Arthritis of the shoulder joint: causes, symptoms, treatment

Among all the inflammatory processes that occur in human joints, one of the leading roles is played by arthritis - the primary and often acute symptoms of joint damage. Most often, the disease affects those groups of mobile joints that are most susceptible to overload, or, due to their anatomical structure, are most vulnerable to salt deposition or infection. In this case, we are talking about the joints of the upper and lower extremities, which every day help a person to carry out various processes of his life. More often than others, the shoulder joint is affected by arthritis, but in many cases people do not give due attention to this problem and, I must say, in vain!

Etiology and mechanism of the disease

Arthritis of the shoulder joint is an inflammatory process that affects the joint connecting the humerus and the shoulder blade of the fixed belt of the upper limb. It is known that any composition includes in its structure two free bony joints, consisting of a spherical head and a corresponding cavity, interconnected by means of a cartilaginous layer and enclosed in an articular bag. In the inflammatory process, as a rule, one or more of the components of the joint is affected, while violating its general mobility.

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint of the human body. He is able to carry out movements of a very different nature and intensity:

• Flexion - extension.
• Rotation around its axis.
• Lead and side cast.
• Combined circular motion.

It is not by chance that such articulated mobility is most susceptible to various kinds of injuries, and a large blood flow often contributes to the subsidence of infection in the bowels of the joint bag.

According to the etiology of the origin of arthritis of the shoulder joints can be divided into:

1. Traumatic arthritis - resulting from trauma to the joint (dislocation, subluxation, dislocation, sprain, in severe cases - a fracture of the internal bones), due to physical overload (carrying a heavy bag or pushing the suitcase toward you, sudden movements when waving your arms up are frequent swimmers' injuries), long arm rest, too intense movements, etc.), or traumatic dislocation of external influences (for example, from a blow during a fall or as a result of a car accident).
2. Infectious lesions - arise as independent infectious lesions of the articular bag, and as a result of complications after infections. These are the most common causes of the development of a purulent variant of arthritis, as a result of which pyogenic formations accumulate in the joint cavities. Often, an infectious lesion occurs as a result of an open gunshot or stab wound, in which pathogenic microorganisms penetrate directly into the tissue of the joint.
3. Joint damage in the presence of an internal disease. These can be hormonal diseases (for example, diabetes mellitus), diseases associated with metabolic disorders (gout), which result in the deposition of calcium, salts and other chemical compounds on the walls of the joints that impede the normal functioning of the joint.
4. Arthritis as a result of wear of the cartilage tissue and changes in the structure of the joint - in fact, this is an acute stage of the complication of arthritis - arthrosis.In this case, inflammation occurs as a reaction to external factors (dietary disturbance, weather changes, stress, overload, etc.). This category includes arthrosis of the shoulder joint, osteoarthritis of closely spaced joints.

In addition to these reasons, there are several factors that contribute to the development of arthritis, including the shoulder joint:

• Hypothermia.
• Heredity - the most commonly encountered hereditarily weak ligamentous apparatus.
• Congenital joint pathology.
• Joint injuries that occur during the birth process (dislocations, subluxations, etc.).
• A general decrease in the immune response in humans.
• CNS diseases affecting the condition of the articular apparatus.

Symptoms of Shoulder Arthritis

As a rule, the main signs of developing arthritis largely depend on the cause of the disease. However, there are a number of symptoms that apply to all types of inflammation in this category:

1. Pain - in any case, it will be intense, but the nature of the severity will have different shades. So, with a sharply received injury, the level of pain can increase before the development of pain shock, while in chronic chronic inflammatory foci, the pain will be painfully aching.
2. Redness - as a rule, occurs in acute conditions, when the joint is affected by sudden movements, resulting in rupture of small capillaries and, as a result, small internal hemorrhages appear.
3. Swelling is also characteristic of acute conditions; it is formed as a result of displacement of internal tissues and displacement of interstitial fluid into a certain space.
4. Mobility impairment is characteristic of all types of arthritis. It is formed as a result of inflammatory processes developing inside the joint itself, as well as a consequence of a complex of other symptoms (edema, swelling, accumulation of blood, damage, etc.), which create an obstacle to further movement.
5. Joint displacement - is observed quite rarely, with its presence, knocked out components of the joint are clearly felt. The pain is usually sharp, often cold sweat and loss of consciousness are possible.
6. Injury to joint tissues - occurs only in some cases with the direct mechanical impact of traumatic factors on the articular mechanism (with a gunshot wound, with a fall, with a sharp blow from an obtuse object (accident)).
7. Temperature - usually localized, i.e. at the site of tissue injury, but it also happens to be common, in this case it indicates the infectious nature of the joint inflammation and the possibly starting purulent process inside it.

