of arthrosis is comprehensive, you can slow down the course of the disease and largely improve the quality of life.It is worth dwelling in more detail at some treatment points.In particular, therapy with drugs includes at the initial stage - this is the removal of pain, as well as the elimination of inflammatory processes occurring in the joints.
Hormonal corticosteroids.When arthrosis is at the stage of exacerbation, hormonal corticosteroids are advisable.They are inserted into the joint.Outwardly, you can use a special patch, ointment or tincture, which are made on the basis of burning pepper.
Preparations aimed at restoring cartilage and improving the high -quality composition of synovial fluid will not be superfluous.The course lasts a rather long period of time until the moment until improvement occurs.

If the case is especially difficult, then the intake of narcotic analgesics can be prescribed.But they are used extremely rarely when the rest of the means did not bring the desired effect.

Proper nutrition for arthrosis

Separately, it is worth dwelling at nutrition during an exacerbation of the disease.There are also certain recommendations here - you can not overeat, as this will contribute to the accumulation of extra pounds, but it is impossible to starve, since the supply of cartilage with important elements will be broken.The priority task, which is facing the patient with excess weight is its decrease.To do this, it is simply necessary to remove fast carbohydrates from the diet, they are contained in all flour products and sweets.Alcohol falls under the ban, and first of all beer.

There are absolutely no complaints about fish dishes - they can be used quite a lot, of course, in reasonable quantities.But you should not lean on its too fat varieties, since they have many calories, which means that extra pounds will not be long in coming.

An important role in the treatment of arthrosis is assigned to a cold dish.Surprisingly, it is this dish that is recommended to include all doctors in the diet.Such food will be a real storehouse of trace elements for sore joints.The most important component in this dish is a collagen of natural origin.It is absorbed by the body quite quickly and is the basis of any connective tissue.Thanks to the regular consumption of the jelly, good results can be achieved - the joints will become more mobile, the fabrics lining their fabrics - elastic, and cartilage and bones will gain strength.

Do not forget about the regular intake of vitamins with food.For patients with arthrosis, B vitamins are especially relevant

Pyridoxine will help the production of hemoglobin."You can get it ”by eating bananas, nuts, cabbage and potatoes.It is worth getting carried away with greenery and legumes.They will become a source of folic acid.The liver, mushrooms, dairy products, as well as eggs will be useful.They are rich in riboflavin.

Observing the treatment regimen prescribed by the doctor, it can be achieved that the disease will retreat, and damaged tissues will begin to recover.