Almost everyone over the age of 45 is familiar with joint pain, which is accompanied by discomfort and violates the normal functioning of the limb. The main reasons for the occurrence of this disease are excessive physical exertion, injury, and unbalanced nutrition. A common condition that people often encounter is shoulder joint disease (hip joint disease is less common). Treatment of the disease in the early stages can be done at home, read below.
Causes of Arthropathy
Degenerative changes in the cartilage and surrounding tissue cause discomfort during movement, pain is an arthropathy of the shoulder joint. The disease can develop due to various factors, which can be subjective or objective. The main reasons for the development of the disease include:
- Joint damage that causes an inflammatory process that negatively affects the state of cartilage and bone. The disease usually develops after a dislocation (especially if the joint is not held in place in time and improper tissue fusion begins), broken arm, severe bruising.
- Hypothermia in the joints, which can negatively affect the condition of the cartilage and how the joints work.
- Excessive stress on the shoulder joint. Athletes, those who perform manual labor are at risk of disease.
- There are diseases that cause the development of arthropathy, eg polyarthritis, obesity.
- Congenital lesions may be a prerequisite for disease development.
- Unbalanced diet, use of harmful foods (salt, fat, fast food), which can negatively affect the condition of cartilage and cause disease.
extent and symptoms
Shoulder osteoarthritis is considered a chronic disease, but it can develop quickly. It is worth starting treatment at the initial stage, when it is possible to do it yourself at home, there is a good chance of getting rid of the negative consequences and effects of the disease. To determine the presence of the disease and to confirm the diagnosis, it can be helpful to see a doctor, which you should see if you have the following symptoms:
- Weakness of the upper extremities, observed not only after strenuous exercise or exertion, but also after morning rest.
- Shoulder pain worsens with exertion and lessens with rest.
- Painful sensations reduce motor activity in the joint, resulting in stiffness and the inability to lift or turn the limb.
- Sometimes the joint area becomes swollen.
- Pain can occur in the neck or upper extremities, which can reduce vital activity and cause general discomfort.
Medically, the development of shoulder arthropathy is divided into three degrees, each of which has certain characteristic symptoms and characteristics:
- 1 degree. At this stage, there is mild pain that increases when raising the arm or increasing the load on the arm. The first stage of treatment is the simplest, and patients can do it themselves at home.
- 2 degrees. The range of motion of the joint is impaired, and any manipulation causes severe pain that does not subside even at rest. In some cases, it is impossible to lift the hand of the joint with arthropathy independently.
- 3 degrees. This stage is called shoulder deforming arthropathy. This is the difficult stage where cartilage deformation, indolent growth, and frequent deterioration are observed. Changes in the joints can interfere with the normal function of the hand and are treated with surgery in 98% of cases.
Advice for treatment at home
This disease brings a lot of inconvenience, interferes with normal life, disrupts normal rhythms. This can negatively impact the patient's overall health and emotional state, necessitating treatment. In the first and second stages of the disease, treatment can be performed at home, following all the advice and prescriptions of the doctor.
For healing, a variety of methods are used, which makes it possible to obtain the most effective results. Many can be used at home. Complex therapies include:
- drug.
- Follow the diet and transition to an appropriate, balanced diet.
- Do simple physical exercises.
- operation treatment.
- Adopt folk methods.
- Physical therapy program.
- Other methods: leeches, acupuncture treatment.
Diet control and adherence
Diet and proper nutrition play an important role in the treatment of shoulder osteoarthritis. First, it's worth removing foods from your diet that negatively affect cartilage condition and joint elasticity. Basic principles of nutrition:
- Harmful foods that negatively affect joint health include: dairy products, pork or veal, potatoes, corn, some vegetables - peppers, eggplants, tomatoes. It pays to reduce the amount of such consumed ingredients or eliminate them entirely from the diet.
- To improve joint condition, their elasticity will help with flaxseed and olive oil.
- Antioxidant-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables (cabbage, cucumbers, bananas, olives) are recommended.
- Alcohol is prohibited.
- Food is cooked by cooking, roasting, stewing. It is recommended to exclude fried and pickled dishes.
- Nutrition should be as balanced as possible to allow the body to obtain the maximum amount of useful vitamins and minerals.
- Experts recommend using candy and soda.
Physical activity and massage
Certain physical activities that can be performed on your own at home have a beneficial effect on the treatment of the disease. Gymnastics improves blood circulation in the tissues around the joints, which in turn contributes to the extra nourishment of cells; helps strengthen muscles and develop joints. A set of exercises:
1 exercise:
- Starting position: Patient flattened, behind back, hands clasped in lock.
- Raise your arms and try to keep them as straight as possible without bending your elbows.
- Repeat the operation up to ten times.
2 Exercises:
- Starting position: Upright, arms lowered freely.