It should be noted that inflammation of the shoulder joint associated with internal factors of the occurrence of this pathology, for example, changes associated with a violation of substances or hormonal type, have a less pronounced clinic, but the pain is more prolonged and aching.

Shoulder Arthritis Treatment

Any joint inflammation should not be treated on its own. It is recommended to seek professional medical help in specially created points, or in the departments of traumatology and surgery of both outpatient and inpatient types. What help can a doctor provide?

1. Immobilization or immobility of the limb: after fixing the joint by applying a special dressing (if necessary, sometimes only a dressing is necessary if the components of the joint are in place), conditions are created that exclude excessive mobility, and therefore additional trauma to the joint.
2. Anesthesia: as a rule, anesthetic injection is done to reduce the inflammatory process.
3. If the injury is open, then a microsurgical operation is done, aimed at disinfecting the wound space, filling it with antiseptic, wound healing and anti-inflammatory drugs. Plus the question is about vaccination against tetanus to prevent the further development of a dangerous disease.
4. The patient is released under the further supervision of a specialist, he is prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, drugs containing nemisulide - nemesil, nemisulide, diclofenac, the doctor often recommends Movalis) as a stable anesthetic and to eliminate possible negative symptoms.
5. If we are talking about beating, stabbing and gunshot wounds, falling, the victim is hospitalized to monitor the general condition and exclude the development of concussion.

Arthritis treatment at home

If the patient does not have a fixation bandage, or after wearing it, he can use alternative methods of treating arthritis:

1. Compresses from plant components, which have an analgesic and sedative effect: an excellent tool is cabbage, mixed with honey and slightly heated to a temperature comfortable to the body; lotions from concentrated salt water (if there are no open wounds); compresses from fresh finely chopped onions.
2. Rubbing. This category includes various alcohol tinctures, both pharmaceutical and self-made. Especially good are preparations of lemongrass, peppermint, rose hip, lavender and elecampane extracts.
3. Ointments. Especially effective is an ointment based on pork fat and propolis (50 grams of fat / 3 grams of propolis).
4. Bathtubs. They have a good soothing and anti-inflammatory effect, the most popular are baths on coniferous extracts, on a combination of eucalyptus and aloe juice, on a concentrated decoction of a string mixed with oak bark components.

Perhaps the use of decoctions inside. Combinations of green tea and corn stigmas will be especially useful in this category.

Complications of arthritis of the shoulder joint

The most complex and formidable complication of this pathology is the further development of arthrosis - pathological modifications within the joint itself that differ in deforming nature. Treatment of arthrosis, as a rule, is carried out only with the aim of eliminating symptomatic manifestations. With severe damage to the joints, the question arises of their further replacement with artificial ones. This operation is called arthroplasty.

Shoulder Arthritis Prevention

Curing the disease is a difficult task, and therapy is quite long in time, because recovery periods sometimes take from three or more months. The disease takes a lot of patience and wastes the victim’s precious time, aching pain deprives sleep, worsens mood and well-being. To prevent further re-return of the disease, you should follow some simple rules:

1. Avoid working with heavy objects, especially if before that there was traumatic arthritis with joint displacement.
2. Avoid overcooling of the injured joint: do not swim in too cold reservoirs, dress appropriately, according to the weather, try to avoid drafts.
3. In time to treat concomitant diseases, as their infectious background can adversely affect the health of the joints.
4. Strengthen the body's immune functions.
5. Do not wear clothes that are too tight, constraining the movement, as it contributes to repeated dislocation of the limb.

For any, even mild pain, you should consult a doctor for examination for deeper pathologies (deforming arthrosis).

Video: arthritis and arthrosis - what is the difference between these joint diseases