- Alternate with the shoulders in a circular motion, first forward, then back.
- Repeat 14-20 times.
3 Exercises:
- Get straight and put your hands down.
- The left hand needs to carry a maximum of half a kilogram (a weight, a bottle of sand or water).
- Do a circular motion back and forth with your hands and repeat 15 times.
- Do a similar operation with the other hand.
In addition to exercising, massaging the affected shoulder can also help. The program has its own nuances that must be followed for maximum results:
- The procedure should be entrusted to professionals who can do everything at the highest level.
- It is worth starting the massage with rubbing and stroking, which will help relieve the pain and prepare the body for the procedure.
- The movements should be as precise as possible so as not to cause pain, but to reduce it.
drug
In the initial stages of disease development, drug therapy is used, which, depending on the drug group, has a different effect on the disease. It is important to remember that taking medication is not the answer to all problems and this technique should be used in conjunction with other methods of struggle, such as physical activity. When taking medicines, injections or ointments, follow your doctor's advice and take the doses. Use the following drug groups:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Medications help reduce swelling, reduce inflammation in diseased joint tissue, and reduce pain.
- Chondroprotectants - Drugs that improve blood circulation and help restore cartilage.
- Analgesics, narcotics can be taken as tablets or topical ointments can be used for pain relief
- Muscle relaxants are medicines that help relieve muscle spasms and reduce pain.
- Vitamins, dietary supplements, enrich the body with beneficial substances to improve health.
folk remedies
Often, folk methods are used for treatment, which helps to eliminate symptoms, manifestations of the disease, relieve the condition and eliminate pain. Medical practitioners recommend using traditional medicine in conjunction with traditional medicine, but it is important to coordinate everything with the attending physician. Especially popular are ointments, homemade compresses, baths, compresses and rubs.
ointment
In folk medicine, ointments are often used, which contain natural ingredients that help overcome diseases. To prepare popular and effective medicines, you will need:
- Take 10 grams each of hops, sweet clover, and St. John's wort. Chop the herbs and knead together.
- To better connect all ingredients, add petroleum jelly and mix thoroughly.
- Rub the ointment on your shoulders, this will help relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
Decoctions and tinctures
Broth: In an enameled container, combine half a celery root, parsley (3), three cups water, and a pinch of black pepper. Cover and cook all chopped ingredients for 10 minutes. Consume the resulting decoction throughout the day, 14 days before meals. Corn stigma decoction is also useful, prepared by boiling 2 tablespoons of this ingredient for 10 minutes and drinking 5 tablespoons per day.
Effective infusion: Boil sea buckthorn bark (3 tablespoons), dandelion root (2 teaspoons), parsley seeds (2 teaspoons) and peppermint (3 teaspoons) in 0. 5 liters of water. Leave overnight in a dark place. Drink 2 tablespoons of the tincture on an empty stomach before breakfast. Another simple but effective tincture recipe: squeeze radish juice (about 30ml), honey (20g) and a pinch of salt. Take before bed, preferably after water treatment.
Compression and friction
A popular traditional medicine recipe is oatmeal. For this procedure, you need to brew 30 grams of oatmeal in two glasses of water. Apply the prepared substance to the shoulders for 30 minutes. Use Angelica when rubbing (pour 15 grams of grass with boiling water, stick to it). Apply the resulting tincture to a sore shoulder. The second effective kneading method: 10 grams each of rosemary and hellebore, mixed with fat, kneaded 3 times a day.
bath
Bathing is actively used to improve blood circulation to damaged tissues and provide them with additional nutrients. For maximum effect, herbs and charges are added to the water. This plant is popular for its patient benefits: chamomile (relieves inflammation), peppermint (sedative), juniper, burdock (relieves pain, relieves conditions).
Rules for preparing a bath for surgery:
- Brew the herb, make a concentrate, and pour it into the bathroom.
- Lie down in the bathroom and submerge the sore spot in the water.
- Rub a sore shoulder with a towel, then lubricate it with a cream or ointment.
Other folk methods
For the treatment of shoulder joint disease, other traditional medical methods are also used, and there are obvious results:
- For pain relief and relief, you need to mix a few grams of propolis with 50 grams. fat. After physical exertion, massage the shoulders.
- Wrapping the shoulders with canvas soaked in a hay powder solution will help reduce puffiness.
- Traditional medicine experts recommend drinking the juice of half a lemon before dinner to improve metabolic processes in the tissues.
- It helps roll out a hard-boiled egg that must roll over a sore shoulder.
prevention
The main prevention methods for the disease include:
- Eat a balanced diet with a variety of essential minerals and vitamins.
- Do a set of physical exercises on a regular basis.
- Don't overload your shoulders and arms, which can negatively affect your joints.
- Eliminate the cause of disease development.